Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-09-17
WATERFOWL Wis. Friday, Sept. l.
UNCLE SAM OIL COMPANY.


Oil Co.:
t'perhaps the most fiendish use to
which the fraud order has yet been
put was when the Standard Oil
Company, through United States
District Attorney Harry j. Bone and
Postoffice Inspector l.. O. Chance,
With the assistance and connivance of
Judge John C. Pollock, succeeded in
closing the mails to the Uncle Sam
Oil company, of Atchison, Kan,
thereby destroying the biggest COM
petitur that ever attacked Standard
Oil. The complete history Of this
Infamous transaction would require
many pages so far reaching il the
conspiracy between federal officials
and Standard Oil hirelings to destroy
the Uncle Sam Oil Company, but
enough for present purposes will here
be given.
Upon the discovery of oil in Kansas
and Oklahoma in 1904 thousands of
persons invested in leases, and ma
chinery on the representation of the
Standard Oil company that it would
pay $l4. 90 barrel for all oil bought.
1t wasn't long, however. until the
oil octupus reduced the price to
twenty five cents a barrel, scarcely
enough to pay pumping expenses.
To prevent producers from shipping
their product, the railroads refused
to haul oil except 9nat handled by
Standard Oil.
Here the Uncle Sam Oil company
was formed with H. II. Tucker, Jr. :,
at it's head. In short time nearly
10000 stockholders and capital
amounting to 81, 500. 900 were secured
HnGrles were ebtdDllSueu db uluSTeHI
Kansas points and pipe line to nav
igation was started. In a hundred
towns and cities in Kansas, Oklahoma
and Missouri oil wagons were put on
the streets, and the business of the
Uncle Sam Oil company began 10
seriously affect the interests of
Standard Oil. At first efforts were
made by Standard Oil agents to buy
out is rival; failing in this, Standard
Oil papers commenced to attack the
Uncle Sam Oil company editorially
and otherwise. Finally government
officials were called in, Postoffice In
spector Chance secured the issuance
of fraud order against the hated
competitor of Standard Oil. United
States Attorney Bone threw the bust
ness into the hands of receiver
and caused Manager Tucker to be
indicted, charged with using the
mails to defraud.
Believing that Judge Pollock was
committed to the interests of Standard
Oil and that he could not secure a
fair trial in his court Tucker made
application for a change of judges
in which he swore To an affidavit
embodying serious charges against
Pollock. Without investigating the
truth or falsity of the charges. and
without giving the defendant a hear
ing. Judge William @. Hook SEN
fenced him to three months in Jail at
Leavenworth. Kan, which he served,
beginning June 5, 1907. Later
Tucker was tried on the grand jury
charges and acquitted.
The issuance of the fraud order,
however. accomplished the object of
the Standard Oil company. Though
the stockholders stood by Tucker and
raised fund for his defense, the
business of the Uncle Sam Oil COM
pany was wrecked Mr.. Tucker is
now at Atchison recognizing his af-
fairs, and recently declared he would
soon be in position to give the oil
trust the battle of It's life.
Edwin c. Madden, ex-Third Assis-
tant Postmaster General, says:
''Some day, may it not be far dis
tant, great man will come out of
the mass. He will write into the
postal laws the sane provision that
the use of the United States mails is
the right of every person who pays
the Lawful postage; and that 1t is not
privilege to be taken away at the
caprice OF any official. He will make
it necessary for the postmaster gen.
eral and his subordinstes to give their
attention to the management. perfec-
ton and expedition of the mail SER
vice, leaving private business matters