Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-08-31

binary l6WB OF the lanQ, Dut tnoy nave
committed crimes of violence, not to
speak Of the ruin OF widow and Or
phans; but their lawlessness has con.
sisted chiefly In the wholesale corrup-
tion OF the commonwealth. Most of
the political rottenness is traceable d.
rectly to the doors of the managers
Of street car companies. gas companies.
railroad corporations who desire to
break the law with impunity.
In the recent investigation at >Phila-
delphia 1t was shown that the corrupt
relations between the Pennsylvania
Railroad company and certain favored
coal companies were intimate and gen.
eral, extending throughout the system
all the way up to the immediate vicin-
ity OF President Cassatts Office.
Mr.. Justice Gaynor says that the rob.
berries disclosed have had and still have
the countenance, the protection, nay.
the aid. of legislatures, courts and pros
ecuting officers. The black story un-
folds tale of perjury. larceny, embe2-
element and bribe-giving In high places
public and private; and so the popular
blood has been fired to fever heat.
These evils are fostered by the state
Machine in Pennsylvania. which is also
. beneficiary of the crime. Honest men
are in rebellion. BY thousands they
have turned their backs on Machine
rule and. laying aside partisanship,
they are demanding a square deal un-
der square public officials.
These things are vital Issues of this
campaign because now, as for 40 years
past. the Pennsylvania railroad and
the Standard Oil company, operating
through the instrumentality of the
state bosses. absolutely rule Pennsyl-
| vania. name its officers and dictate Its
corporation laws.
Some Of my good friends. the enemy
declare that for 80 years have been
fighting the Standard and its allies be-
cause they have intsrfered with my
private interests.
The charge is in part true. But my
interests are identically the same az
those Of every man who wants to do
business Independently of a trust, an
unfair railroad or q political machine
have fought for my rights. but In 30
doing I have also fought for your
rights. for the rights of the public
which have been wronged. robbed and
oppressed. Affairs have come to such
pass that men work or lie idle. eat
or starve, at the will OF the allied
trusts. which control the production
and the price Of nearly everything that
enters into consumption. He who con-
trolls mems means of subsistence has
over him the power Of life and death.
and Is his master as surely as he who
has chattel rights in slave.
Fellow citizens. II ! am actuated BY
selfish motives In this fght, am
fool. There has not been time In 80
years when l might not have partaken
of the feast Of flesh pots prepared for
the Machine and its henchmen had
but bowed my neck to the political
yoke. There has not been a time when
could not have realized the widest
dream Of averlce by selling my soul to
the Standard.
Let us see how this unholy alliance
Of Machine, Railroad and OIL Trust ha.
affected you in Pittsburg, and seeins
ask you to say II my long fght has
not also been In your interests and 5
the interests Of the general public.
In our stress In the oil region in
1868 we tried to get free pipe line for
the public good. The combine after =
bitter fight finally granted us the right
under eminent domain to construct
pipe line, but only to the Pennsylvania
railroad. which was at that time the
only railroad in the oil region. Tom
Scott. of the Pennsylvania railroad,
said to the committee representing the
producers at Harrisburg: You may
have law to construct pipe lines in
eight counties only, viz: Crawford
Erie, Forest, Warren, Venango, Butler,
Clarion and Armstrong, but you must
not construct a line into Allegheny
county or within one mile of the stats
line. Thus did the legislature controlled
by the Pennsylvania railroad shut
Pittsburg out from receiving oil by
pipe line from the producing counties.
Yet Pittsburg. by It's location. its &C.
feasibility to coal, and its shipping IA
cilitiee. was the naturally appointed
centre. OIL could be refined cheaper
in Pittsburg than at the coast, and
Pittsburg was q much better distribut-
ing point than either New York or
Philadelphia. while both refined and
crude could be piped to the seaboard
for foreign shipment at less cost than
the transportation Of coal to the sea-
board for fuel purposes and the trans
portation of the refined back to your
city for distribution.
Look at the magnitude Of the de-
struction and the injury to Pittsburg!
In 1867 there were So refineries in
this city. The Standard crushed, dis
mantled or moved away all of them
and 1t drove from business In this safe
upwards Of $50 refneries.
Out of 2s. .25O. .O21 gallons of oil export
ed from this country in 1857, Pitts
burg shipped east 97F per cent. or a
yearly average from 1853 to 1857 OF
$11 ,00O0. 900 in value. After 1867 the
Standard and the Pennsylvania rail-
road rapidly crushed the Pittsburg re-
nning and export trade SO that event.
ually Pittsburg had neither, and now
the city ships no export oil at all.
In 1874 the railroads established a
rate Of $1.90 per BARREL for oil to New
York for all refneries, whether Pitts
burg, Cleveland or the Oil regions. But,
as usual. the Standard received . re-
bate of 64h cents from Cleveland, a
secret rebate which Pittsburg refners
did not receive.
At all events. Pittsburg was deprived
Of its natural advantage of $50 miles
nearer haul, virtually prohibiting the
Pittsburg export trade. Rates were SO
levied that all crude brought to Pitts
burg over the Allegheny Valley must
when refined. go east over the Penn
sylvania. A single rate was charged as
a whole from the oil region to the sea-