The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-05-17
STANDARD OIL SECRETS
REVEALED IN COURT
Witnesses at Chicago lnyestiga-
ton Tell Startling Stories.
CHEATING AND FRAUDS EXPOSED

Sweeping inquiry Into the Business
OF the Company Begun by the
Interstate Commerce Commits
Chicago.-Revelations of the intrigue
and trickery by which the Standard
Oil Company is alleged to maintain It's
supremacy were laid before the Inter
state Commerce Commission.
The charges included corruption of
railroad employees and agents of indie
pendent companies, giving short meas
ure, selling supposed different kinds OF
oil out of the same tank, obtaining
trade through fake companies appar-
emily working in opposition to Stand
ard Oil, driving independent dealers to
the wall through systematic price cut
ting on the part OF retail dealers
backed by the Standard. 1t ives ais
alleged that through special secret
freight rebates, one-half he open rate.
the trust was able to control most OF
the trade without price cutting.
E. NJ. Without, who is now an nde
pendent oil operator, testified that
while in the employ of the Standard
Oil Company as an agent at Topeka,
Kan, he had in following out instruc-
tons Of his superior officers bribed
clerks in the offices of railroads and
employees of independent oil concerns
to obtain information of the details of
the business don by the rivals OF the
Standard Oil Company.
"Cylinder oil is lie most profitable
sold," said the witness, land the Stand
ard Oil Company dislikes to have anT
:5ooo5or4 coll onU Of this grade
Our instructions were that if we found
a competitor selling this oil in our terri
tory to cut the price So as to get the
orders. and then substitute an inferior
grade of oil, and guarantee it to be OF
superior quality" =,
Mr, Without declared that agents of
: the Standard Oil Company are held
; personally responsible for all oil sold
: in their territory by Independent COM
: panies, and thatdrivers OF tank wagons
! are expected to keep up their stock by
Z selling 205 to 2O8 gallons from a wagon
t load of 200 gallons.
Continuing his testimony, MI. WI
) holt said: Sat Paris, ILL.,, the Stand
s ard agent left the service because al
IL independent got the majority of the
dealers. Under the orders Of Charles
: T. Collins, Second Vice-President OF
II the Kentucky Company, 1 started on
i to get that trade back. I sent a mar
to Paris, ILL.,, to arrange to get q dea
: TO sell oil for five cents a gallon TO tn'
consumer. This was arranged. Th'
y current price was then ten II one
% half cents to the retail trade, but W
i made the price to this n dealer nv
II cents, and he sold it at cost"
a "How could he make a living at tina
u rate?'' the witness was asked.
WELL" he replied, "once a month w
& sent a man around who gave the deale
e. . rebate of one cent a gallon on all tn
oil he bought. we pald TOT MS auNei
Using, also"
''What happened to the Independent
you were fighting"
"I finally bought his plant, Gil
III mantled it, and had it shipped to al
ie other point"
Is, How long did it take you to wrec
him.
a zone year"
~ ''Then what happened to the price G
Is oilf' -,
IS eft went back from five cents to tn
u price it was before the independeI
cut in" -.
H. MI. Mason said that the same thin
u! cook place at Urbana and
er 1t was shown that the Standard Il
years got freight IolCS "OOON r
oh cent. lower han those given the gel
IN eral shipper, and that its employ
were given annual passes over all I'M
ne in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
The Commission heard also or II
Oh connection of the Santa Fe Ralirof
as with the trust. President Ripley a
mitted that H. II. Rogers is one of II
:. directors of the Santa Fe Compan
1at He confessed that the Santa te a
1ai vanced freight rates from the hans
J, oil feldS to Kansas City and st. Lou
ar as soon as the pipe line along the San
IN FEES right Of way to Kansas City n!
l n been completed.
liu The Commission saw a map OF I
NO Systems pipe lines through I
Northeastern States, Ohio, New 70
len and PENNSYLVANIA. The route OF the
nor lines had been one of the compan!
the most closely guarded secrets. The III
was made by ". ". Tarbell, a DrotI
eer- of Miss Ida M. Tarbell-
IN NJ. Maxon. of Decatur, ILL.,, the Ii
witness. for twenty-five years IN I
lalt employ of Standard Oil, swore that
competitors were permitted to Opef'
ted long at a time in his district Qlllno
the h,,t So. +horo was a certain class
g u dealers whc would not buy from
OF Standard on principle. the
Company was permitted TO come III .
sell to them as an independent g
ED. eern."
D to Automobile Manufacturers ketqs
1.LIo. cna from Pa