Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1912-05-04
Oil Octorus In Touch.

:
welt the next day.
Oil Octorus In Touch.
"Now. If such 4 conference could
make the sugar interests the devoted
supporter OF Mr.. Taft the question nat
urally arises why something of the
same kind might not have Influenced
G1r. Rockefeller. There are not the accu-
rate data in regard to the Standard Oh
company that there are relative to tho
meeting with the sugar trust, but there
IS some Interesting collateral evidence
tending to show that somewhere and
somehow the oil octopus got In touch
w n tie Influences that controlled Che
then candidate for president You will
remember that after his election, but
before his Inaugural ton, Mr.. Taft spent
some little time at the Virginia Hot
Springs. From that resort we received
the first intimation ever emanating
from any president Of Il purpose to es-
fnbliSh the commerce court
II remember L was greatly surprised.
When President Roosevelt forced the
rate bin through congress, restoring
the Interstate commerce commission to
power in the enforcement OF It's rulings.
tremendous efforts were made by
MesSrs. Aldrich Ga.linScr and the rest
Of the rcactionarieS to include in the
law 4 provision for q court review Of
the commissions decisions. The pro-
greSsive tendency Of the time was dis
tinctly against any court review, for
1t was the courts which had cmaSculat-
cd the commission Of It's power under
the old law. The people generally
feared repetition Of this. They want
cd to control the railroads. They want
cd to Obv!atc forever the possibility OF
continuance Of the processes bv
Oil company had used the common car
rlers to collect rebates on their OWE
business and on that Of their corlpeti-
tors at the same time. The reaction
aries succeeded In getting form OF
court review into the law, but not as
free one as they desired.
Trust and Commerce Court.
"Now, you Will remember that w.
r. Hearst during the campaign of 1868
read from the platform In different
pcrilonG OF inc country letters that hal
been procured by some means from the
files Of the Standard Oil company. 1t
was charged that the letters were
stolen, but their authenticity was &c
knowlcdgcd. They We're genuine let
tiers. however procured In reading
them rs they appeared In the papers
1 was one day not much surprised to
learn that the idea of separate court
Of review for Interstate commerce com
mission decisions had emanated from
tie Standard Oil company! They were
the first people to invent the idea of 4
commerce court. The proof Of il was
found IN lettc" written by Joseph Sib-
ley OF Pennsylvania. member Of tie
house and confessed congressional lob
bylSt for the Standard Oh company.
lie was not the only lobbyist employ
ed by that company we may believe,
but he was one.
in this letter, written by Mr.. Siblcy.
at Washington. on Feb. &c, 1905, to Mr.
John y. Archbold Of the Standard Oil
company and read from the platform
by Mr.. Hearst at Memphis, Tenn, on
Sept 10. 1908, is found the following
paragraph relative to certain 'Sena-
, tor B. who is described as wholly and
unalterably opposed to President
Eooseyelts policy regarding corpora
tons:
In re power to fix railroad rates Mr. r
1s Tor giving power to make rates but Will
ISht tho IDEA OF q separate court
WAS SORRY NOT TO BE ABLE TO
CHANGE HIS VIEWS ON THAT TOPIC
Lobbying In tho Senate.
Here Is documentary proof that the
Standard Oil company had conceived
the idea Of a commerce court as long
ago as before February, 1905, and that
its lobbyists were engaged at that time
IN trying to gain support In the United
States senate for the establishment Of
such court On Oct. 80 1908. only a
week before the election that was TO
decide the fate Of Mr.. Taft. John ID.
Rockefeller takes most unusual pains
, to serve public notice upon all friends
OF his kind of business throughout the