West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-07-05
An international Crop Bureau 10 be- Is
tnblished In Rome.


ment is the work Of Senator Lodge,
declaring the pipe lines common
carriers. Now in case this amend
ment went through, it would hit the
Standard Oil Company. They own
the bulk of the pipe lines and while,
as Senator Elkins naively put it,
"the people of West Virginia have
no complaint about the way they
transport OIL" the oil producers all
over the country have decided
objections to the way the Standard
uses the pipe lines to force the
producer TO part with his oil at any
price the Standard chooses to name.
The House has refused absolutely
TO agree to the Senate amendment
making the pipe lines common car
riers like the railroads and putting
them under the control of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
The Senate on the other hand has
refused 10 receed from the amend.
ment, and there is a deadlock.
Mr.. Clapp of Minnesota showed
letter that he had received from an
Independent oil producer in Indian
Territory, saying that the Stand
ard had been after him to telegraph
to Washington at the Standards
expense protesting against the pass
age of the amendment. Instead of
doing this he wrote and explained
the true situation.
1t is probable that if the law
was passed the Standard would find
some way to nullify it. They would
of course organize companies un-
der other names to handle the pipe
line business. The position Of
the independent producer might or
might not be any better than it
was before, but the Senate seems
determined 10 stick to Its position
and the amendment may go through
after all.
The rate bill is the thing now
that is holding congress up. There
would be little trouble in adjourn
ment on Saturday of this week il
that were out of the way. But the
President apparently is satisfied that
the rate bill is going to pass. He
has been looking around for the
two new men who would be added
by II TO the Interstate Commerce
Commission. II is said that the
new men have already been selected
and that they are Jas: S. Harlan,
of Illinois son of Justice Harlan
of the Supreme Court and E. Clark
of Iowa, the present head of the
order of railroad conductors. A
third new member OF the commiss.
ion is Franklin Lane Of California
who was nominated to the vacancy
on the commission coused by the
departure of Judge Yeomans, but
whose nomination has been held up
in the Senate for some time.
This rearranged commission would
consist Of four Republicans and
three Democrats, the Republicans
being the present chairman, Martin
Knapp and Messrs Prouty, Harlan
and Clark.
The House managed this week to
sneak through the Senate bill ex
tending the time Of torture for live
stock in transportation from % to
SO hours. This is measure over
which there mas been wrangle
since last spring. II is opposed by
all Of the humane societies Of the
county and ~ fact by all decent
people who understand its pro-
visions. As the case nov stands.
cattle may be- transported on the
railroad when being shipped TO
market not longer than 90 hours
at a stretch They are not fed or
watcred 10 this time and when they
are released they are usually half
mad with thirst and hunger and
half dead with fatigue and naturally
II they are killed right away, as is
usually the case, their meat is not
more than half ft for food. But The
live stock men have been trying 10
get measure through Congress ex
tending the time lha, cattle might
be 50 tortured, on The plea thatit
was better for the cattle 90 be held
on the cars for SO hours without
rest food or water than % unload
them and load them again The
reason Of course was that some
money would be saved Boo handling
The cattle. and tbstis all the stock
raiscr5 care about
It's very doubtful. if,he President
will sign the bill II the matter ,s,