Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1908-02-22
Commissioner Smith VS.. Tho STANDARD Oil Go.
From tire RatAuay Uo,zd ./anHajy 8, 1905.

Mr.. Herbert Knox Smith, whose zeal in the
cause of economic reform has been in no wise
abated by the panic which he and his kind did
so much to brinG on, is out with an answer TO
President Aloifett OF the Standard Oil Com
pany of Indiana. The publication of this an
swer, it is officially given out. was delayed Sew
eral weeks for business reasons" because it
was not deemed advisable 10 further excite
the public mind. which was profoundly dis
turbed by the crisis. Now that the storm
clouds have rolled by, however, the Commits
sioner rushes again into the fray.
Our readers remember that the chief points
in the defence OF the Standard Oil Company. as
presented by President Moffett, were CD that
the date Of six cents on oil from Whiting to
East st. Louis has been issued to the STANDARD
Oil Company as the lawful rate by employees
of the Alton. CD that the 1S-cent rate on file
with the Interstate Commerce Commission was
a class and not n commodity rate. never being
intended to apply TO oil, CD that oil was
shipped in large quantities between Whiting
and East st. Louis over the Chicago & East
crn Illinois at 6A cents per hundred pounds
which has been fled with the Interstate Com
meTce Commission as the lawful rate and ca
that the 1S-cent rate on oil was entirely our OF
proportion TO lawful rates on other commodi
ties between these points Of IL similar char
acleT, ana III greater value, SucU, TOT eAufIpiS
as linseed oil. the lawful rate on which was
eight cents. President Moffett also stated that
thousands of tons of freight had been sent by
other shippers between these points under
substantially the same conditions as governed
the shipments of the Standard Oil Company
This defence of the Standard Oil Company
was widely quoted and has undoubtedly exert
ed powerful influence upon the public mind
Naturally the Administration, which has
staked the success Of its campaign against
the trusts upon the result OF its ATTACK upon
this company, cndeavors TO offset this infu
ence. and hence the new dclyerance of Com
missioner Smith.
We need hardly to point out that his rcbut-
tai argument is extremely weak, although rs
strong 10 doubt as the circumstances would
warrant. He answers the points made by Prcsi
dent Moffett substantially as follows CD The
Standard Oil Company had "a traffic department
and should have known that the siX-cent rate
had not been flied. ~ no answer t3i the Chi
cago & Eastern Illinois rate was a secret rate
because It read, not from Whiting but from
Doton. which is described as "a vilIacc OF
abont ! 100 population just outside OF Chicago
It's only claim to note is that il has been for
many years the point OF origin for this and
similar secret rates" The Commissioner adj
mits in describing this rate that there was a
note attached stating that the rate could also
be used from Whiting.
The press has quite generally hailed this
statement OF the Commissioner of Corpora
tions as conclusive REPUTATION of what is evil
IDENTIFY recognized as the strongest rebuttal
argument advanced by the Standard.
In fact. 1t Is as weak and inconclusve as the
remainder of his argument. The lines of the
Chicago & Eastern Illinoiy 10 not run into