Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-06
Vice President of Stand
ard Oil Company a
Poor Witness.
ADVISED BY ATTORNEY
Contends Right to Ask Ques-
tions Must be Decided
In Court.

New York, Jan. C.-MrS. Ida Nj.
Butts. of Marietta, Ohio. was the first
witness before Commissioner Sanborn
today in the hearing TO secure evi-
dence by which Attorney Genarel Had
ley, of Missouri. is seeking TO exclude
the Standard Oil company of Indiana,
the Waters-Pierce Oil company, and
the Republic Oil company. from doing
blIsinss in Missouri or operating under
a pooling agreement. alleged to have
been made between the companies to
crush competition.
The installation of a typewriting ma
chine and operator today by order of
Hadley indicated an effort on his part
TO save the commissioner from the ne
cessity of writing down in long-hand
the words of the questioner and
witnesses which was insisted upon yes
terday by counsel for the Standard Oil
company.
Rogers Refuses to Answer.
Henry III. Rogers. vice president and
director of the Standard Oil company
refused TO answer the question as to
whether he is a stockholder of the
Standard Oil company of Indiana. ROg-
ers had previously said he is direc-
tor of that company. Counsel for
Standard Oil interests advised Rogers
not to answer and said the right of
Attorney General Hadley to have a
list of stockholders of this company is
pending in the courts and wanted the
court to decide il.
II beg to be excused" said Rogers.
Hadley then asked that the question
and the resultant answer be certified
TO the supreme court.
Wants More Power.
New York. Jan. Elm Missouri
notary or commissioner can send a
witness to Jail for refusing to answer
question" said Attorney General Her
bert s. Hadley OF Missouri last night,
after hearing evidence before Commis-
sioner Frederick II. Sanborn in the
suits brought by the state of Missouri
against the Standard Oil company and
subsidiary concerns. Il wish the same
law obtained here. There would be
something doing"
To Bar From State.
The hearing in the suits. which are
brought TO bar the Standard Oil from
Missouri and to prevent pooling. had
day at the office of Henry Wollman,
"a Broadway. and. thanks TO the cam
paign of prOcrastination conducted by
the Standard Oil lawyers. only two
witnesses had been heard.
One of them. Edward T. Bedford. di-
rector of the Standard Oil company of
Indiana. had hedged and naggled over
every important question and had de-
yeloped a remarkably short memory
and a genius for refusing to answer
questions on advice of his counsel, in
spite of the fact that the commissioner
ruled that Bedford was not represent
ed by any counsel recognized by him.
Some Things Learned.
The hearing brought out:
/. That II. II. Rogers is afflicted
with asthma and the presence in the
same room with him of cameras and
reporters makes him suffer keenly.
2. That Standard Oil has time to
burn and is partial to the taking of
testimony in long hand.
3. That Standard Oil is not above
raking up the private histories of wit
nesses opposed to ii and circulating
typewriter pedigrees of them among
newspaper men at hearings before the
same has been brought out in cross
examination
4. That while the Waters-Pierce Oil
company in the west was supposed to
be an Independent company, its Off
GERS and employees were in some in
stances transferred by the Office at
26 Broadway (the Standard OLD to the
waters-Pierce offices in the west, with
instructions to keep their mouths shut
in relation to their ever having been
employed by Standard Oil.
5. That it is surprising what a lot
of money Standard Oil directors can
make while knowing nothing about the
rrorlrinps of the comnanY or its suhSi