Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-02-20
SlBLE Y, TOOL OF OIL
TRUST, AIDED BAILEY
10 CLEAN UP 100000

rf'ANhLlN, PA, Feb. 20-Denying
With vigor that he ever gave a dollar
to Senator Bailey. of Texas. or that he
llnanced the senator's land operations
Ill the South, former Congressman Jo-
seph I. Slbley testified. almost naively.
that he had given advice to Bailey
! which enabled the Statesman" to make
| 100000.
Inc testimony of the ex-congressman
was taken by Commissioner r ! Me-
| Neil, representing the Clapp investi
gazing committee of the United States
senate Slbley, who has been referred
10 as the Standard Oil Company's "lit-
tie political spy" in congress. gave his
testimony in his home in this CITY
win Il physician in attendance at the
| time
| Inc Questioning of Sibley was the
result of the revelations made bv Will
nam Randolph Hearst in publishing
the famous "Archbold letters" The
testimony demanded of Siblev con
cerned mainly the statements in those
letters.
| olnIey JustIfies His Actions,
Inc purpose of the commissioners
Visit here was to have Sibley identify
Photographic copies of the letters and
10 answer few questions about cam
palgn contributions, but the former
| congressman took advantage of tho on
portunity to explain his relations with
Senator Joseph Bailey and to seek to
justify his actions While in public life.
Several times he ceased talking only
When the commissioner broke in with
new exhibits Sibley said that he had
| never expressed a view in a letter that
he wouldn't have been willing to OK
press from his seat in the house He
was always guided by the best of mo-
tives, he said.
When L go before the great Judge. ="
he said, Il shall have plenty of things
TO answer for, but never for my public
acts, which always reelected nv best
efforts. | always acted unselfshlv and
with sole regard to my constituency
and to my country
Head of Oil Companies.
Sibley explained that he had been
| either president or chairman OF the
| board of directors of subsidiary COM
! panies of the Standard Oil ComDanv
from 1879 until 1910, when he retired.
Asked if he had made contributions
to the campaigns of 1904, 1908 and 1872,
Sibley said that as long as he was in
Washington he usually made the first
| contribution to the congressional COM
mittee, which was usually spent in pur-
| chasing stationery and getting an or
ganlZatlon. He never contributed on
behalf of the Standard Oil Company
! He said he usually made personal con-
tributions in his home county.
! In the H4Grst letters in which refer
ence is made to Senator B." SibIev
was not asked as TO whom he referred
and he did not volunteer to give the
| senator's name. Later, however, he re-
ferred to Senator Bailey in connection
with the same incidents mentioned in
the Senator B." letters.
Referring to his activity against the
senate resolution which made pipe lines
common carriers. Sibley explained that
| it was also proposed to prohibit the
owner of a pipe line from transporting
his own products from the field to the
refinery.
The Standard Oil Company at that
time had 95,000.OO0 barrels of oil in
the field. and if the resolution became Il
law, and the company sought to move
its oil from the field, it would be guilty
of u criminal action.
Feared Paralysis of Business.
Sibley said that this would have re-
suited ultimately in the complete smut
down and paralysis of business in the
oil regions. because the producers
couldn't find a market for their oil
Il received from 400 to 600 letters
from producers to 90 all | could against
the resolution said Sibey. Letters
came to me from other commemorative
Both the Standard Oil Company and
the Independent reftncrs were opposed.
In my activities in the senate | repre-
Asented my constituency because the oil
business was the principal one from my
district
Il was representing not only the
Standard Oil Company. but every pro-
ducer of petroleum. and my consttt-
uents urged me on to those activities.
The Standard Oil Company had $780,
100000 and upward invested in my dis
trict, while the total other investments
in oil properties would run up into the
billions. In my action | was prompted
to prevent that which, if carried out,
Mnuld ruin the greateSt sOurCes of