Evening star., 1908-01-17
Commissioner Smith VS.. The Standard Oil Co.
From the Railway World, January 5, 1908.

In fact it is weak and nconcusive as the re-
mainder his argument The lines of the Chicago
and Eastern Illinois do not run into Chicago They
terminate Dolton. from which point entrance IS
made the Belt Line. Whiting, where the oil
freight originates the lines Of the Chicago
and Eastern Illinois which receives its Whiting
freight from the Belt Line At Dolton. The former
practice. now discontinued III filing tariffs was 10
make them read from point on the line OF the
ming road, and ii also general TO state on Inc
same sheet that the tariff would apply TO other
points G. E. Whiting. The Chicago and Eastern
Illinois followed this practice in filing its rate from
Dolton and making note the sheet that II ap-
piled 0 Whiting This was in 1895 this meth
od of filing tariffs in common
Now let in what way the intending ship
per of oil could be msled and deceived by the
fact that the Chicago and Eastern Illinois had not
filed rate reading from Whiting. Commissioners
Smith contends that ''concealment is the only mo-
tive for such circuitous arrangement. j. G., that
this method of filing the intended to mis-
lead intending competitors Of the Standard Oil Com
pany. Suppose such prospective oil refiner had
applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for
the rate from Chicago to East St Louis over the
Chicago and Eastern Illinois, he would have been
Informed tha the only rate filed with the commits
sion by this company Ga cents from Doton,
and he would have been further informed. if
indeed he did not know this already. that this rate
applied throughout Chicago territory. So that
whether he wished to locate his plant at Whiting.
anywhere else about Chicago under arrsnge
ment Of long standing. and which applies all the
industrial towns in the neishborhood OF Chicago.
he could have his freight delivered the Belt
Line to the Chicago and Eastern Illinois at Dol
ton and transported to East St. Louis :; rate of
ia cents. Where then is the concealment which
the Commissioner Of Corporations makes much
of? Any rate--from Dolton the Eastern Illinois
Chappel on the Alton, Harvey the Illinois
Central or Blue Island on the Rock Island applies
throughout Chicago territory to shipments from
Whiting to shipments from any point in
the district So far from the Eastern Illinois filing
its rate from Dolton in order to deceive the ship
per il is tha Commissioner of Corporations who
either betrays his gross ignorance of transportation
customs in Chicago territory relies the public
ignol ance OF these customs to deceive the public
too apt to accept unque;tionnsly every statement
made by Government official necessarily true.
although in the present instance, a careful
animation SHOWS these statements to be false
The final point made by President Moffett that
other commodities of d character similar to oil
carried at much lower rates than Is cents the
Commissioner of Corporations discusses only with
ramark that 'the onableness' of this
in question The question is whether this rate
stituted discrimination against other shippers
of OIL. and he also makes much of the failure of
President Moffett produce before the grand jury
evidence of the alleged illegal of which