The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-30
Rockefeller a Puzzle.

always been a puzzle to the American
people. Rockefeller or his agents have
for thirty years and more now been
doing evil to the public-at least the pub
lie thinks so; and that is the important
thing in this discussion. During all
those years, too, Rockefeller has been
pious church member. He has given
literally of his substance to the churches,
has always been a bountiful giver to
charity, and though the hardest man in
the world at driving a bargain, he has
in his own opinion, at least, been re-
Qigious man.
The public finds difficulty in reconciling
the conscientiously religious man with
the predatory and merciessr aggregation
of capital with which he is identified. The
trust has recently raised the price of
kerosene / cent gallon and that means
SIG, 900, 900 wrung from the people in a
time Of fuel scarcity, without justiflca-
tion.- His company has been a: party to
numberless evasions and violations of law,
some of which at least were instrumental
iii crushing out competition. Business
IS business'-and in the hardest and most
conduct of the company. There has been
nothing in it's management to remind one
of the New Testament, nothing to suggest
the precepts of the gentle. Christ; yet at
the head of 1t has been one of the most
devoted Christians of the country, man
who is of correct personal life, an alb
stemious man, possessing In all the ordi-
nary relations of his life all the ordinary
virtues.
Rockefeller's reported gift Of $1,000
ito a Methodist church fund, together with
his recent gift of another million to the
University of Chicago, are being made
the subject of much analysis of the man.
The Kansas City Star says that Rookie
Teller has feeble. inverted sort Of con-
science" which prompts him to give
to some church or university whenever
The has put the people on the rack for a
dozen millions, and adds:
The monstrous greed of the trusts, Of
(which Rockefeller is at present the chief
personal exponent, would be more toler-
able If this Unsuitable "capitalist'' were
not continuously posing as a philanthro-
pist and a truly good man; If he were
mot, by his contributions, demoralizing
+ men and moral standards; If he were not
degrading religion and education by his
tainted offerings, and If he were not so
generally accepted by the recipients Of
his guerdons at his own estimation Of
himself '.-. = w.
In her great history of the Standard
Oil company, now running in McClure's
Magazine, Ida Tarbell, after showing in
detail how Rockefeller was willing to
strain every nerve to obtain for himself
from the railroads special and illegal
privileges which were bound to ruin every
man in the oil business not sharing them
with him, says
Religious emotions and sentiments Of
charity, propriety and self-denial seem
to have taken the place in him of no.
tions Of justice and regard for the rights
lof others. ..- -
According to this view Mr.. Rockefeller
does not apply religion, in the sense Of
ethical conduct to his business opera
lions. He makes as much distinction be-
tween them as did some of the corrupt
preates Of old, who thought that a man
might be very religious and also very
criminal. This distinction leaves him, as
Miss Tarbell puts it, ''unhampered by
any ethical considerations. A vagrant
unhampered by any ethical considera-
tions is a dangerous man who is likely
to land in prison. A Rockefeller unham-
.pered by ethical considerations is an ex-
emplary captain of industry, to whom,
according to the opponents Of the doctrine
of the perfection Of what IS, we all should
doff our caps.
French journalism may not be much
in the way Of news but it seems to be
very modern in Its business methods.
Competition has driven the penny and
penny and "a half journals out Of bust
ness and now three powerful half-penny
papers of Paris are waging furious war
against each other. The Journal on the
one and,ss..awhich is the innovator, is
being opposed by Petit Journal and Petit
Parisien, which have Joined forces. The
Journal sets the pace. by offering the peo-
pie an eight page, and on occasions, ten
and twelve-page paper for half a cent.
The Journals competition has forced the
allies to increase their papers from four
4 to six pages, the result being that each of