The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1908-01-31
Commissioner Smith VS.. The Standard Oil Co.
From fAs Rsi1wey World, .Lssss.y . s0os

Chicago. They terminate q Dalton, from which
roin, entrance Is made over the Belt Line. Whit
ing. where the oil freight originated. u nce on
the lines OF the Chicago and Eastern Illinois.
which receives il Whiting freight from the Belt
Line At Dolton. Tn formes practice, now dis
continued. IN fling tariffs was to make them
read from = point On the line Of the hlins road.
and il was also general 10 state on the same
sheet. that the tariff would appIy to other points.
{. e., Whiting. The Chicago and Eastern Illinois
followed this practice in hling is rate from DOL
ton. and making q note on the sheet that i Ap-
piled to Whiting. This was in 1896 when this
method OF filing tariffs WAS in common 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
Commissioner Smith contends that "concealnicnt
is the only motive for such y eircuitous arrange
ment.' i q, that this method Of fling the rate
~xs srterded 10 snsssead Intending coFnpetisrss
of the Standard Oil Company. Suppose such .
prospective oil rehncr had applied to the Inter-
state Commerce Commission for the rate from
Chicago 10 East ST. Louis over the Chicago ard
Eastern Illinois. he would have been informed
that the only rate fled with the commission BY
this company was oA cents from BOLTON, and
he would have been further informed. II indeed
ne Gta moi KNOW Unis already, tndt tlis rate ap~
Piled throughout Chicago territory. So that
whether he wished to locate his plant al Whit
ing, or anywhere else about Chicago. Under IN
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 70 the Chicago and Eastern
Illinois at Dolton and transported 10 East ST.
Louis at a rate of 6H cents. Where then is the
ooncealmcnt which the Commissioner OF Corpo-
rations makes so much OFF, Any rste--from
Dolton On the Eastern Illinois or Chappeil on
the Alton. or Harvey on the Illinois Central. or
Blue Island on the Rock Island. applies through
out Chicago territory to shipments from Whit
ing. as to shipments from any other point in the
district. So far from the Eastern Illinois filing
IT'S rate from Doiton in order to deceive the
shipper, il Is the Commissioner of Corporations
who either bctrays his gross ignorance Of trans
portation customs in Chicago territory or relics
ON the public ignorance Of these customs 10
deceive the public too apt 10 accept unqnesiion-
ingiy every statement made by . Government
oihci1l as necessarily true. although. a. in the
present instance. . careful examination shows
these statements 10 be false.
The final point made BY President MoAetf that
other commodities Of q character similar to oil
were carried at much lower rates than 70 cents.
the Commissioned Of Corporations discusses only
with the remark that the yeasonzbieness' OF
this rate Is pet in question. The question 10
whether this rate constituted . discrimination
as against other shippers Of oil" and he also
makes much Of the failure OF President Monest
to produce before the grand jury evidence Of The
alleged illegal sets Of which the Standard Oil
official said that other large shippers in the ter