The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-05
ROGERS REPy!,,'> !!
TO PRlylOENT
Claims TO Have Welcomed In
Vestigation Of Standard OIL
TO MAKE FULL ANSWER LATER

Methods of the Standard Oil Co. to
Promote His Vlews-He Is Con-
scious of Corporate Rectitude.
New York, May 4-In reply to President
Roosevelts message and the report of
Commissioner Garfield, Messrs. H. II.
Rogers and John d. Archbold of the
Standard Oil company said that their ex-
animation of the message and report had
necessarily been a hurried one, and that
they should at a later date make a full
answer to their shareholders. Meanwhile,
they made the following statement to the
Associated Press:
"In the Presidents effort to secure the
passage of bill enlarging the powers of
the interstate commerce commission, and
just and equitable railroad rates. we have
precisely the same interest that any good
citizen has No more and no less. Re-
garding his criticisms upon the manage
ment of the railways or his structures
upon an act of the interstate commerce
commission, we have neither responsibility
nor concern. When, however, he or Com
missioner Garfield attacks the Standard
Oil company and uses it's methods of do
ing business as an object lession for the
purpose of promoting his views, we pro-
test. II may be frankly stated at the out
set that the Standard Oil company has
at all time within the limits of fairness
and with due regard for the law, sought
to secure the most advantageous freight
rates and routes possible. The question
is whether we have at any point violated
the law. or the proprieties
Origin Of Inquiry.
1.-The present inquiry grew out of
resolution adopted by Congress a year ago
on motion of Mr.. Campbell of Kansas,
nstructing the secretary of commerce and
labor to Investigate the oil business as
carried on in this country. We welcomed
the investigation. When Commissioner
Garfield in the discharge OF his duty visit
ed our office he and his experts were
given free access to our books. and the
fullest opportunity to ascertain the man
ner in which our business was conducted.
Frank disclosures of all of our methods
were made and every criticism offered by
him was met with a candid and painstak-
ing answer.
so conscious were we of our recttude
that we repeatedly importuned Mr.. Gar
field to make public the conditions exist
ing Kansas, but he refused. We proposed
ourselves to answer some of the unfair
criticism upon the subject, but refrained
on Mr.. Garfields advice. and on his
surance that his report would present the
case fairly 1t turned out that so far
Kansas was concerned, the state authori-
ties abandoned their attack
Gives Much Advice.
Zone does not care to handy words
with the President of the United States.
1t is not easy to differentiate between
Mr. Roosevelt the President and Mr..
Roosevelt the individual. He has given
of his advice most generously on every
subject from the size of our families to
mistakes of federal judges, and some err
ror is inevitable now and then to the
most conservative man under such cir
cumstances.
1--WE say fatty that any assertion that
the Standard Oil company has been or is
now knowingly engaged in practices
which are unlawful Is alike untruthful
and unjust
1.-THE commissioners report upon which
the Presidents message is based, opens
with the statement that the manufacture
of refined oil in this country is about 26.-
100000 barrels annually. 1t is unimportant,
but 1t would nevertheless have been fair
for him to have stated that over 15,0OO.OO0
barrels of this annual manufacture Is
exported, and with its manufacture or
the price, the American public Is not con-
cerned.
"He next calls attention to the fact that
the STANDARD OIL refineries are located
at centers of distribution, while the inde-
PENDENT refneries are usually in the crude
oil fields. This fact If borne steadily in
mind will answer very many of the criti-
csms which he later INDUCES in. He
charges that this location OF rehneries,
and the natural advantages following 1t,
were obtained by means of unfair COM
petitive methods. but beyond this mere
assertion does not go into a history or
explanation of these alleged unfair meth
ods at ALL He says the development of
the pipe line system by the standard Oh
company was the result of special agree
ment with the railroad companies. what
he can mean is past our comprehension.
As a matter of fact, the development or
the pipe line system by the Standard OH
company was In the face of violent nos
tility on the part of the railroads. which
naturally were opposed to the introduc-
ton OF such means of transportation. At
enormous cost. and in the face of stead
fast railway opposition at an early date,
the Standard Oil company adopted the
pipe line method for handling crude pc
troleum. The first line was extended
from the western Pennsylvania oil, fields
to Bergen Point on the Atlantic coast.
This line diverted an enormous amount OF
freight from the railway companies,
which fact they did not view with COM
placency
Question of Favoritism.
Passing from this point Commissioner
Garfield takes up the question of favor
itism which he alleges has been shown
by various railroad corporations to the
Standard Oil company. The first specific
case of alleged discrimination to which
he directs attention is In the New Eng
land territory 1t is charged that we en-
ioy a monopoly In certain parts of that
section because some of the railroads
there refuse to prorate. The man who
could be deceived by such statement
must be pretty dense. First. II the New
England roads ought to prorate but re-
fuse TO do So it must occur to some one,
somewhere, that perhaps the New Eng
land road and not the Standard Oil COM
pany is blameable. Second, very casual
inquiry would show that the New Eng
land roads are simply doing what they
are forced to do by natural conditions,
and that Mr.. Garfelds attack to be ef-
fectye should be directed at Long Is
land Sound as means of freight COM
munication Obviously we have an adj
vantage by the use of our own pipe lines
from the western oil fields to the coast
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(Continuod an Second Panel