Page:The History of the Standard Oil Company Vol 2.djvu/249

 offered at that.' 'Other lots obtainable at irregular prices, from 10 to 10½ cents.' On November 18, the quotation was '10 to 12 cents.' I give the following quotation of the New York refined market as published in my Oil City daily report of November 11: 'The New York market yesterday closed, secretly offered and unsalable at 11½ cents, and probably at 11¼ cents by resales and outside refiners, and likely by Standard, though they openly ask 12.'

"The point that seems apparent is that the official quotation of 12 cents ceased to be an honest quotation a considerable time before it was abandoned. The committee making the quotation can probably justify their position by the custom of the trade of regarding the prices the Standard openly ask as the market, nevertheless they, and the Produce Exchange whom they represent, were the bulwark from behind which the Standard were able to get off their hot shot against the consuming trade in the United States and the consuming trade in Europe, who all this time were buying Standard oil on the basis of 12 cents at New York, the supplies at the time being drawn from their stock in Europe and from their various depots in the United States."

But the performance of 1876 and 1877 was not forgotten in Europe. In 1879 the exporters and buyers from all the great foreign markets had met in Bremen in an indignation meeting over the way the Standard was handling the oil business. Remonstrances came from the consuls at Antwerp and Bremen to our State Department concerning even the quality of oil which had been sent to Europe by the Standard. John C. Welch, who was abroad in 1879, was told by a prominent Antwerp merchant: "I am of the opinion that if the petroleum business continues to be conducted as it has been in the past in Europe, it will go to smash." The attempt to repeat in 1880 what had been done in 1876 failed. The exports of illuminating oil that year fell much below what they had been the year before. In 1879, 365,000,000 gallons of refined oil were exported; in 1880, only 286,000,000 gallons. Exports of crude, on the contrary, rose from about 28,000,000 gallons to nearly 37,000,000 gallons. The foreigners could export and refine their own oil cheaper than they could buy from Mr. Rockefeller. Competition was after him,