Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-27
NO MASTER MIND
IN STANDARD OIL
VICE PRESIDENT ARCHB0LD
TESTIFIES
Says John D. Does Not Desire to Evade
Questions - Declares Standard
Has Great Deal of COM
petition
BY Associated Press.

NEW YORK, March 26.-The Stand
ard Oil inquiry of the state of Missouri
was continued today, John D. Archbold,
vice president of the Standard Oil COM
pany, taking the witness stand. He
said that John D. Rockefeller is presi-
dent of the Standard Oil company, but
has taken no active interest in the busi-
ness affairs for some years. owing to i'll
health. He has an office at 26 Broad
way, but is seldom there. He also said
that Mr. Rockefeller knew nothing
about the matters concerned in this
suit.
"Who is the active head of the Stand
ard Oil company" asked Attorney
General Hadley.
"There is no master mind in the
Standard OIL" replied Mr.. Archbold,
raising his voice. ut is made up of an
aggregation of individuals"
"The business is controlled by men
experts in their distinctive depart
ments, he said, and the term company,
as applied to the various departments,
is a misnomer.
The daily production of crude oil in
the United States is about 800. 100000
gallons. and the Standard Oil produces
about one-Seventh.
And what about the refined prod
uct?"
Standards Output
1.-The Standard Oil probably sells and
markets about 10 per cent of 1t, and |
want to add" continued Mr.. Archbold,
that wherever there is Standard oil
refinery in the United States there is a
competing refinery in that section.
There is a great deal of competition in
the oil bsiness."
"Who composed the original board of
directors of the Standard Oil company,
under the original trust agreement?
asked Mr.. Hadley,
John d. Rockefeller, Charles Pratt,
William II. Worden, II. NJ Brewster,
j. A. Bostwick, O. II. Payne and my
self"
Mr. Archibald said there are about
125 independent oil refinereies in the
United States, all of them doing busi-
ness. He said that II. K. Tillford.
who he understood has charge of the
middle west, is in New York. He saw
him last Saturday.
where is John D. Rockefeller"
asked Mr.. Hadley.
"IJe is at Lakewood. AS l explained
his health Is not good and he has had
no connection with the business for ten
years"
when did you see Mr.. Rockefeller
last?"
MIR. Rockefeller has been in New
York and Lakewood all the time [ saw
him i'm New York a couple of weeks
ago, and ! also saw him few days
ago in Lakewood
Testimony in Shorthand
The trust attorneys have waved their
objection to allowing the testimony to
tn, r-l, nrpSpnt
at least.
Attorney General Hadley said yester-
day that he believed he could finish
taking testimony in New York in two
days. He has not finished with ii. FL.
Rogers yet, and there are other stan
dard OIL officials under subpoena. MIR:
Hadley also has several witnesses of
his own to examine.
Mr.. Hadley takes a very modest view
of his achievement in finally forcing
the Standard Oil to answer the ques-
tions about stock ownership in the
companies doing business in Missouri.
"I am Just a lawyer conducting a
lawsuit" he said. Il have only done
what any lawyer of ordinary ability
would do as attorney general OF Mis-
souri,. The hearings before commits
sioners here and at home have been
conducted on strictly legal lines, and
l have at no time tried to inject SEN
sationalism into the case.
"One result of the proceedings thus
far will be, / think, that public Off
cials charged with the duty of prose-
cutting corporations which work in de-
fiance of the law, will no longer have
any excuse for not proceeding against
them on the ground that while the
corporations may be carrying on busi-
ness in an unlawful manner, there is
no use haling them up in the courts
because they cannot be forced to les
tify against themselves.
"A recent decision of the United
States court on this point as well as
the decision in our case by the su-
preme court of Missouri that the oil
officials must answer the questions put
to them, shows that there is no ma
terial basis for this excuse. 1t also
shows that we have plenty of laws
now to compel the corporations to toe
the line Just the same as private indi-
vidUals."
Mr.. Hadley said that his efforts from
now on will be directed to showing
control and management of the three
western companies by the Standard
Oil trust from 26 Broadway. He had
been informed that diligent search was
being made at the Standard Oil office
for the reports and other documents
that he had directed the officials to
produce. He had no doubt that these
records would be produced. In any
event, he had copies that would have
10 be admitted in evidence If the orig
inals did not come to light