Page:The History of the Standard Oil Company Vol 2.djvu/381

 It is true that in many cases persons who had been unsuccessfully engaged in refining, but had experience, were to some extent employed by the Standard Oil Company in its business of refining, but that with respect to the averment in said Taylor's affidavit that "in other cases said company employed men who had refineries, at large salaries and at the same time gave them no absolute employment," the same is untrue. But it is true that it has restricted its employees from entering the business of refining and distilling oil except under said company's direction.

But none of these things were done by the plaintiff for the purpose of creating and maintaining a monopoly of the business of refining, but were done for the purpose of conducting its business more efficiently.

And affiant says that it is not true, as sworn to by said Taylor, that the Standard Oil Company during a large portion of the time that he refers to, to wit, six or eight years past, or for any length of time, has substantially controlled the transportation of oil; that it is not true that said Standard Oil Company ever had, or that it now has, any contract with any lines of transportation in which it was stipulated that it should have a lower rate of freight than other shippers undertaking the same obligations and furnishing equal terminal facilities; that in all the contracts ever had with the railroads, the railroad companies have reserved the right to charge others the same rate of freight as that paid by the Standard Oil Company; and affiant further says that even those contracts with the railroad companies which gave the Standard Oil Company a commission for facilities furnished have long been abrogated and abandoned.

Affiant says that with respect to the statement in said Taylor's affidavit that "other language has been used to him—said Taylor—by the officers of said Standard Oil Company to the effect that the said company intended to have all the refineries and aimed at having entire control of the oil market," the same, so far as it related to him, is wholly untrue.

Affiant says that it is not true that the plaintiff got control of the refineries of the firm of Logan Brothers of Philadelphia, Octave Oil Company, Easterly and Davis, and Bennett, Warner and Company of Titusville, Pennsylvania; R. S. Waring and Citizens' Oil Works of Pittsburg, or of either of them. The statement of H. L. Taylor that "the principal way by which these independent refineries came under the control of the Standard Oil Company was from the fact that said company had such rates of transportation that the small companies could not compete with it, and when said company had such in its power it would make such arrangements with parties engaged in these refineries as would prevent them from thereafter competing with the Standard Oil Company," is false in its facts and its inferences. Affiant has already correctly stated the facts as to the purchase of refineries by the Standard Oil Company of Cleveland, what led to such purchases, and that persons engaged in such refineries were in some cases employed by said company; and any statement or inference to the effect that by illegal