Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1907-02-06
The Standard Oil Compdnu.

III
standard Oil Company, the report
OF the Interstate Commerce Com
mission submitted TO Congress last
week is certainly the most severe.
Ihere has been 10 private or official
document on the subject of the
great oil monopoly that has come
anywhere near the severity with
which this report handled the giant
corporation. The Commission was
careful to state that all the facts
upon which its conclusions were
based were accumulated from testi
mony given under oath. With this
prelude as TO the authenticity of Its
statement the Commission proceed
ed calmly TO dissect the STANDARD
Oil Company in fashion that has
never before been equaled in a
government report. 1t declared
that the company for years had
maintained paid spy system where
by the secrets of its competitors
were bought from the competitors
own employees, it said 'the ruin OF
it's competitors has been a distinct
part of the policy of the Standard
Oil Company in the past, svstemati.
cally and persistently pursued" 1t
charges that the Standard has
tempered with the OIL inspectors in
various states, has bought advertls-
ing space in the newspapers which
1T has paid for at advertising rates,
and killed with alleged news matter
favorable to the Company; has
operated independent oil concerns
as such after they had been bought
by the Standard In order TO fool the
public, has sold three grades of oil
at varying prices out of the same
barrel, and has used every possible
means for destroying competition
wherever 1t existed and subsequent
ly taking the price OF It's victory out
of the pockets Of the consuming
public. The report characterizes
the operations of the company as
"untair and even disreputable, ;" and
adds, this policy of killing competi-
ton at any cost has been pursued
without much reference either to
decency or conscience, 1t SAYS that
where independent concerns have
been able to exist at all they have
been forced to sell the most of their
product abroad where the laws of
foreign countries gave them protec-
tion that is denied them in the
United States.
The conclusion drawn by the
Commission is that the existing law
is inadequate TO cope with the evils
complained of and that it will be
necessary to separate entirely the
production of oil from it's transpor-
tation, because it has been LARGELY
through unfair advantages III the
transportation of oil that the Stan.
dard has been able to fasteu It's grip
OF monopoly on every community in
the United States.
The report is most remarkable
document and very scathlng ar.
Taignment of the Standard Oil Com
pany, but it is doubtful whether its
publication will have any verma.
nent effect In securing a square deal
for the public and allowing the in.
dependent oil producers to continue
their work 10 peace. 1t is. possible
that repeated attacks such az the
Standard has been subjected to. al.
most continuously for the past fv,
years, may have their effect in the
end, and arouse the government 10
some action that will relieve the
public from this greatest and most
conscienceless of all modern monop
olies.
RUGGED JB SEAMoN, Speaker OF
the House. has gone ON rc,.,-4 80