The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-01-30
Commissioner Smith VS.. The Standard Oil Go.
From the Railway Uorld, January 3, 1905.

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 4 Eastern Illinois,
which receives it's Whiting freight from the
Belt Line at BOLTON. The former practice, now
discontinued, in filing tariffs was to make
them read from a point on the line Of the FL
ing road and it was also general to state on
the same sheet, that the tariff would apply to
other points, G. g., Whiting. The Chicago e.
Eastern Illinois followed this practice in filing
It's rate from Dolton, and making a note on
the sheet that is applied to Whiting This was
in 1895 when this method of filing tariffs was
in common use.
Now let us see in what wa, the intending
shipper of oil could be misled and deceived by
the fact that the Chicago 4 Eastern Illinois
had not filed a rate reading from Whiting.
Commissioner Smith contends that conceal
ment is the only motive for such circuitous
arrangement" |. e.. that this method OF filing
the rate was intended 70 misiead intending
competitors OF the Standard Oil Company.
Suppose such prospective oil refner had APP
piled to the Interstate Commerce Commission
for the rate from Chicago 90 East st. Louis
over the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, he would
have been informed that the only rate filed
with the commission by this company was 6A
cents from Dolton, and he we-ild have been
further informed, II 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 in
dustria towns in the neighborhood OF Chica-
go he could have his freight delivered over
the Belt Line to the Chicago & Eastern Hi
nois at Dolton and transported TO East st.
Louis at rate OF Ga cents. Where then is
the concealment which the Commissioner of
Corporations makes so much Of? Any rate
from BOLTON 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 any other point in the district
So far from the Eastern Illinois filing its rate
from Dolton in order to deceive the shipper
II is the Commissioner OF Corporations who
either betrays his gross ignorance of transport
tation customs In Chicago territory or relies
on the public ignorance of these customs to
deceive the public too apt TO accept unques
tioningly every statement made by a Govern
ment 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 Moffet
that other commodities OF character similar
10 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 in question
The question is whether this rate constituted
a discrimination as against other shippers o.
OIL and he also makes much OF the failure o.
President Moffett to produce before the CRANE
jury evidence Of the alleged Illegal acts o
which the Standard OIL official said that othel