The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-05-25
Assist the Oil Trust in Fight ing It's Competitors
INVESTIGATION IS RESUMED
While No New Sensations Are Sprung, the Interstate Commerce Commis- sion Brings Out Valuable
 Additional Facts.

Cleveland, Ohio. May 24-In two pro- tracted sessions today the interstate com merce committee, Members Prouty and Clements in attendance. heard evidence bearing upon the business methods of the Standard oil company. The sessions were continuation of the investigation ad- iourned in Chicago nearly two weeks ago. Those who testified were G. R. Westgate of Titusvlle, Pa, State Senator Louis Emery of Bradford, Pa; State Senator J. F. Lee of Iittsburg and Frank Baremer, secretary of the National Refining com- pany of Cleveland. and president of the National Pipe Line company, having sew eral small pipe lines in Ohio oil fields No decidedly sensational testimony was pro- dnccd. but most of II related to methods which the so-cal!ed trust took to prevent competition and drive it's rivals out of business. Much evidence was offered show ing that railroad companies took cousid- erable part in aiding the Standard oil company to fight it's rivals.
 C. A. Prouty and Judson C. Clements were the only members of tho commission present. J. T. Marshand, chieI counsel and former Attorney General T. S Monett of Oho special counsel for the commission. were present In their respective capacity. Virgin P. Kline, the Cleveland corpora tion attorney, and close personal friend and adviser of John D. Rockefeller, and r. II. Tolles appeared as counsel for tho Standard company.
 r. B. Westgate of Titusville. Pa, was the first witness
 First Witness.
 He stated that he had been an oil pro- ducer for nineteen years. being treasurer and general manager of tn American oas company. The product of hls company. hs testified. was marketed iu New England and up to 1886 the company Il low through rates on railroads 10 all bonus in that territory. but after that the rates increased gradually from 251a cents to 40 cents, and that ever since the rates had been high without any apparent reason. The witness stated that he had in recent years made numerous unsuccessful appli- cations to the Pennsylvania and Lake Shore railroads out of Titusville for through rates to central Vermont points. He had been obliged, he said, to pay a second-class rate on carload lots. where as he should have been able to obtain fifth or six-class rate. Owing to the ex- cessive rates his company had been able to obtain but little business in the terri tory named. The Standard oil company. however, he said, was enjoying large business there
 Proceeding further, Mir Westgate read a letter which he had written within the last few weeks to a connecting New Eng land railroad In which he again applied for q through rate.
 "The result this time was very joyful" said the witness, For the through rats was granted and published on May 2S. just in time for his hearing before the committee"
 Emery Testfies.
 State Senator Louis Emery of Bradford. Pa, was the next witness. He entered into an extended statement concerning the history of the pipe lines.
 "The first pipe lines in Pennsylvania were not invented by the Standard oil company" said the witness at one point in his testimony. "'rhe Standard never invented anything. 1t has always stolen what somebody else created"
 The further testimony of the witness was principally devoted to relating the trials and hardshlps of his company. the United States Pipe Line company in ouila- Ing lines across Pennsylvania from Oil City to the seaboard in competition with the Standard oil company. In one con test he said the company lost between s7O00O0 and sS00,000 expended for the es- tablishing of many miles of pipe
 we are today" he said. the only com pettor of the Standard to the seaboard and that is the only way we can trans port our oil for the railroads are con trolled completely by the Standard. We have been bounded to death by the Standard They even tried to buy up our one million issue of stock and we were compelled to put our stock in trust so that 1t would not be possible to sell out imous consent of all of us"
 Senator Emery took the stand again when the afternoon session began He related further history concerning his fight against the Standard, giving one in stance of how refinery at Philadel- phia was compelled to go out of business because the railroads raised the rates to an exorbitant figure and also scattered their tank cars to the distant corners of the country. Another instance was when a new field of oil was discovered in the Bradford field and his company took charge of it. A railroad rate of ten cents a barrel was obtained but the Penn svlvania Railroad company compelled the connecting line under threats to raise the rate 10 g cents. Then, he said. the oil company constructed a pipe line, where upon the Standard concern came In and offered ten cents more a barrel for the oil and compelled his company to aban- don the field.
 Ask for Special Session.
 Wilmington, Del, May 24. "A commit-