The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-01-31
Commissioner Smith VS.. The Standard Oil Co.
From tie Railscay World. January 8, 1905

into Chicago They terminate at Dolton.
from which point entrance is made over the
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 Dolton.
The former practice, now discontinued. in
filing tariffs was TO make them read from "A
point on the the line OF the filing road and IL
was also eneral To state on the same sheet,
that the tarif would apply TO other points,
e. &, Whiting. The Chicago and Eastern
Illinois followed this practice I'm filing its rate
from Dolton, and making note on the sheet
that is applied 10 Whiting This was in 1898
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
"concealment is the only motive for such "A
crcuitous arrangement" 1. e., that this
method OF filing the rate was intended To
mislead intending competitors OF the Stand
ard OIL Company Suppose such a prospec-
tive oil rehner had applied 10 the Interstate
Commerce Commission for the rate from
Chicago TO East st. Louis over the Chicago
and Eastern Illinois. he would have been in
formed that the only rate filed with the
commission by this company was 6A cents
from Dolton, and he would have been further
informed. IL indeed he did not know this al
ready, that this rate applied throughout Chi
cago 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 lhe indus
trial towns in the neighborhood OF Chicago,
he could have his freight delivered over the
Belt Line TO the Chicago and Eastern Illinois
at Dolton and transported TO East st. Louis
at rate of 6A cents. Where then is the
concealment which the Commissioners OF Cor
porations makes SO much Of? Any rate
from Dolton on the Eastern Illinois or Chap
pell on the Alton, or Harvey on the Illinois
Central, or Blue Island on the Rock Island.
applies throughout Chicago territory TO ship
ments from Whiting, as TO shipments from
any other point In the district. So far from
the Eastern Illinois filing It's rate from Dol
ton in order to deceive the shipper, II Is the
Commissioners Of Corporations who either be-
trays his gross ignorance of transportation
customs 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 Government
official 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 were carried at much lower rates than
Is cents, the Commissioner of Corporations
discusses only with the remark that "the
'reasonableness' OF this rate is not I'm ques-
tion. The question is whether this rate con-
stituted a discrimination as against other
shippers 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 terri