The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-01-21
Commissioners Smith VS.. The Standard Oil Co.
From lie Raihoay WoyA Ianaa,y ), i0os.

Chicago They terminate at Dolton. from which
point entrance is made over The Belt Line
Whiting where the ol freight originates Is not
on the lines Of thc Chicago and Eastern illinois,
which receives iis Whiting freight from the Belt
Line az Dolton The former practice nov dis
continued IN filing tariffs was 20 make them
read from poiut on the line OF the filing road
and it was also general 70 state on The same
sheet ,ha the tarin would apply to other poiuts
e g. Whiting The Chicago and Eastern Illinois
followed this practice IN fling It's rate from
Doson. and making note on the sheet that it
applied to Whiting This was IN 1906 when this
method Of fling tariffs was in common use
Now let us see in what way the intending
shipper OF oil could be mised ard deceived by
the fact that the Chicago and Eastern Illinois
had not filed rate reading from Whiting
Commissioner Smith contends that "conceamcnt
is the only motive for such circuitous arrange
ment" l. e. that this method OF filing the rate
was intended 10 mislead intending competitors
of the Standard OIL Company. Suppose such
prospective oil rehner had applied TO the lnier-
state Commerce Commission for the rate from
Chicago 90 East ST Louis over the Chicago and
Eastern Illinois. he would have been informed
that the only rate filed with tic commission by
this company was on cents from Dolton, and
he would have been further informed il indeed
Ne did not know this already, that this rate ap-
piled throughout Chicago territory So that
whether he wished to locate his plant at Whit
ing, cr snywlyere else about Chicago. ander an
arrangement Of long standing. and which applies
TO all the industrial towns in the ncighhorhood
Of Chicago. he could have his freight delivered
over the Belt Line to the Chictgo and Eastern
Illinois at Dolton and transported to East St
Louis az a rate Of Oh cents Where then is
the conccalmcnt which the Commissioner Of Cor
porations makes so much OFF Any rate--from
Dolton on the Eastern Illinois or Chappel on
the Alton, or Harvey on the Illinois Central, or
Blue Island on the Rock Island applies through
out Chicago territory 10 shipments from Whit
ing as TO shipments from any other point in
the district So far from the Eastern Illinois
filing its rate from Doton in order 70 deceive
the shipper, il is the Commissioner Of Corpora
tions who either betrays 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 unques-
tioningly every statement made by 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 Moffett that
other commodities of a character similar to oil
were carried al much lower rates than IS cents,
the Commissioner OF Corporations discusses only
with the remark that "the rcasonableness' OF
this rate is not in question The question Is
whether this rate constituted discrimination
as against other shippers Of oil and he also
makes much of the failure of President Moffctt
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 ter