The Mena weekly star., 1911-01-19

Washington, Jan. 1S.-Breaking into
the bitter arraignment of Standard OH
monopolistic methods, unfair treat
ment of competitors and criminal
practices with railroads with which
Frank B. Kellogg, trust buster, closed
his argument in the supreme court,
David 7. Watson, the Pittsburg law
yer and counsel for the trust, told the
court Standard Oil was being prose
cuted for offenses alleged to have been
committed more than twenty years
ago; that it was a benefcent, law
abiding corporation; that its methods
were legitimate and that its dissection
would be disastrous and unjust
ut is said there Is no evidence of
the Standard Oil having influenced
rates. said Mr.. Kellogg. "Of course,
there is not: but the Standard had its
directors on the boards of directors of
the great railroads of the country.
Nothing was expected OF the Stand.
ard. When 1t is shown that indepen-
dent oil companies had to pay higher
rates tnan the Standard Oil that
should suffice"
The Prices Went Up.
He showed how the prices of refined
oil and its products had risen since
1897 from 80 to 65 per cent, while
the price Of crude oil has declined.
This combination, with all its
wealth, power and boasted capacity,
did not give the American people the
slightest consideration in the cheapen-
ed productions through the improved
Methods he observed.
Mr.. Kellogg produced evidence to
show that in sections of the country
open to independent oil companies,
the Standard had cut prices to break
the independents making up for this
loss by advancing prices in purely
Standard Oil territory. Is the inter-
mountain states the profits run from
$50 to 100 per cent
"One of the greatest advantages to
the people is to keep open the door of
opportunity" declared Mr. kellogg.
THE Standard Oil has closed this
door to hundreds"
Then Mr.. Kellogg charged Standard
Oil with receiving discriminating
rates from railroads to the disaster Of
independent concessions. secret agree
ments and unpublished tariff rates.
Look at the railroad tariff sheets"
he said From every Independent oil
shipping point the rates are high.
while from STANDARD Oil shipping
points they are low. These rates made
it impossible for any independent
concern to compete with the Standard
Oil in vast sections of the country.
notably New England and the South.
MIR. Kellogg criticised the business
methods of the Standard Oil.
Unfair Business Methods.
This company" he argued, "has q
system OF unfair methods of competi-
ton. 1t uses bogus independent com.
panses through which to cut rates
against genuine independent compa-
MES where the law and popular senti-
ment are against the Standard Oil. |
We proved this in ITO towns We
could have gone ON, but there is Him
1t to our strength and time We
showed from the books of the Stand
ard Oil its discriminating methods
For such practices the Standard
was ousted from Tennessee, Missouri
and Texas. They set up dummy COM
panies and advertised them as abso-
lutely Independent, having no connec-
tion with the trust or monopoly.
don't believe to maintain any great
business in this country it is neces-
sary to lie, steal or commit fraud Had
this policy not been stopped Standard
OIL would have ruined every independ-
ent"
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