The Indianapolis journal., 1903-05-23
R0CKEFELLER'S ANSWER.


H. G. Wiltshire, in Wilshires Magazine.
Last March, while my way from
Los Angeles to San Francisco, / had oc-
casion TO stop over few days at Santa
Barbara. Just at that time John d. Rookie
feller had also showed his good Judgment
in picking out Santa Barbara to get his
needed rest Mr.. Rockefeller, / may say
in the first place, was not by any means
the physical wreck that some people like
to make him out / sat at the next table
to him, and can vouch for the strength
and variety of his appetite. His color was
good. and he looked a fairly healthy man
for his age, sixty-four, with the exception
that he had lost every spear Of hair from
his head and face He was most affable
and approachable to every one. His inter-
est in life seemed to be centered on the
game of golf. knowing that his nervous
system was so wrecked that he would
not care TO burden mis- mind with anything
strenuous, really felt conscious stricken
In ever departing from the subject OF the
weather and golf in my talks with him.
However, one day / did bring up the sub
Ject OF trusts.
He listened with interest to my expo
sition Of the socialist philosophy regard
ing monopoly and said: We'll, Mr.. Will
shire, l can't speak as to other trusts, but
certainly as far as the Standard is con-
cerned overproduction of oil led to the
formation Of the trust We were producing
| three times as much oil as could be sold
and the trade was in very bad way. The
trust resulted In the greatest benefit to
| the refiners, and at the same time the gen.
eral public were also benefited by getting
lower prices.
Mr.. Rockefeller inquired if had read
the articles by Miss Tarbell upon the Stand
ard OH Trust now running in Mcclure s
Magazine. All without foundation he
| said; the idea OF the Standard forcing any
one to sell his refinery 10 it is absurd. The
refiners wanted to sell to us. and nobody
that has sold and worked with US but has
| made money and is glad he did so.'
Now you, Mr. Wiltshire, are personally
| acquainted with so and so mentioning
men. our mutual friends. interested in the
| trust), and you know that such honorable
| inJure anyone. You know they all did well
| by coming into the trust. / can tell you
tnat every one else has done well that
came in with us. It's absurd to say the
standard forced the refiners into the trust.
They were only too glad to come in, and
they all made money by coming in. Natural
conditions would have ruined US all if we
| had not formed combination. ] thought
once OF having an answer made to the
Mcclure articles. continued Mr.. Rockefel-
| Ter, but you know il has always been the
| policy Of the Standard to keep silent under
| attack and let our acts speak for them
selves, and / suppose IT is the best policy
| Tor us to continue upon that line, don't you,
| Mr.. Wilshire?'
II was quite overcome with confusion at
| having the richest man in the world seek
| the advice of a socialist upon a question
OF personal conduct. and could do no more
than blurt out general assent to his posi-
| ton.
| i, that since the trust is, according to your
| own theory, a result of overproduction, it
means we are approaching time when the
general stoppage OF this unnecessary, pro-
duction by the trusts will have a tendency
| to create an unemployed problem?
No. said Mr.. Rockefeller. I think the
trust. by regulating industry and systema-
tizing business. will help keep up this pres
ent prosperity We have never. had such
| a period in the history of the country be-
Iore. and yet there never were so many
| trusts, hence 1t cannot be said that trusts
| prevent prosperity. There are less unem-
| ployed men than ever known in the history
OF the country; And. anyway. since we
| are both agreed that an antitrust law is
| absurd, since 1t Is attempting to prevent
| the consequences of overproduction, how
| would you propose to solve the trust prob
"Yes. Mr. Rockefeller. 1 am as much
aware of the futility of antitrust laws as
| Is government ownership
DO you think the government could
| run the Standard well as we run it?'
| asked Mr.. Rockefeller
| would not be positive that the State
| could run the trusts any better than you
! and Mr.. Morgan do, speaking from the
standpoint of Industrial efficiency, but gov
| ernment ownership is a necessary basis for
| the operation of the cooperative wage sys-
| tenn, which must supersede the present
| competitive system to allow US to escape an
unemployed problem. which is simply the
| result of competition among laborers, fore
| ing wages down so low that the laborer
cannot buy what he produces
But we have no unemployed question -
| We never had such demand for labor
before returned Mr.. Rockefeller.
Yes, that is true said 1, but I am
looking into the future, and / can see an
| inevitable unemployed problem looming III
| there. The trust is meeting a present emer-
gency. but it is only a temporary stopgap
and 1t is not in the least going to be able
to solve the unemployed problem of the
future
"'Well, Mr.. Wiltshire, am not looking
ahead so far as you are. Business is to-
4 Gay good, and / think 1T will continue so
| If it does not, then We must let the future
settle it's own problems.