became public property, a wave of indignation swept from the
Atlantic to the Pacific; the oil regions, which would have been
the heaviest sufferers, shut down their wells and so cut off the
supply of crude oil; the New York newspapers started a "crusade"
against the South Improvement group and Congress ordered an
investigation. So fiercely was the public wrath aroused that the
railroads ran to cover, abrogated the contracts, signed an
agreement promising never more to grant rebates to any one, while
the Pennsylvania Legislature repealed the charter of the South
Improvement Company. This particular scheme, therefore, never
came to maturity. Before the South Improvement Company ended its
corporate existence, however, a great change had taken place in
the oil situation. Practically all the refineries in Cleveland
had passed into the control of the Standard Oil Company. The
Standard has always denied that there was any connection between
the purchase of these great refineries and the organization of
the South Improvement Company. But there is much evidence
sustaining a contrary view, for many of these refiners afterward
went on the witness stand and told circumstantial stories, all of
which made precisely the same point. This was that the Standard
men had come to them, shown the contracts which had been made by
the South Improvement Company, and argued that, under these new
conditions, the refineries left outside the combination could not
long survive. The Standard's rivals were therefore urged to "come
in," to take Standard stock in return for their refineries, or,
if they preferred, to sell outright. Practically all saw the
force in this argument and sold--in most cases taking cash.

The acquisition of these Cleveland refineries made inevitable the
Rockefeller conquest of the oil industry. Up to that time the