Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-27
STANDARD OIL
PROBE ENDED
|. C.. C.. Left Cleveland for This
City A
TO PREPARE ITS REPORT
Which Will Include Chicago Testi-
mony.
TO PREPARE ITS REPORT
FOR PREsENTATIoNTo CONGRESS
Last Days Developments Were Re
garded as mportant-Ingenious
Methods to XIII Off Competition.

CLEVELAND Ohio, May 28-After three
days spent in taking testimony concerning
the affairs Of the Standard Oil Company
the interstate commerce commissioners.
Prouty and Clements adjourned this after
noon and shortly thereafter started for
Washington, where they are expected to
soon begin the preparation of their report
on the testimony taken here and in Chi
cago for presentation TO Congress The
report, however. will not be closed until
the Standard Oil Company's attorneys have
been given ample opportunity to reply to
the many statements and charges put in
evidence.
Attorney Virgil B. Kline for the Standard
OIL Company. gave notice just before adj
Journment that he desired to answer some
of the testimony produced and requested
the commissioners to name a suitable time
and place for the reopening of the case for
this purpose Mr.. Kline was told that this
privilege would be extended to him and
that announcement of the time and place
would be made in the near future. Mr..
Kline said that he would like TO have the
case reopened in Cleveland,
In the three days hearing just completed
total OF thirty-five witnesses have been
on the stand. About fifty or sixty were
Counsel for the commission, however had
five or six on hand ready to be sworn.
but the commissioners declined to hear
them. indicating that the things expected
10 be proven were not important.
Important Developments.
TOday's developments were regarded as
important and were in keeping with the
general line of inquiry made during the
two previous days. The first witness was
". f. MacEwen, formerly chief clerk in
the car department of the Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern Railroad Company in
this city He said he was in a position to
know much of the inner workings of the
car department, and he proceeded to tell
what he knew of the handling of tank cars
He said the cars of the Union Tank line
STANDARD Oil cars) were given a great adj
vantage over rival cars in computing mile
age and freight bills The bills of one
would be computed according to one stand
ard of distance. and those of the other ac
Cording 10 another standard. The result
was that the Standard was enabled to save
a considerable sum over the charges made
TO competing companies MacEwen said
he was with the Lake Shore road for sew
erai years, and when he left it he started
10 work with the Peerless Transit Com
pany. a small rival tank line. Knowing
how mileage and charges We're being COM
puted he went TO the proper Lake Shore
officials and asked for the same advantage
as was extended to the Union Tank line
Made Object of Ridicule.
The officials. he testified, made light of
his request. ridiculed him and said he was
showing great ignorance OF things. Not
discouraged, however, ne obtained copies
OF the compilations of car reports which
We're duly forwarded to the Cleveland office
of the Standard Oil Company, and taking
them 20 the officials of the Lake Shore final
ly succeeded In accomplishing his object.
Several weeks ago he said he noticed that
the high rate again being charged
against his company, and going once more
to the general offices informed that 1t
was all mistake, that the Peerless Tran
sit Company being the only, except to the
high charges. except the Union line the
matter had been entirely forgotten.
Special counsel Monnett endeavored 10
show by several witnesses during the day
that the Standard company maintained
press bureau for the purpose of substituting
Ohio newspapers, l29 of which he said were
on the Standa "a list
". J. Brickel. for many years the editor
Of the Columbus (Ohiol Evening Dispatch,
was one Of the witnesses called with this
end in view. Mr.. BriCkeN was asked
whether his paper did not accept Standard
Oil literature and publish it at news space
rates He said that he had positive
knowledge on the subject and that the
business manager was the proper person
to go TO for such information.
Alleged Literary Bureau.
vertlslng bureau at Lancaster, Ohio, was
called for the same purpose. He admitted
that he made advertising contracts with
Ohio newspapers for the Standard OIL Com
pany but said they were no different than
those made for any other concern.
Another witness in this line was Charles
J. Castle. who was for fifteen years d spe-
cial agent of the Standard in Cleveland
territory He s. Id that the literary bureau
was conducted s;Y Charles A. Kicks, who
on the witness 81 nd yesterday, denied that
any such thing existed. Castle said that he
made several advertising contracts for
Kicks himself
G.. Il Chamberlain, secretary and treas
urer of The Globe oil Company OF Cleve-
land was one of the other important wit
nesses Of the day. He told about trying to
get contract for lubricating the Hooking
Valley railroad, but he said their purchas
ing agent. C. r. Duffy told him that he
could not buy lubricatlng oil from him, as
that would lose the road hundreds of thou
sands of doArs in freghtage from the
STANDARD on Company.