Page:The History of the Standard Oil Company Vol 2.djvu/34

 There was another interview at which Mr. Bush, Mr. Ohlen, Mr. Cassatt and myself were the only parties as I remember it; it was held in Pennsylvania, at the office of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, in the last part of May or early part of June; it was at the time of what we called the squeeze in cars. Previous to that time we had had all the cars we wanted without any difficulty; at that time and when we were wanting just about the same kind of cars we had previously been wanting, and business was running on very easily, we found we were unable to get anything like the amounts we had before; instead of getting for the firm I represent from twelve to fifteen cars a day, we were getting only one or two—utterly insufficien, for the business. We came over to see Mr. Cassatt about it—Mr. Bush, Mr. Ohlen and myself. He said he knew there was trouble; that the other side, the Standard Oil Company had some five hundred cars full here at Philadelphia and Baltimore; that he had not discovered it until recently, but that he would have it remedied. They had been holding them here full. I asked him why, if he knew of the cars being detained, he kept giving them cars. He said he did not know exactly how that was. I told him if these cars were shipped here and held, it seemed to me they ought to stop giving cars to parties holding them. He said the matter would be remedied soon. We asked him how soon. He could not tell exactly. I said, 'Can't you stop giving them cars! He said he would remedy the matter, we should have all the cars we needed; and it was at that time that he made the remark to which Mr. Bush testified, when we had some little general conversation, that if we built a pipe-line he would buy it up for old iron in sixty days. I think I remarked that the Conduit Pipe brought a good price for old iron, in a laughing way. The interview was pleasant enough. Then early in July—I think it was the last part of June or early part of July—Mr. Ohlen, Mr. Bush, Mr. Wilson, Mr. King, Mr. Gregory, and myself came to Philadelphia and met Colonel Scott, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Mr. Cassatt, and Mr. Brundred at the office of the Pennsylvania road, with the same trouble, the same two troubles as of old, a scarcity of cars and a discrimination in freight. As to scarcity of cars, they claimed that we were getting our allotment. We told them we knew nothing about an allotment, that previous to the first of May we had sufficient cars for our business; since that time we got scarcely any; that if they had not sufficient cars to do the business with we would put on cars. Mr. Scott said that they would not allow that, they had bought out one line and did not propose to have another; we then demanded cars for the business, making again the offer to put on cars if they could not furnish them, with same result. He said that they had already fought one fight in our behalf which cost them a million and a half of dollars. We told them not at all on our behalf, we had nothing to do with it; we were simply shippers over the road and did not participate in the matter at all; it was a matter of their own. He seemed to be a little sore about that. When we made the remark which has been given in evidence before, he said there would be no peace or profit in the business until we made some arrangement with the