Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1907-01-31
OIL TRUST WORST
OF ALL COMBINES
ROCKEFELLER CONCERN SEVERE
i LY ARRANGED IN REPORT
OF COMMERCE BODY.
MONOPOLY is Barred
AS RESULT OF PROBE
Every Crime a Corporation Can Com.
NIT Is Charged-Governmen May
Be Forced to Take Action to Up
root Evils.

Be Forced to Take Action to Up
root Evils.
Washington, Jan. 29.-The most ter
rife arraignment of the Standard Oil
company yet made by either private
or public Investigator was that filed
with congress Monday by the inter
state commerce commission.
Every conceivable corporate crime,
from discrimination and false pre-
lenses to bribery, corruption of the
press and debauchery Of public Off
cials, is contained in the catalogue
Of charges.
After long and painstaking inves-
tigation ordered by congress, in which
hundreds of witnesses were examined
in various cities of the country, and
ample opportunity was given the oil
octopus to defend itself, the commits
sion makes report that completely
overshadows the sensational disclos-
ures revealed in the report of Com
missioner of Corporations Garfield on
the same subject last May.
Bares Oil Monopoly.
Garfield's report was confined largely
to the relations of the Standard Oil
company to the railroads of the coun.
try; the interstate commerce commits
sion's report goes into the whole sub
ject of monopolistic control of the oil
market. With a wealth of detail it de-
scribes the devious methods employed
by the Rockefeller combine to crush
competition.
Some Of these methods are outlined
by the commission as follows:
'The Standard has sold different
grades of oil at different prices from
the same barrel.
Widespread Bribery Charged.
ut has paid employees of independent
oil companies for information as to the
business of those competitors, and
has paid employees of industrial COM
panies to secure the adoption of it's
oil in preference to that of it's COM
petitors.
ut has followed every barrel of in
dependent oil to it's destination. Its
agents are instructed to secure custo-
mers at any sacrifice.
1T has tampered with the oil inspec-
tors in different states. The laws of
several states concerning the inspec-
tion of oil are singularly defective,
and this has been turned to profit by
the Standard.
"The Standard buys advertising
space in many newspapers which it
fills, not with advertisements, but with
reading matter prepared by agents
kept for that purpose and paid for at
advertising rates, as ordinary news,
The assumption is that this literature
furnishes many Of the ideas touching
the great benefits conferred upon the
public by the Standard Oil company.
1T has used such purchased or in,
dependently organized companies to,
kill off competitors by such companies.
reducing prices.
Operates "Fake" Concerns.
"The operation of such fake inde-
pendent concerns has been one of it's
most effective means of destroying
competition.
The Standard has habitually reduced
the price against it's competitors in;
particular locality while maintaining
its prices at other places. When COM
petition was destroyed, it restored or
advanced former prices"
The commissions only knowledge of
the competitive methods of the Stand
ard Oil company, says the report, was
obtained from evidence taken under
oath. 1t is stated that the Standard
was given permission to explain or re-
but the facts.
This. evidence, if true," continues
the report, demonstrates that the
competitive methods of the company
in the past have been unfair and even
disreputable. Its motto has been the
destruction of competition at any cost,
and this policy has been pursued with
out much reference to decency or con-
science, and it is significant that the
larger independent refners sell the
greater part of their product in for
eign countries.
"One independent testified that rs
per cent of his product went abroad,
and said that he could compete with
the Standard in Germany, where it's
methods as followed in this country,
would not be tolerated, but that he
could not compete with it here"
1T is the opinion of the commission
that existing law is Inadequate to cope
with the evils complained of.
Government Must Take Action.
1T is becoming necessary" says the
report, "for the uprooting of estab-
lished wrongs and the prevention Of
others, that the government shall fix
in the first instance the rates and reg
ulations for the transportation of oil.
This method has been adopted by the