The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-02-27
TELL HOW OIL TRUST
HUNTED DOWN RIVALS
Commerce Commissioners Say
Ruin Was Its Policy.
ITS METHODS DlsREPUTABLE
Wide Discrimination by Railroads
Cnarged-Suggestion of More
Stringent Laws-Should Make
Pipe Lines Common Carriers.

Washington, D. C.-"The ruin of
all competitors is the policy of the
Standard Oil Company.
ut monopolizes the handling of
petroleum from the mouth of the we'll
to the consumers cellar. 1t employs
spies and bribers.
"The Standard has secret rates
with most of the railroads. Worse
than that, the railroads prevent any
independent oil companies from COM
peting with the Standard. This they
accomplish not only by excessive
freight charges, but by interposing
their rights of way like a Chinese
wall against the laying of pipe lines
by any company but the Standard"
This scathing summary OF the
Standard Oil Company's alleged Of
lenses against legitimate trade was
transmitted to Congress by the Inter-
state Commerce Commission in a re-
port.
The Investigation which the COM
mission has just completed into the
relations between the railroads and
the oil monopolists disclosed many
other equally criminal practices. So
close is the affection between the
Rockefeller Trust and the railroads
that the commission admits the only
chance the Independent oil dealer in
this country has of living Is by de-
veloping his trade in foreign
tries, where they will not tolerate the
Vaccinations which the Standard is
free to employ at home.
"The Standard, through it's monop-
oily of the oil business in the country,
makes an enormous profit upon it's
product" says the report. "Its net
profit on refined oil ranges from five
to eight cents a gallon, while upon
gasoline it makes much more.
This gigantic gain is made posi-
BILE almost entirely by the action of
the railroads in refusing to permit
the Independent oil companies to run
pipe lines along their right Of way.
criminatorv freight rates the indie
pendent Gil concerns would have
nearly an equal opportunity in the
business"
The commission points out that the
Rockefeller Trust goes even to the
extent Of wrecking its competitors
shipment of oil in order to ruin them.
Whether this is done with the con-
nivance of the friendly railroads the
report fails to say, but numerous in
stances are cited in which consign-
ments Of oil shipped by rivals of the
Standard have regularly failed to
reach their destination-many disap-
peared entirely.
The practice of shutting out COM
petition by a temporary reduction Of
price is another of the Standards
means OF cutting out opponents
trade. Moreover, the commission
finds that it buys the news columns
OF many papers and pays advertising
rates for invidious and sometimes
libelous news stories directed
against it's competitors.
That the Rockefeller concern en-
Dloys a fund for the purpose of brib-
ing railway officials and independent
oil employees to give it secret infor-
nation of its rivals business has
been proved, the commission says.
Not a single Independent shipment is
made without the knowledge of the
Standard, and every. means short of
physical coercion is employed TO
block it or stop the deal.
The report severely arraigns the
Standards methods OF competition.
On the question of remedies the
report makes these observations:
More than anything else the pipe
line has contributed to the Standard
Oil monopoly, and it's supremacy
must continue until its rivals enjoy
the same transportation facilities.
Under these conditions it may be-
come necessary to the %uprootiQg of
established wrongs and the proven
ton of others hat the Government
shall fix in the first instance the-sates
and regulations for the transporta-
ton of this traffic"