Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-08
HALF-TRUTHs

hAOs uCopcAdtcly DdltliHB 10 SlcIh tnc
tide which threatens to wash it over
the precipice into oblivion, the tongue
of Standard Oil is loosed at last--its
policy of maintaining a mastery silence
has given way to one OF excessive
volubility.
In the Saturday Evening Post John
D. Archbold, vice president and. accord
ing to that weelSly's advertisements,
acting head" of the Standard Oil COM
pany, under the caption. "The Standard
Oil Company: Some Facts and Fig
ures," enters into an elaborate defense
Of the methods employed by that giant
monopoly. AS a tactical stroke Stand
ard Oil has committed, in publishing
this article, the most egregious blunder
of which 1t has ever been author, in our
opinion. The foundations for this opin-
ion are two: First, many Of the So
called facts" are not facts; second,
many of the most important facts in
the history Of the Standard Oil COM
pany, now known to all intelligent peo-
pie, are utterly ignored by the writer
Of this alleged narrative.
There is nothing about the "make-up"
Of the pages on which this article
appears, or about it's position in the
paper publishing it, which indicates
that it is a paid advertisement; and
this fact, taken in connection with the
generous advertising which the article
has received in the daily press Of the
country. would appear as evidence that
the editors and publishers of the paper
Il iiss,T &c accepted It for publication as they
accept other contributions. But be this
as it may the article has appeared, with
every evidence that 1t has the editorial
sanction of the management of the Post
as contribution that would appeal
Immediately and intensely to the read
ing public.
Here are few of the statements
made by Mr.. Archbold:
1. Nearly every great oil producing
territory Of the United States has owed
it's rapid development. and the pro-
ducers have owed their assured and
profitable market, to the prompt energy
and enterprise of the company in pro-
viding pipe lines and storage facilities"
2. Under the policy of owning its
own cargo vessels for transporting cans
and cases to the oriental markets, the
cost of transportation has been reduced
during the last seven years nearly one
half, or, say, from the range of 81 to As
cents per case in 1900 to cost of about
% cents today"
8. EVERY separate step connecting
the crude oil in the ground with the
refined in the lamp of the consumer is
economical in every detail-namely:
production, transportation by land and
water" etc.
A. "There is and always has been
competition and the opportunity of
competition in each Of these branches
of business, and they have at all times
been open to the capital of the world"
5. "The company is persistently ac-
cused of seeking to evade the laws,
when it is actually studying how to
conform to them, amid a medley of con-
flicting interpretations"
6. Federal action need not take away
from these states their right to taxation
or police regulation, but would make
it possible for business organizations
to know the general terms on which
they could conduct their business in
the country at large"
Z. "For many years the company had
no direct interest in production, and
today it only owns or controls a mod
crate fraction thereof. 1t has, however,
been a prominent purchaser, custodian
and carrier for the various producing
territories, and it's relations to the pro-
ducers have naturally constituted one
of its most complex and embarrassing
problems"
8. 1.-THE pendulum of adjustment has
swung to and fro. and eventually to
the advantage of the producer What
ever it's critics and enemies may allege,
the company has tried in the past, is
trying now, and will continue to try to
be fair and liberal in it's relations to
the producers"
9. "Those whose lives have been spent
in the industrial arena have learned the
Impressive lesson tndI coIIuerce 10 q
struggle"
10. Standard Oil "cannot in its ram
flied operations always find it possible
to follow the mild pathways suggested
by others for it's guidance"
IL. Increase of aggregate consump-
ton being the objective point, the pol
icy of the company is of pro rata benefit
to all it's competitors, and should de-
serve encouragement and not censure."
10. "Since the passage Of that act
(the interstate commerce law) the COM
pany has not received railroad rebates
on it's interstate oil shipments"
1s. "The Standard Oil company is
neither a mystery nor monopoly, and
It seeks neither to rule nor to ruin"
IA. sit never could have developed
and sustained to date If its many event.
full years of contact with the consum-
ing and commercial communities OF the
world had not been characterized by
the highest standard Of commercial
n ~. n