The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-08-09
THE OIL INQUIRY
IS NOTHING NEW
INVESTIGATION WAS MADE
THREE YEARS AGO.
Alleged That Commissioner Garfield
Declined to Give Out Matter Re-
Gently Made Republic.


Washington Cor. Columbia State.
AThe VERY SEVERE arraignment Of
the Standard Oil company just given
out by Mr.. Herbert Knox Smith,
chief Of the bureau Of corporations,
comes at such a psychological moment,
following close behind Judge Landis'
$29,000,O00 fine, as 10 recall to those
who have watched governmental .af-
fairs here with a special eye on the
bureau of corporations that this IN
vestiagtion of the Standard Oil COM
pany was really made three years ago,
under Mr.. James R. Garfield, former
chief Of the bureau of corporations.
Some Of the agents who collected
the data for the bureau left the gov
ernment service a little over two
yeers ago and one at least of these
ever since that time has been telling
Of the information about the Stand
ard. which he collected for the bureau:
but which Mr.. Garfield declined to
give out. In the commonly accepted
opinion it was TOO damaging to the
Standard. Why it was rot given out
then, and is given out now, is mat
ter for conjecture.
With all the noise the administra-
ton has been making about trust
busting and the ravages of predatory
wealth, there is undoubtedly consider
able loneliness and caution on the
part Of the government officials when
it comes to really doing anything, or
even saying anything which might in
jure one of these big corporations or
might tend to stop the operations of
the trusts, which from the beginning
have been the peculiar creations and
pets Of the Republican party.
With Bell and Horn.
T Mr.. James R. Garfield went into
the bureau of corporations wfith ring
Of the bell and blow Of the horn
from the White House, announcing to
the world that the trusts were to be
investigated. Agents were to be sent
abroad in the land and wherever a
trust was found it was to he reported
to the president, who was going to
forthwith bust it, wipe it out, destroy
it from the face of the earth,> and
establish, in its stead, justice, secure
the blessings Of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity, and all that sort Of
thing. And Mr.. Garfeld's agents did
60 abroad in the land: They went
here and they went there; they went
east and they went west and they
went clean over the cuckoo's nest, be-
cause they did not dare go into this
nest and tell the country what was IN
there and what the euckoos were real
" doing. But to satisfy the aroused
people, who were crying out against
the expressions Of the Standard Oil
company, it's holding up other corpora
tions for rebates with one hand while
with the other it held up the people
by putting up the price of oil, to salts
fy the constant ,clamor OF the peo-
ple and to save the administration
from popular execration, Mr.. Gar
field did send out his agents to IN
vestigate this great raging, blood
sucking octopus.
Those who are employed by the bu-
reau Of corporations in the capacity
| of agents are not politicians. They
are not administration henchmen, nor
are they partizans against the admin
! istration. Most Of them are economic
experts, students, philosophers, some
| Of them smell noticeably Of the lamp.
They wear whiskers, trimmed in Van
DYKES, and gold-rimmed spectacles'
fastened before their eyes by hooks
back of their ears. They are selected
| for their jobs according to the civil
service rules laid down in an elder
day and champoined by Mr.. Theodore
Roosevelt himself, in his unsophlstl-
Gated youth, when he did not see the
necessity of having Rough Riders and
other ardent admirers Of his charm
ing personality in the various govern
ment positions.
Real Investigation?
Now, these agents Of the bureau OF
corporations, some Of them at least
proceeded really to investigate the
! Standard Oil company. They turned
/ ,,o,.,,1+ co,,,o vor1- startling facts