The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1908-01-22

Belt Line. Whiting, where the oil freight
originates, is not on the lines of the Chicago
and Eastern Illinois, which receives its Whit
ing freight from the Belt Line at BOLTON.
The former practice, now discontinued, in
fling tariffs was to make them read from a
point on the line of the fling road, and 1t was
also general TO state on the same sheet that
the tariff would apply to other points, g. g.,
Whiting. The Chicago and Eastern Illinois
followed this practice in filing its rate from
Dolton, n making a note on the sheet that
it applied to Whiting. This was in 1895 when
this method of fling tariffs was in com
mon use.
Now let us see in what way the intending
shipper of oil could be misled and deceived by
the fact that the Chicago and Eastern Illinois
had not filed a rate reading from Whiting.
Commissioned Smith contends that conceal
ment is the only motive for such a circuitous
arrangement" j. e.. that this method OF filing
the rate was intended to mislead intending
competitors of the Standard Oil Company.
Suppose such a prospective oil rehner had APP
piled to the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion for the rate from Chicago to East st.
Louis over the Chicago and Eastern Illinois,
he would have been informed that the only
rate filed with the commission by this COM
pany was Ct cents from BOLTON, 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, or anywhere else about Chicago,
under an arrangement of long standing, and
which applies to all the Industrial towns In
the "neighborhood of Chicago, he could have
his freight delivered over the Belt Line to
the Chicago and Eastern Illinois at BOLTON
and transported to East st. Louis at a rate OF
st cents. Where then is the concealment
which the Commissioner OF Corporations
makes so much Of? Any rate-from BOLTON
on the Eastern Illinois, or Ohappell on the
Alton, or Harvey on the Illinois Central, or
Blue Island on the Rock Island. applies
throughout Chicago territory to shipments
from Whiting. as to shipments from any other
point in the district. So far from the East
ern Illinois filing its rate from BOLTON in
order to deceive the shipper, 1t is the Com
missioner OF Corporations who either betrays
his gross ignorance of transportation Gus
toms in Chicago territory or relies on the
public ignorance of these customs to deceive
the public too apt to accept unquestioningly
every statement made by a Government Of
fetal as necessarily true, although, as in the
present instance, a careful examination shows
these statements to be false.
The final point made by President Moffett
that other commodities of a character similar
to oil we're carried at much lower rates h
Is cents, the Commissioner of Corporations
discusses only with the remark that "the
'reasonablcness' of this rate is not in ques-
tion. The question is whether this rate con-
stituted a discrimination as against other
of oil, " and he also makes much of
the failure of President Moffett to produce
before the grand jury evidence Of the alleged
illegal acts OF which the STANDARD Oil official
said that other large shippers in the territory
had been guilty. Considering the fact that