The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-02
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER
Talks With a Socialist Editor and
They Discuss TIE Corporations.

AAAAH Win SOCIALIST Editor and
They Discuss tie Corporations.
Mr.. Rockefeller. may say. in the
first place. is not by any means the
physical wreck that the press likes to
make him out. I sat at the next table
to him and can vouch for the strength
and variety of his appetite. His color
is good. and he looks a fairly healthy
man for his age-64-with the exception
that he has lost every spear Of hair
from his head and face. He was most
affable and approachable to every one,
and seemed to make a point of going
the rounds every day with his glad
hand out for every one. His interest in
! life seemed to be centercd on the game
Of golf. knowing that his nervous sys-
4 tenn is 50 wrecked that he cannot care
to burden his mind with anything very
strenuous I really felt conscious-stricl1-
en- in ever departing from the subject
I of the weather and golf in my talks
with him. However, one day / did
bring up the subject of corporations.
: He listened with interest to my exposi-
ton of the socialist philosophy regard
/ ing monopoly, and said; We'll, MI
Wiltshire, j can't speak as to other cor
porations, but certainly. as far as the
Standard is concerned. oVerproductiol
Of oil led to the formation of the corpor-
alton. We were producing three times
as much oil as could be sold, and the
4
poration resulted in the greatest bene-
/ fit TO the refiners and at the same time
4 the general public as benefited by get
ting lower prices
the articles by Miss TarbeH upon the
4 Standard on Corporation now running
/ in McClure's Magazine Ali without
/ foundation he said. Tine idea OF the
Standard foreing any one to sell ms
refinery to fg is absurd. The rehners
I wanted to sell-to us. and nobody that
has sold and worked with rs put mas
made money and is glad he did So
Nov you. Mr.. Wiltshire, are person
ally acquainted with so and 50 tneh~
tionine men, our mutual friends, inter-
ested in the corporation, ana you Know
that such honorable men would not 40
ANYTHING naliciously to in1ure anyone
You know they all did we'll by coming
into the corporation. ] can tell You
that every one else has done Well thai
come in with US. It's absurd to say the
corporation. They were only too glad
to come in and they have all made
money by coming in Natural condi~
tons would have ruined US all if We
/ had not formed a. combination
thought once Of having an answer
made to the Mcclure articles. con-
tinued Mr. Rockefeller. but you know
/ it has always been the policy OF the
/ Standard to keea silent under attack
and let cur acts sneak for themselves
1 and suppose it is the best policy f..
US to continue upon that lire, don't you
( Mr.. Wiltshire %
Z was quite overcome with confusion
at having the richest man in the world
seek the advice eff Socialist uDon
question Of personal conduct and could
/ do no more than blurt out general as,
sent to his position.
Don't you think. Mr. Rockefeller,"
said I. that since the corporation il
4 of oYerDrOduction. it means we are APP
proaching a time when the general
stoppage of this unnecessary production
/ by CORPORATIONS will have a tendency
( to create an UNEMPLOYED problem ?''
No, said Mr.. Rockefeller. Il think
the trust, by regulating industry and
I sNstematizing business. win help keey
/ up this present prosperity We have
of the country before. and yet there
never We're 50 many corpora tiors.
+ hence. it cannot be said that corpora
tiOns prevent prosperity There are
I less unen 1lcyed men than ever know
! IN the history of the country. AMI
a11yWa<r- since we are both agreed that
( an anti-coFporation law is absurd. since
J IL IS attempting to prevent the cOnSe~
! quences Of overproduction, how would
I problem ?'s
Yes. Mr.. Rockefeller I am as much
aware OF the futIhty Of anti-corporation
/ laws as You are. The Socialist remedy for
the corporation IS government ownership"
l.. 10 You tnlnk the government could run
me standard as We'll as we run it?' asked
( Mr.. Rockefeller.
l. Il would not be positive that the state
could run the corporation any better than
You and Mr.. Morgan do. speaking from
( the standpoint of Industrial efficiency but
goEernment ownership is necessary basis
Tor the operation of the cooperative wage
system to allow us to escape an unem-
ployed problem, which is simply the result
Of competition among laborers. forcing
wages down so low that the laborer can
not buy what he produces
but we have no unemployed question
we never had such demand for labor be-
fore. returned Mr.. Rockefeller
es that is true. said I. but I am
looking into the future, and / can see On
inevitable unemployed problem looming up
there. The corporation is meeting a pres
ent emergency. but it is only a temporary
stopgap. and 1t is not in the least going
to be able to solve the unemployed prob
lem Of the future
wei Mr.. Wiltshire. I am not looking
ahead as far as you are. Business is today
good, and I think it will continue so. Il
1t does not. then we must let the future
settle its own problsm
wen, anyway, Mr. Rockefeller am
very glad to have had the opportunity of
having this talk with YOU for [ feel that
when the industrial crisis does come up
in the future it viii help very much for
bus to understand each others position
There is nothing better than having men
IKE you ana me VINO nave a common IN
terest- coming into personal contact with
each other. While cur views are different
/ yet our having met will dead US to have
more respect for the. sincerity Of our nu-
tual opinions and orr personal good faith
THAT is quite right. Mr.. Wiltshire said
/ Mr.. Rockefeller. and [ am very glad 20
/ have had the pleasure Of this talk with
This closed the interview upon the cor
poration problem for. although ] talked
with Mr. Rockefeller a number Of times
afterward it was nothing but golf and
the weather NNilshire's Magazine.
Startling Evidence.
Fresh testimony in great quantity is con-