The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1903-02-21

| period OF Insecurity passed-though the gen
eral public did not know it and the press and
the politicians were still howling. Rockeiel-
Ter was able to shake off his pursuers and
dismiss his horde of lawyers. He had at
last a large, secure income.
And now began the rapid increase. He
was simple, thrifty man, and so was his
brother They spent comparatively moth
ing of their income. They re-invested 1t
in obtaining complete ownership of what
they had only coutrolled-that is, Of the
petroleum industry. They developed the
Standard Oil company from the single
concern TO a conglomerate of about 90 cor
porations, each engaged in separate de
partment of the industry They utilized
4 to account the discoveries Of science which
/ the scientists gave freely to the world
| Soon. so many and so valuable were the
| by products of oil production that the oil
itself cost the Rockefellers practically moth
ing at all-for the by-products more and
more paid for its pumping, refining trans
portatiou and sale. For Il years. Mr.
Rockefeller and his group have been selling
about thousand million gallons of oil a
/ year at prices ranging from ) to 20 cents a
( gallon, and averaging about : cents, and,
as the by products have increased IN mum
+ Der and in value, they have put into their
I pockets a clear profit more and more Of
the entire selling price Of the oil Today
that selling price is estimated to be all clear
profit, and /, Is said that there is in adii-
,ion a prof, Of from SI0. 000, 900 TO 500, !
600 600 upon the by products, This ex-
plains Why the profits Of the Rockefellers
from their trust are greater BY many mil
lions annually than the value Of the petro-
leum production
About 10 years ago Rockefeller in
come was gwen as $50, O00. 00O BY an ex
csllent authority. lie had reached the
limit Of profitable reluycsiment Of profits in
the oil industry Here then were these
enormous sums in cash pouring in
than So 900 coo month inr John Dayi-
,sn Rockefeller alone The problem Of
TyIuyesimcn, became mUr,. than serious
II became a nightmare The al income
was swelling. aud the number Of sound in
y,.,tments l. limited was then even more
limited than it nov j. II vas through
% especial caseruoss Tor more gains that
The RoCkcteliers began 20 branch out from
oil into other thing They were forced,
SWEPT ou by thl. in rolling tide Of wealth
which their monopoly magnet irresistibly
attracted They developed a staff of iu-
ryesmcnt seekers and investigators. Ii Is
said tha, the chief Of this staff has salary
of sl25. 00O = wear /, may be remarked
in passing that Rockefeller. ike almost all
the great American fortune builders, pays
,b..r..llv m. bigb..r m,rkc, prie. for
brains tie expects valuable service but
he doss his part ungraiingly- lie holds
that while it NAV be dangerous 10 an em-
ployc to overpay him. It is fatal both TO
employer and employe la undcruay.
Tn. s-., c,,.,,,,,,.u. .v.,,r.,,, and in
-,-,;.,, - ,b, R,.l .fsIIar. va into the
-,a,,y s.l5 Ry lSq3 tbsy .,,p,rollea
ap.-ifth Of the railway milagr of the eoun.
try Wb,, 4, they own or through ioui.
nan, ,,,,..,.bi, e,ptr,I t,,i,y2 They are
,.,w.,s,,l IN N ,h. .rs,, r,,lv,v. ,r New
y,-l ,,r,L ,,., aud We, ax,ept one
,,b.,. their sb,re !, only n few millions
They an in m,,t Of the great railways
-.,;-,;o., g,,,,, C,b,,,., Tbsy 5,mi,,t.
!, ..r.r,I r the sy-,s,,- ,h,t extend ro
m. p.e,6c I, j. their votes that make
Mr.. Morgan SO potent--though, it may be
added. they need his brains more than he
need. their yotes-at present. aud the
ubiuation Of the two constitutes in large
measure the community Of interest.
But railways could not alone absorb
r,pi8lv rpousb those mighty floods Of gold
,r....ptly John II Ro.kefellers 81 500
900 monthly had increased to four. to
five. TO six n illions month. to s75 600.
zoo a year Illuminating oil was becom
ipg an prof, the rcinycstments Of income
were ,ddipr their mite Of many annual
millions.
The Rockeiellers went into gas aud elec-
tricity when those industries had developed
to the safe investment stage. And now
large part Of the American people must be
I'm to enrich the Ruckefcllers a. soon as
the sun goes down. no matter what form
or illuminant they use.
N. l,,.., ;ol,,.,r, ;,,o which m.
- cu..l...-. .-.-.,,;.I.l; ~,