The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-12
MINORS
PLACID PARAGRAPHS

| William Rockefeller is estimated to be
worth over $4,000 900. There is a ten
dency to oye-4stimalte a mans weaith,
provided he has reached that point
where he is supposed to be wealthy. A
few days ago ait Greenwich, Conn.,, Mrs
Yessen, a Swedish washerwoman, was
sued by VIM. Rockefeller for $3.50. Can
| human Imagination contemplate the
meanness Of a man like Rockefeller?
The washerwoman's COW had pastered
in Roclsefeller's field. She was unable to
pay the rent money at dlhe time, but said
| that Within a month she would be in
| possession of more than a thousand dol
| lars which had been bequeaithed to her
| only short timA before, but the court
had not yet made a settlement of the
| deeedent's estate. Rockefeller said he
needed the money at once. There is no
| denying the fact THAT in the opinion
of every person who knows the circum-
stances the real impression is that Rock
efeller lied. 1 doubt If William Rocke-
Teller has earned an honest dollar In
the last twenty years. He got his start
in the world by luck.
William Rockefeller is a brother of
John d. Rockefeller. The two brothers
practically control the Standard Oil
trust. 1T is dhe most Gigantic thieving
octopus that has ever fastened its fangs
upon the human race. The Rockefellers
make great demonstra ton of their re-
ligion. A man of Rockefeller's wealth,
or even If he had not a dollar to his
name, who would do as he has done with
the washerwoman. does neN possess as
much religion as snake. The Rookie
fellers are the enemies of socjsty. They
are the enemies of good government.
They are enemies of the Christian reli-
gion. They are enemies of patriotic sem
timent. They are enemies of honest la
boz. They are enemies of honesty. They
are enemies of men who toll and women
who drudge. They are disgrace to
humanity They object to paying their
honest taxes. They object to an honest
assessment of their property. They OBJ
ject to paying one dollar to support
the government. They object to doing
what honest men find pleasure in do
ing. If poor man is unable to pay his
taxes, his property is sold for taxes
The Rockefellers threaten to shoot as
SCISSORS who come upon their property
They threaten Ito kill tax collectors who
are serving the state. If the Rockefel-
lers be Christians, hell is filed with mill
lions of better people than they.
The Rockefelers have become rich
through coercion. They have built gil
gantbo fortunes out of THE earnings of
the poor They have cornered the oil
market of the world. They have made
their own prices. They have bought leg
islators like this average man would pur-
chase string of fish. What must be the
opinion of the poor, of a government that
will tolerate the insolence of the Rookie
1alleTs? If rich men like the Rockefel-
lens decline to pay taxes, why may not
poor man do the same? The Rookie
fellers have done more than their share
in crsa ting in the minds of the people
who labor the feeling of unrest and dis
satisfaction. While the Rockefellens have
contributed large sums to build churches
they have at the same time created more
anarchists in the United States than
amy ten thousand men.
Seven out of every ten men in the
United States ana impressed with the
belief that Within the next few years
there will be in this country an upris-
ing of the people In other words, they
prophesy revolution The chief reason
assigned for this prophecy is based on
the illegalized accumulation of wealth
and the tyranny of those who poss IS
1T. A revolution may come. In the opin-
ion of such men as the Roclefellers, to
make statement of this kind is, as they
say, arraying THE mass=s against the
classes. That 1t is unpatrfotic, That it
is un-American. That it is dangerous.
If it is unpa,riotic for poor people 10
complain of the outrageous laws enact
ed for the few as against the many, the
United Stats is filed with thousands
of unpatrioltic citizens in every portion
of the republic. People like the Rocloe-
fellers must go undisturbed. They must
be permitted to defy the laws of the land
with complacence and impunity They
must be allowed to create trusts ait the
expense of the people, and the person
who rebels against 1T is by the Rcekefel-
lers and that class termed anarchists
and enemies of the country.
The United States has no greater enc
mics, no more pronounced traitors than
the very men who create trusts and
IudHdSS 'uiltlu. Ilcy abdNt ITO IilOTe re-
gard for statute than a heather has for
the New Testament. They have no more
humanity than a savage. They care
nothing for starving humanity SO long
as the trust yields them a revenue. If
a revolution does come, it will be the
masses against the classes. If such a
calamity should oyertake the United
STATES the classes will be responsible for
it and not thu masses. The trusts and
corporations, not satisfied with dicta.Eng
legislation in the states have almost alb
sofute control of the national legislature
at Washingt ton.
The Rockefellers are fair representa-
tives of the shoddy Americans. Natu-
rally, they have neither culture, refine
mnent nor education. Their wealth has
given them a kind of refinement which
should best be termed snobbshness. The
Rockefellers have been known to con-
tribute but little ito charity No char
itable act has ever been done by either
of the brothers that was not first we'll