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.

ashlngton Cor. Columbia State.
fthe VERY seAee hrraignment of
the Standard Oil company Just given
out by Mr.. Herbert Knox Smith,
chief of the bureau of corporations,
comes at such psychological moment.
following close behind Judge Landis'
$19,ooo,0O0 fine, as to recall to those
VINO have watched governmental af-
fairs here with special eye on the
bureau of corporations that this in
veetiastion Of the Standard Oil COM
pany was really made three years AGO,
under Mr.. James r. Garfield, former
chlef of the bureau Of corporations.
Some of the agents who collected
the data for the bureau left the gov
ernment service little over two
years ago and one at least of these
ever since that time has been tellinu
OF the information about the Stand
ara which he collected for the bureau.
b't which MIR. Garfield declined to
give ont. In the commonly accented
OPINION IT was too damaging to the
Standard. Why it was not given out
then, and is given out now, is mat
ter for conjecture.
With all the noise the administro-
tlon 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
1t 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.
MIR. James r. Garfield went into
the bureau of corporations with 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 be reported
|" the president, who was going to
forthwith bust it, wipe it out, destroy
II 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
Q" abroad in the land They went
here and they went there: they went
east and they went west and thcv
went clean over the cuckon's nest, be-
cause they did not dare go into this
nest and tell the country what was in
there and what thc cuckoos were real
~ doing. But to satisfy the aroused
people, who were cryin" out against
the expressions Of the Standard Oil
company, its holding up other corpora
tn"nS +or 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 pro-
pie and to save the administration
from popular eXecration, Mr.. Gar
field did send out his agents to in
vr>tl"atc this great raging, blood
sucking octopus.
Those who are employed by the hu-
rcan of corporations in the capacity
Of agents are not politicians. They
are not administration hcncllmcn, nor
ar" they pariiZans against the admin
i>1raiion. Most Of them are economic
Experts, students, philosophers, some
Of them smell noticcably Of the lamp.
They wear whiSkrrS. trimmed in Van
Dykes, and "od-rimmcd Spcctaccs.
fastened before their eyes by hooks
back of their ears. They are selected
for their jobs according 10 the civil
service rules laid down in an elder
day and champoincd by Mr.. Theodore
Roosevelt himself, in his unsophisti-
Gated youth, when he did not see the
necessity Of havin" Rough Riders and
other ardent admirers Of his charm
in" personality in the various govern
mcnt 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
in aS a result some very startling facts
ab"nt this mi ghty trust; but the trust