The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-05-13
Will Reopen at Cleveland on
 May "A by Commission
WITNESS TELLS OF BRIBERY
The Inquiry of the Interstate Com merce Commission Into the Rela- ton Between Railroads and
 Standard Oil.

Chicago. May 12.-The investigation of the interstate commerce commission into the relations between the Standard oil company and the railroads was conclud- ed this evening as far as the section of the country is concerned. and will be resumed in Cleveland May 24. F. s. Hibbs of Peoria. who was for 1s years in the employ of the Standard oil company was the first states witness of the day. He demonstrated how the agents of the oil company were accustomed to trick customers into thinking that the product of their company was superior when in fact 1t was inferior to the product of the independent companies. He gave the names of men whom he had bribed to give up information of the business of competitors, and on cross-examination declared the Standard oil company Is doing all of these things today
 Other witnesses told of bribing employees of railroads and manufacturing companies and an instance was related where wire and nail industry in Indiana was compelled to shut down because grit had been placed in the oil purchased of an independent concern at the instance of salesman of the Standard oil com pany.
 Illustrate Tricks.
 Despite the objections of the counsel for the Standard oil company. F. s. Hibbs of Peoria and for thirty years an employe of the Standard oil com pany. was permitted today by the inter- state commerce commission to Illustrate number of tricks which the witness
 
 of the Standard oil company. eIn testing the oil of a rival company l said MT. Hibbs. i've used a new chimney and the magnesia in the glass makes the chimney look cloudy. For our own use we had an old chimney dried out and not too long. We used to rub a moistened finger across the wick of the eompeti 1 tor, and after it burned short time the damp spot would be reached. the light i would grow dim and there would be l sputterng. All this time our light would l be burning brightly. Our wicks were 1 trimmed as to make a thin flame and those of the competitor we trimmed so ! as to make thick flame. The thinner i the flame, the whlter the light. Then we would often bend down the lower part of the burner and let air in under tha chimney, which would cause the lamp to smoke Sometimes we would fill up some or me uOltS hfounu lht bdih- CT with chewing gum.
 q only resorted to those tricks when competitor was selling oil in town and wanted to get rid of him.
 Teils cf Dinner. Do the agents of the Standard oil 1 company stlll practice the tactics you have mentioned, in meeting competition?" asked Attorney Monett.
 ''Yes, they are doing it today re- l piled the witness. They pay rebates. brbe people cut the price and substitute an inferior quality of oil and in fact do i anything necessary to get the business and put the competitor out of the way" The witness then told of a dinner given In Peoria by C. II. Hand. manager of 1 the Cincinnati office of the Standard oil | company, at which the different methods of getting business were discussed. The witness said that Manager Hand related | how Robert Carlyle, a salesman. had used s100 in getting a certain customer. and that 1t was a good investment. The | money was used In bribing the employees l of the firm using the oil
 Another instance was cited where the engineer of large plant was bribed by | agents of the Standard oil company to put grit in the oil sold by rival.
 The witness gave specific instances where he had bribed railroad employees | while he was in the employ or the Stahd- ard oil company to get information re- | garding shipments made by the Royal oil company. He said the company all ways urged agents never to remember names or facts connected with the work of obtaining information about the bus mess of rivals.
 Attorney Monett then attempted to show that the Standard oil company paid less than 10 per cent of the taxes 1t should pav under the law. but Commissioner Clements ruled the commission could not properly go Into that matter In the pres ent inquiry.