Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-05-05
STANDARD OIL TRUST
. ENRICHED BY REBATES
President Roosevelt In Sending The
Garfield Report 10 Congress
Demands Action. 4.
REPREHENslBLE ACTS EXPOSED
Secret and illegal Determinations in
Freight Rates Main Prop to the
eraspins Cooperation Monopoly
Controls Practically the Nations
Oil Trade.
fBy Associated press.l


President Roosevelt today transmitted
to Congress the report of James r..
Garfield, commissioner of corporations
giving the results of his investigation
of the subject Of transportation and
freight rates in connection with the
oil indnstrsilI A,I,BiHl ih
In his message the President ex-
presses the view that the report is of
capital importance because of the eff
fort To secure such enlargement Of
the powers Of the Interstate com
merce; non,iiission as will confer upon
the commission power in some meas
ure adequate to more clearly meet the
demonstrated needs of the situation.
Rebates Still Given.
The fact set forth In the report
he declared. are for the most part
not disputed. That the Standard Oil
Company has benefited enormously
almost up to the present moment by
rebates. many of which were clearly
unlawful, the President says the re-
port clearly shows. the benefit there
by secured amounting to at least
three-quarters of a million a year
The Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
transmit herewith report by
the commissioner of the bureau OF
corporations In the department of
commerce and labor on the subject
OF transportation and freight rates In
connection with the oil industry. The
investigation. the results of part of
which are summarized in this re.
port. was undertaken in accordance
waah lHouse resolution 1879, passed
February Is, 1905, but for the rea-
sons given in the report it has been
more general and extensive than
was called for in the resolution it.
self.
More Power Necessary.
call your especial attention to
the letter Of transmittal accom-.
panying and summarizing the re-
port; for the report is of capital i'm
portance in view Of the effort now
being made to secure such enlarge.
ment of the powers of the inter-
state commerce commission AZ will
e confer upon the commission power
in some measure adequately to meet
the clearly demonstrated needs Of
the situation. The facts set forth
in this report are for the most part
not disputed. 1t is only the infer
ences from them that are disputed
and even In this respect the dispute
Is practically limited to the ques-
ton as to whether the transactions
are or are not technically legal. The
report shows that the Standard Oil
company has benefited enormously
UP almost to the present moment by
secret rates, many Of these secret
rates being clearly unlawful This
benefit amounts to at least three
quarters of million year This
three-quarters of million repre-
sents the profit that the Standard
VII company UDldlllS Ut tue GNpElSe
of the railroads; but of course the
ultimate result is that 1t obtains a
much larger profit at the expense OF
the public. A very striking result
OF the investigation has been that
shortly after the discovery Of these
secret rates by the commissioner of
corporations. the major portion OF
them were promptly corrected by
the railroads, so that most Of them
have now been done away with.
Frauds Acknowledged.
This immediate correction. partial
or complete, of the evil OF the secret
'rates as ,Rof course, lon the one hand,
anN ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS they were
wrong, and yet were perservered in
quntilei exposed;oand on the other
hand, proof of the efficiency Of the
work. thattMhasabeen done by the
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