sometimes been accused of doing, it undoubtedly did resort to
somewhat Prussian methods of destroying the foe. This great
corporation divided the United States into several sections, over
each of which it appointed an agent, who in turn subdivided his
territory into smaller divisions, each one of which likewise had
its captain. The order imperatively issued to each agent was,
"Sell all the oil that is sold in your district." To these
instructions he was rigidly held; success in accomplishing his
task meant advancement and an increased salary, with a liberal
pension in his old age, whereas failure meant a pitiless
dismissal. He was expected to supervise not only his own
business, but that of his rivals as well, to obtain access to
their accounts, their shipments, and their customers. It has been
asserted, and the assertion has been supported by considerable
evidence, that these agents did not hesitate to bribe railroad
employees and in this way get access to their competitors' bills
of lading and records of their shipments, and that they would
even bribe dealers to cancel such orders and take the oil from
them at a lower price. This information laid the foundation for
those price-cutting campaigns that have brought the name of the
Standard Oil into such disfavor. And when the Standard cut, it
cut to kill; the only purpose was to drive the competitor from
the field, and, when this had been accomplished, the price of oil
would promptly go up again. The organization of "bogus
companies," started purely for the purpose of eliminating
competitors, seems to have been a not infrequent practice. This
latter method emphasizes another quality that accompanied the
Standard's operations and so largely explains its
unpopularity--the secrecy with which it so commonly worked.
Though the independent oil refiners were combating the most