The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-05
OIL MEN HIT BACK
Trust Officials Take Excep-
ton to the Charges Of
Roosevelt and
Garfield.
have NOT Violated Law
ADMIT SEEKING MOST ADVANTA-
GEOUS FREIGHT RATES.

Do Not Care to Bandy Words with the
President OF the United States-Not
Easy to Diferentiate Between Mr..
Roosevelt, the President, and Mr..
Roosevelt, the IndividuaI-Has Given
His Advice Most Generously Upon
Every Subject from the Size Of Fam
lilies to Mistakes of Federal Judges
IntimatiOn That Garfield ia Dense
Railroads Opposed building Of Pipe
Lines for Obvious Reasons.
New York, May Ain reply to Pres
ident Roosevelt's message and the re-
port of Commissioner Garfield, Messrs.
H- n. Rogers and John D. Archbold Of
the Standard Oil company said that
their examination of the message and
report had necessarily been a hurried
one, and that they should at later
date make a full answer to their share
holders. Meanwhile they made the fol-
lowing statement to the Associated
Press:
I'm the presidents effort to secure the
passage of a 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 Regarding his criticisms
upon the management of the railways,
or his structures upon any acts Of the
interstate commerce commission, we
have neither responsibility nor concern.
When, however, he or Commissioner
Garfield attacks the Standard Oil COM
pany, and uses it's methods of doing
business as an object lesson for the
purpose of promoting his views, we
protest. 1t may be frankly stated at
the outset that the Standard Oil COM
pany has at all lines, within the limits
of fairness, and with due regard for
the law, sought to secure the most ad-
vantageous freight rates and routes
possible. There will be no denial of
this fact on our part. The question Is
whether we have at any point violated
the law or the propreties.
1.-THE present inquiry grew out of
resolution adopted by congress a year
ago upon motion of Mr.. Campbell of
Kansas, instructing the secretary of
commerce and labor to investigate the
oil business as carried on in this coun
try. We welcomed the investigation.
When Commissioner Garfield in the dis
charge of his duty visited our office,
he and his experts were given free ac-
cess to our books and the fullest OPP
portunity to ascertain the mannef in
which our business was conducted.
Frank disclosures of all of our methods
were made, and every criticism offered
nv him was met with candid and
painstaking answer.
So conscious were we of our recti-
tude that we repeatedly importuned
Mr.. Garfield to make public the condi-
tions existing in Kansas, but he refus-
ed. We proposed ourselves to answer
some of the unfair criticisms upon the
subject, but refrained on Mr.. Garheld's
advice and on his assurance that his
report would present the case fairly,
1t turned out that so far as Kansas
was concerned the state authorities
abandoned their attack.
"One does not care to handy words
with the president of the United States.
It Is not easy to differentiate between
Mr.. Roosevelt, the president, and Mr..
Roosevelt, the individual. He has CIV
en- US of his advice most generously on
every subject, from the size of our fam
lilies to the mistakes of the federal
Judges, and some error is inevitable
now and then to the most conserva-
tive man under such circumstances.
eve 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.
'@The commissioner report upon
which the presidents message is based,
opens with the statement that the man
ufaoture of refined oil In this country
is about &c, 100000 barrels annually. 1t
is unimpertinent, but it nevertheless
would have been fair for him to have
stated that over 100000 Of barrels of
this annual manufacture is exported,
and with it's manufacture or the price
the American public is not interested.
"He next calls attention to the fact
that the Standar Oil refneries are To-
Gated at centers of distribution, while
the Independent refneries are usually
in the crude oil fields. This fact, if
borne steadily in mind, will answer
very many of the criticisms which he
later indulges in. He charges that this
location of refineries, and the natural
advantages following it were obtained
by means of unfair competitive meth
ods. but beyond mere assertion does
not go into history or explanation OF
these alleged unfair methods at all. he
says, THE development of the pipeline
system by the Standard Oil company
was the result of special agreements
with the railroad companies What
this this can mean is past our COM
prehension. AS matter of fact the
development of the pipeline system by
Aba STANDARD Oil companV was in the