The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-01-29
In These the Standard Has
Advantage
EN0RM Gus DIVIDENDS
Not Due to Economy-Trust Pays for
Reading Matter to Show Benevolence
Pipe Lines Give Absolute Con-
troll Of Crude Petroleum.

| Washington, Jan. 2o,--The most ter.
rife arraignment Of the Standard OIL
company yet made by either private or
public Investigators was that filed with
Congress yesterday by the interstate
commerce commission.
! Every conceivable corporate crime.
! from discrimination and false represen.
tation to bribery corruption of the press
ana debauchery Of public officials, il con.
tanned in the catalogue Of charges
After long and painstaking inves.
litigation ordered by Congress. III which
| hundreds OF witnesses weie examined III
various cities. and ample opportunity
was given the oil monopoly to defend
itself, the commission makes report
that completely overshadows the sensa-
tional disclosures revealed IN the report
OF commissioner Of corporations Garfield
on the same subject last May.
the commissions report says in part
The ruin Of its competitors has been
q distinct part Of the policy Of the stan.
! dard Oil company In the past, systemati.
cally and persistently pursued.
''Ihe commission long ago pointed out
that the railway schedules Of this coun,
try were filed with determinations Of
this character in favor Of thn Standard
Toll company, which could not, as the
law then stood, BE corrected. The COM
mission refers to its report or decision
in the New York. New Haven & Hart
fard railroad case, which involved refns.
ri of that road To Join in through rates
upon petroleum, as II did upon other
commodities, and wherein It was shown
that the STANDARD thereby obtained
monopoly OF the territory covered by
that railroad system and directly put in
to its treasury between 100000 and
100000 per year. The commissioner
of corporations has collected in his re.
port many instances Of a similar charac.
ter.
fThe Standard Oil company largely
monopolizes the handling of petroleum
from the mouth Of the well until Il Is
sold to the retailer, and sometimes to
the consumer, and under ordinary cir
cumstances its margin Of profit is very
large.
'fWRilc the STANDARD has not received
rebates, il has nevertheless enjoyed So
cret rates possessing all at the elements
of Illegal rates, and the advantages so
obtained over independent shippers have
been Of very great value to that CON
pany. These secret rates are indicated
10 the very full report made By the con.
missioner Of corporations
Numerous instances of discrimina-
ton in favor of the STANDARD resulting
from the published rates were found
Some Of the methods Of competition
INDUCED in BY the STANDARD are as fol.
lows.
~The Standard has repeatedly, after
becoming the owner OF a competing com.
pany, continued to operate It under the
Old name, carrying the idea to the public
that the company was still Independent
and competing with the Standard 1t
has used such purchased OF independent
" organized companies TO kill of com
petit0rs BY such companies reducing the
prices. The STANDARD has habitually re.
duced the price against It's competitor
in q particular locality, while maintain
ing its prices at other places.
1T has paid employees Of independent
oil companies for information as to the
business Of those competitors, and has
paid employees Of industrial companies
to secure the adoption OF its oil in prefer
ence to that of les competitors. II has
followed every barrel OF independent oil
to destination. It's agents are instruct.
ed TO secure customers at any saori-
fee.
1T has tempered with the oil inspec
tors in different states The laws Of
several states concerning the inspection
of oil are singularly defective. and this
has been turned to profit by tho Stan
dard.
"Ihe commissioners only knowledge
of the competitive methods Of the stan
dasd Oil company is obtained from evil
denee taken under oath in this investi-
cation. The STANDARD was given permits.
sion to explain on rebut the facts. This
evidence, II true, demonstrates that the
competitive methods Of the company in
the past have been unfair and even dis /
reputable
Its motto has been the destruction
OF competition at any cost, and this
policy has heen pursued without much
reference to decency or conscience, and
it is significant that the larger indepen-
dent refiners sell the greater part Of
their product in foreign countries.
Zone independent testified that rs per
cent Of its product went abroad, and
said that he could compete with the
STANDARD in Germany, where its methods
as followed in this country would not
be tolerated, but that he could not com.
pete with It here.
"The Standard buys advertising space
in many newspapers which 1t fills, not
with advertisements, but with reading
matter prepared by agents kept for that
purpose and paid for at advertising rates
as ordinary news