The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-16

Is the largest in the United States.
Since it was opened the fuel-oil indus
try has grown to Snch proportions
that the sudden shutting off of the
supply would mean almost incalcula-
bic loss and confusion for q Very
large number of enterprises. Sugar
Greek supplies not only Missouri but
also Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Ne
braska. and the Datotas. Unde the
laws of some States. notably those in
Nebraska and North akota there is
required a lighter gravity Of oil than
can be furnished by the refineries in
Kansas. Hence the Kansas City re-
finery at Sugar Creek supplies them.
The business is enormous"
A large oil-producer in the Okla
homa field stated that the closing Of
the refinery would cut OF a market
for $4,000 barrels Of fuel Oil daily for
which Oklahoma producers receive
on an average $40 900 q day from the
Standard Oil Company, and would
compel Kansas City to revert to the
use of coal for fuel.
The New York American is dis
posed to welcome this scheme IS q
State control, saying:
The gist Of the whole proposition
comes to nothing short Of a complete
concession on the part or the Stand
ard Oil Company Of g.
le~al and commercial principle,
which, in its ou~tworking. promises a
thorough-gOing solution Of the cOrpo-
ration problem. That principle is that,
after all is said and done. private
business corporations are not wholly
private, but are rather TO be regard
ed as the offspring and special agen-
cies of an all-inclusive public corpo-
ration-the Government.
Modern political society is COM
mercial and industrial in its grand
plan. The Commonwealth is a great
public trust; and it is the only trust
that a democracy can permanently
tolerate. 4,
The legal task of our time is to
work out. in behalf Of the Common
wealth, a practical community Of in
terest among all those private bus'-
ness CORPORATIONS that threaten to be
. come monopoltstic in character.
This extraordinary news from
Missouri nav nave no immediate con-
sequence. IT ma for the moment be
found leeall~ impracticable to work
out the plan
Nevertheless. the event is Of CAPT
tai importance as indicating the line
of march of legal evolution"
The New York Evenlns Post ex-
presses fears for the fate of Missouri
should she engage in business with
so wicked a partner:
Mr.. Rockefeller casts unlimited
quantities of OIL upon the troubled
Waters-Pjerce Company affairs. Ratl1-
er than give UP its business In Mis-
souri,, under q writ of custer. that
company offers to make the State its
supervising partner, with full power
to decide IN every phase OF its actlN-
ity. Missouri's State officials are said
to be SO puzzled that they have moth
ing to say. Probably. with traditional
: caution, they are waiting TO be shown.
But. in the mean time. we can only
puzzle over the Standards possible
2 motives. Are its profits in the Mis-
souri, market SO vast that t is bound
to keep them, or part of them. on any
!. terms? Or is the andar willing to
let Missouri try its han at runnins
: the OF! business ana make a mess OF
! it h L creating an awful Warnlng Tor
l other States? Or can 1t he that par
t tial State nagenlen n missouri
NAV be made to supply Standard OH
with q basis for claiming immunity in
) other States? In any case, 1t Is MOTH
| ing less than epoch-nlaking to nave.
the oil interests come out IN favor OF
the State of Missouri's owning and
operating the Standards properties.
unless, indeed, they foresee the time
when, under the new arrangement,
Standard Oil will be owning and ope-
rating the State Of Missouri.
Further comment on the situation
; is embodied in a fled in the
Supreme Court by Acknowledgement
Major. maintaining that
"First-There must be an increase
in the fines levied against The COM
pany and its subsidiaries. if the cour
is disposed to modify the decree OF
custer. Second-There must be some
: provision for effective SUPERVISION OF
the oil business. by the State, Whether
e along the lines suggested by the com
no riaC or afhqrWfSp.' %.-- .A