The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1908-01-31

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 10
President Moffett, of the Standard vi COM
pany of Indiana. The publication Of TINS an
sWer, it is officially given out, was delayed sew
era weeks, "fOr business reasons, because IL
was not deemed advisable to further excite
the public mind, which was profoundly dls-
turbed by the crisis. Now that the storm
clouds have rolled by, however, the Commls-
sioner rushes again into the fldy
. Our readers remember that the chief points
in the defence of the Standard Oil Company, as
presented by President Moffett, were III 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, (2) that the 1S-cent rate on fle
with the Interstate Commerce Commission was
a class and not commodity rate, never BENG
intended to apply to oil, (9) that oil was
shipped in large quantities between WhltlhS
and East st. Louis over the Chicago q EAST
ern Illinois at 6A cents per hundred pounds,
which has been filed with the Interstate Com
merce Commission as the lawful rate, and t4)
that the 1S-cent rate on oil was entirely Out Oh
PROMOTION to lawful rates on other common
ties between these points OF similar cnaF'
acter. and of greater value, such, for example,
as linseed oil, the lawful rate on winch was
eight cents. President Moffett also stated that
thousands of tons of ght had been sent by
other SINNERS 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 nina
Naturally the Administration, which mas
staked the success of its campaign against
the trusts" upon the result of its attack upon
this company, endeavors to Offset this ln1lu
ence, and hence the new deliverance or Com
missioner Smith.
We need hardly to point out that his rebut
tai argument is extremely weak, although a:
strong no doubt, as the circumstances Woult
warrant He answers the points made by Presl
dent Moffett substantially as follows: Q) The
Standard OH Company had traffic department
and should have known that the siX-cent rat
had not been filed, (2) no answer, (3) the Chl
cago e Eastern Illinois rate was secret rat
because it read, not from Whiting, but from
Dolton, which is described as "a village o
about 1900 population just outside of chicago
its only claim to note is that it has been 10
many years the point of origin for this an
similar secret rates" The Commissioner &C
mits in describing this rate that there was
note attached stating that the rate could ais
be used from Whiting.
The press has quite generally hailed thl
statement of the Commissioner of Corpora
lions as conclusive refutation of what is eV
IDENTIFY recognized as the strongest rebutts
argument advanced by the Standard.
In fact it is as weak and inconclusive as tn
remainder of his argument. The lines OF tn
Chicago & Eastern Illinois do not ran Int