The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-05
THE COLOSSUS,
And How It Has Bribed and Clubbed Its
Way to Great Power.
New York Worldly

Way to Great Power.
New York world)
Four years ago the largest factor In
American finance was j. Pierpont
Morgan. Upon the substantial founda-
tions laid by his predecessors he built
a financial stronghold that command
ed American commerce and trade and
finally the public treasury.
Mr.. Morgan's domination rested upon
strength supplemented by skill. He
was strong, but he was also extremely
able, and grand strategy played the
most important part in his campaigns
Today Mr.. Morgan has dwindled and
there towers about our commerce, above
our public as well as our private finance,
a new stronghold veritable Glib
raltar. 1t is the fortres of the Stan
dar d Oil crowd"
The Rockefellers began in 1862, among
the least of several scores of oil re-
finers. BY 1870 they had arduously got
together about $1000,000. They began
to systematic the secret and unlawful
railway rebate. At first they used it as
a bludgeou to assasinate their rivals
for the joint benefit of themselves and
the railways. Presently, as they grew
strong, they dissolved partnership with
the railways and used the bludgeon up
on them, also to compel them to crime
of which the STANDARD Oil crowd"
alone reaped the benefits
Year after year they have been work.
| ing the gold mine of the secret rebate.
| They have hribed courts and legislators
and state and municipal officers. They
have used congress as their tool. They
have used both political parties. They
have completely controlled and still
control the politics of two states
| Ohio directly and Pennsylvania in
directly through Quay.
AS their business has been conducted
wholly through public corporations,
they have been and are now more thar
ever constantly "in politics."
Their wealth has grown like a rolling
SNOWFALL. The income Of each member
of the little coterie is by itself
fortune.
To invest their surplus they extended
their oil business into every corner of
the globe. And when there was no more
fields to conquer for their oil they
turned to participate in, to control, to
seek to monopolize other industries
gas, coal, steel, copper, traction rail-
roads, ocean steamships.
Curious enough their motto In their
commercial piracy was benevolent
assimilation" Surrender and we will
let you live, resist and we will annihi-
late you.
In the natural course of the swift
compounding of their capital they have
been drawn into finance-into national
banking, into contact with the United
States treasury.
The Standard Oil bank, with it's al
lied banks here in New York and
in Chicago and other cities, and with
its correspondent banks, one or more
in each of the larger cities of the coun-
try, represents this latest development
of Standard Oil power.
Like Morgan, the STANDARD Oil
crowd" have shrewdness, but long
practice in corruption and law breaking |
and industry-wrecking has equipped |
them with unprecedented audacity and |
But they do not need |
to use fnesse. They now accomplish |
their ends by sheer force of the might |
of their boundless wealth. |
And hour by hour, without need of |
eXertion on their part, their wealth |
grows, outstripping opportunity for |
investment, at once enabling, inviting |
and compelling them to dominate more
and more. In 1880 they had direct |
ownership of $70,000,00 of capital. BY |
1890 this direct wealth had increased to |
more than $175,000,000. Today this lit |
tie group, directed by one man, owns |
not far from $500, 900, ,000-all or almost |
all invested in public corporations have
Ing intimate relations with our local, |
state and national governments.
The Standard Oil ring have interests |
IN town and counties and states |
throughout the union. They have still |
greater interests in the national govern |
ment. They have favors to ask or to
demand or the congress, of the presi- |
dent-of the latter in six of the depart
ments he controls through cabinet |
war, navy, treasury,
justice and interior.
Through their $780, 900, 900 they CON
troll many times $500, 000,0 Being
the largest accumulators and distribu-
ters OF cash. the world of finance is
theirs.
The Standard Oil bank is the clearing
house of these colossal interests-in-
dustrial, commercial, financial, munich
pal, state, interstate, national, interna-
tonal.
The STANDARD Oil crowd" and their
vast and multiplying wealth, so aggres-
siVe through the Unsuitable greed of it's
owners--such is the problem which has
been preparing for asnRter of a CEN
tury, and which Mr.. .kinley's orderj
farming the internal avenues to the /
Standard Oil bank suddenly revealed tol
the people. ~