The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-01-05
TAKE A PEEK IN THE POT.
Prosecutions Are Likely to Be the
Result Of Investigations Into
Rockefeller Company.

United States government have been
slowly and patiently but persistently
gathering facts and figures on which it
was hoped to base a successful attack
upon the gigantic monopoly known as
the Standard Oil company.
Great as this Organization is, the
United States government is greater, in
spite of the boast of some of the Stand
ard managers, and federal agents and
detectives have struck trail which
seems at last to lead into the heart OF
the famous system. ~
Following upon the footsteps of gov
eminent agents in Washington, Phila-
delphia, New York and other cities, /
have learned sufficient to convince me
that during the present winter and pos
sibly not long after the holidays, there
will be presented to congress report
which will be far more sensational than
that prepared against the beef trust:
and at the same time another report
will go to the attorney general with
suggestion that prosecution be institu-
ed under the antitrust law, the inter
state commerce law, the Elkins law.
and the conspiracy law, not only against
the Standard Oil company and its agents
and managers, but also against all rail
road and subsidiary corporations by the
use of which the Standard Oil company
has controlled the market in this eoun-
try and killed out all it's competitors.
The work of the special agents of the
government is not entirely concluded.
but nearly so. They have developed
enough to startle the country, and the
paid spies OF the Standard Oil company
already have learned this and have be-
gun to cover up evidence in anticipa'
ton of criminal prosecution by the
federal government. i4i
The investigation into the affairs Of
the Standard Oil company has been con-
Quoted by Commissioner Garfield of the
bureau of corporations. 1t proceeds il
the first place under the authority of a
special resolution of the house of repre-
sentatives, but every step of the inyesti
CATION has been submitted not only te
Mr.. Metcalf, secretary of the depart
ment of commerce and labor, but to
President Roosevelt, and both of them
have made valuable suggestions as to
the line of inquiry to be adopted.
This investigation which is now draw
ing to a close was started in the quiet
est sort of fashion last February. 1t
was during the height of excitement in
regard to Kansas oil fields.
1t was shown in congress that the oil
producers in Kansas had been made the
victims of gigantic confidence game Oh
the part of the Standard Oil company.
That great monopoly encouraged the
farmers and promoters generally to ex-
plot the old fields to the utmost ex-
tent.
Agents of the Standard Travelled all
over the oil territory and did everything
in their power to promote the digging
of more wells and prospecting for new
territory. The big corporation bought
all the oil offered at prices which were
the top market for the whole country
No contracts were made, but the produc-
ers were led to believe the demand for
crude oil was unlimited, and if they
would only keep out of the refining bus
mess and sell the raw material to the
Standard they would have steady mar
ket at best prices.
The game was kept up, as reports
now in possession of the department
show, until the Kansas oil field practi
cally had reached the limit of economi
cal development.
Then the Standard put the screws on.
1t controlled practically every out
let from the Kansas field. Crude petro
leum is nearly worthless in itself 1t
possesses real value only fhen refined.
and the Standard people knew this, al
though the farmers seem to have for
gotten it.
Having gotten all the wells into oper-
alton and worked the whole territory
until it was capable of producing the
largest amount of crude oil, the Stan
dard Oil company suddenly lost inter
est in the situation, refused to pur-
chase except at ridiculously low price.
and began gigantic game of freezeout
according to oldt time methods The idea
was, of course, to drive the producers
into bankruptcy, because there was no
market for their product, and then, when
the price of Kansas oil leases was reduc-
ed to the starvation point, the Standard
Oil company, with characteristic gen.
erosity, would come to the rescue not
directly, but through friends and agents,
End thus acquire possession of the Kan
sas field for song.
1t is under the Campbell resolution