Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-03-31
Caward Again Head. Oil Independents.

I
Caward Again Heads Oil Independents
A. H. Caward of this city was re.
elected to the presidency of the West
ern Oil Jobbers' association at the clos
ing session of its annual convention last
night in St. Louis. Delegates number
ing 300 .and representing oil men in
twenty states attended the convention.
Noteworthy among the things done was
the adoption of resolution declaring
the dissolution of the Standard Oil COM
pany has been failure and that the
corporation has been granted immun-
ity from the Sherman and Clayton
laws, and asking for legislation which
will make the dissolution effectual.
In his address before the western
oil jobbers at the convention Thursday,
President Caward declared: "Our work
should be to strengthen our defenses
by arousing public sentiment and ask
asking them to assist US in appealing
to congress that they place an embar
60 on the products of petroleum until
such time as this country's demands
have been fully supplied and at reas-
able price and by asking that the act
that was committed by representatives
of the Standard Oil company on the
Clayton Notwithstanding law, which
makes it worthless, be amended at
once"
In opening his address Mr.. Caward
expressed his pleasure at meeting with
the convention and declared that they
were there to help each other. He
urged the men to contribute their ideas
and suggestions which would help the
association and the individual members.
A portion of the Waterloo mans ad-
dress follows:
1.-THE oil industry today is a public
necessity, entering into more lines of
business in this country and the entire
world than any other one thing, and
without the products of petroleum, the
entire wheels of commerce would stop.
Every piece of machinery, from lawn
mower to the giant locomotive is de-
pendent upon it.
''As the business now stands, it is
the most hazardous business on the
face of the earth. The giant monopoly
manipulates the market on crude oil,
as we'll as refined 1t can create a
shortage or surplus at any time they
see fit and the independent producer,
refner and jobber are at their mercy.
Today this monopoly Furnishes the job
Der on the pretext that he is cutting
the market; tomorrow it is furnishing
the refiner claiming he is paying a
premium for crude.
"a man invests his capital in the oil
industry today with apparent safety,
and without word of warning, next
week or next month, it can, and in
many cases it is, made worthless by no
fault of Encouragement of his own.
This beinga fact, in my judgment,
we should have national control, fed
eral oil commission, similar to the inter-
state commerce commission.
''The business is of such magnitude
to justify the forming of federal COM
mission for the protection of the public
as well as all lines of industry. Thru
it we could conserve the products of
petroleum in all its branches for the
benefit of the whole people.
1T is the duty of each one of us to
lend our hearty support to our secre-
tary and legal department. Do not sit
back and expect them to accomplish
this work alone. We must get quick
action from congress in placing an en-
barge to conserve this industry, or the
independent oil jobbers will be ruined !,
and the public will be made to suffer
with us.
'You may think this impossible, as
the Standard Oil company is such a
powerful organization with millions of
money back of it, but do not get dis
We have right and justice
on our side; we have grit and determin-
ton and are bound to::succeed Wat
erloo Courier.
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