Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-12-09
ROCKEFELLER'S
RISE AND FALL
Although the Oil Magnate Has Nil.
lions He Cannot Purchase lmmun-
ity From Harsh Criticism.
THE WORK OF A WOMAN
Backed by q Fearless Magazine Ida
M. Tarbell 10 Giving Cruel Facts
Of His Career.

John ID. Rockefeller is perhaps the
richest man in the world. His wealth
reaches into the hundreds of millions
and Is increasing at a rate almost be-
yond computation. Despite the power
Of this vast fortune, despite the sums
which he is giving to endow colleges
and eleemosynary institutions, de-
spite his regular attendance at church
and his either real or pretended piety,
he will go down in history as one Of
the most despicable men who ever
rose to prominence in this country.
For years he succeeded in partially
shielding his nefarious operations
from the view of the general public.
So mysterious were his movements,
SO secret were the inception and ac-
complishment of many of his most 81
gantic schemes for obtaining a mo-
nopoly of the oil business, that the
world could feel but never see or
know exactly the nature of his titan
ic power.
But one brilliant woman, Ida M.
Tarbell, backed by a fearless publica-
ton, McClure's Magazine, is month
by month lifting the cover of secrecy
and revealing to the world the hate
full origin, pitiless growth and fnan-
cial omnipotence Of the Rockefeller
interests. And with each succeeding
chapter, Rockefeller, the man, is be-
ing placed before the world In his
true %light-that of a merciless oppres-
sor, absolutely INSCRIPTIONS in the
carrying out of his unholy designs.
Thousands of unfortunates have gone
down to destruction under the wheels
of his Juggernautic career. The pity
and love, which, in his Sunday school,
he breaches to his class, have ever
been as far removed from his heart
as Is the seventh hell from the empy.
rean.
The following excerpts from the
last chapter of the Standard Oil his
tory to be published, throw some light
upon the manner of his operations:
The apathy an inaction which nat
urally" flow from Q great defeat hy ov-
er the oil regions Of northwestern
Pennsylvania long after the compro-
mise with Mr.. John d. Rockefeller In
1880. Not even the news of the for
nation of the $40. 700 900 trust in 1882
moved the country to more than hope
less grumbling. Eight years OF war
with q humiliating outcome had In
spired them with the conviction that
fighting was useless, that they were
dealing with a power verging on the
superhuman-a power carrying con
cealed weapons, fighting In the dark,
and endowed with an altogether did
bolic cleverness. Strange as the state
ment may appear, there Is no disput-
ing that by 1882 the oil regions as a
whole looked on Mr.. Rockefeller with
superstitious awe. Their notion OF
him was very like that which the Eng
lish common people had for Napoleon
In the first part of the nineteenth cen
fury. which the peasants of Brittany
have even today for the English-a
dread power, cruel, omniscient, al
ways ready to spring.
The Mystery Of the Power.
This attitude of mind, altogether
abnormal, impetuous and self-confi-
dent men, as those of the oil regions
were. was based on something more
than the series of bold and admirably
executed attacks which had made Mr..
Rockefeller master of the oil bust
ness. The first reason for 1t was the
atmosphere Of mystery In which Mr..
Rockefeller had succeeded In envelop-
ing himself. He eem by nature to
dislike the public eye. In his early
years his home, his office, and the
Baptist church were practically the
only places which saw him. He did
not frequent clubs. theatres, public
meetings. When his m~anoeuvres be-
gan to bring public criticism upon
him, his dislike of the public eye
seems to have increased. He took a
residence in New York, but he was
unknown there saw to those who did
business with him or were interested
in his church and charities. BY the
time the trust was organized his was
perhaps the least familiar face In the
Standard Oil company. He v
went to the oil regions and the oil
regions said he was afraid to come,
which might or might not have been
true. Certainly the oil regions never
hesitated to express opinions about
him calculated to make a discreet
man keep his distance.
A second eason for the popular
dread Of Mr.. Rockefeller was that this
man whom nobody saw and who new
er talked, knew everything-even un.
expected and trivial things-and
those who saw the effect of this
knowledge and did not see how he
could obtain 1t, regarded him as little
short of an omniscient being. There
was really nothing In the least occult
about Mr.. Rockefeller's omniscience.
He obtained part Of his knowledge OF
these peoples affairs by a most ex.
tensiye and thoroughly organized sys.
TEN of news gathering, such as any
bright business man OF wide sweep
might properly employ. But he COM
bined with this perfectly legitimate
work, most sordid methods Of secur-
ing confidential information.
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Boys Life Saved From Membranous
Group.
C. w. Lynch, a prominent citizen oil
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