The Topeka state journal., 1911-04-17
Attorney General Looks Over
Standard Oil Situation.
Makes Personal Tour of Trust
Properties i'm Kansas.
TELLS ABOUT CASES.
We're Commenced by Attorney
General Coleman.
He Interviews the Farmers and
Producers.

John S. Dawson, attorney general.
returned today from a visit to the oil
nelds of southeastern Kansas, Mr..
lawson, who inherited the antitrust
sults against the Standard Oil com
pany AID two subsidiary companies
Ielt that he wanted to obtain some
nrst hand information about the oil
business before the final hearing in
the cases. While the suits have been
Penolng for nearly five years Dawson
mas nad little to do with the litigation
as Fred S. Jackson, attorney general
ana Z. G. Coleman, former attorney
general handled practically all of the
work OF taking the great volumes of
evidence
When Dawson came into office the
cases had been presented to l. w.
kepllnger, special commissioner of
the supreme court to take the evi-
dence and it is expected that Mr. Keep
lnger VIII present his findings to the
court within few days. When this
is done the attorneys for the state
must file their brief and prepare to
argue the findings before the court. In
order to get some first hand infor-
NATION about the oil business, Dawson
spent nearly week in the oil country.
On his return to Topeka Mr.. DaW-
son said of his trip:
There are three of these cases.
one against the Prairie Oil and Gas
company, one against the Standard
Oh company of Kansas and one
against the Standard Oil companv Of
Indiana. They were commenced by
Attorney General Coleman when
Congressman Jackson and 1 were his
assistants. Attorney General Jackson
succeeded to them as 1 now do, and
cases as special counsel for the state
after his retirement from office until
his death. The evidence has all been
taken and distracted and argued he
fore Judge keplinger of Kansas City.
While we are waiting for the suprenoa
court of the United States to decide
the governments case against the New
Jersey company which is the parent
of these Kansas companies I have
taken the time to go down to the oil
country and get in touch with the oil
business at first hand. 1t was alto
gether new business to me- But
have been out where the drilling is
going on, and have seen the oil wells
and the pipe lines and the oil refin-
cries both independent and standard.
and the pumping stations which send
the crude oil from Oklahoma and
Kansas to Whiting, Indiana and
thence to the sea. 1 have seen the
gasoline. the kerosene, the paraffine
wax, the viscous oils, the axle grease,
the asphalt and rubber, the fuel oil
and what not, all in the process of
making. have even solved the orr
gin and meaning of the cabalistic let
ters, b. s. which have always mys-
titled me- They stand for Bad Sedi-
ment,' which is the residue when ev-
erything else is distracted from the
oil, and even it has usefulness for
furnace fuel, but 1t is not worth trans
portation charges and has to be used
in the neighborhood. I have travelled
two or three hundred miles around
and about the oil country and have
talked with the farmers who get the
royalties, the oil producers who have
bored the wells, also with the oil re-
finers, big and little, dependent and
ndependent-not all of them of
course, but now I feel that the reams
of testimony and the referees deduc-
tions will be Ineligible at least, and
I can now write my brief with some
knowledge and confidence about some
not have before I made this trip