Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-01-14

L
- when he first en-
barked in the oil
business he was SO poor that he could
not get credit for a carload Of OIL
Morgan's every step Is known to
the world at large. To-day he is SCOUT
ing the country in his private car To-
morrow he is buying a painters mas
terpiece in Paris for 100000. Next
week he Is taking party Of clergymen
to California to an Episcopal conven-
ton. He gives great dinners to cap
tains Of industry and princes. He dons
knee breaches and calls on the King
Of England. He buys a palace in easy
reach of London to spend his last days
In. He promotes monster corporations
for a bankers commission. He 10 q
patron Of the opera. He breeds nns
dogs.
Rockefeller's doings are never heard
Of. When he gets to his office at 70
Broadway, New York. not even his
clerks are aware Of it. He employs
$4,000 men. and not more than 800 Of
them ever saw him. He gives away
$75O,OOO every year in charity, and en-
ploys clerk at $4,000 annually to
keep track Of his givings, except when
he hands over to President Harper q
million or two for the Chicago Uni
versity.
This shrinking. delicate man, this
Yelled Prophet of Bowling Green, con-
trolls Is per cent Of all the oil product
Of the land. He owns more stock In
Standard OIL constituent compa MES
than the Standard OIL Company itself,
and is the largest stakeholder In the
parent company. He controls vast
railroad systems, He owns every oil
car in the United States, 10000 miles
Of pipe line. 200 ocean and river steam.
ers and $4,000 delivery wagons.
Rockefeller's first money was earned
in a speculation in hoop poles. He had
saved a few dollars on the farm of his
father, and with them bought a raft Of
poles, which he doated to mill on tho
Ohio river and sold at a profit of $50.
John D. Rockefeller and his brother.
William. are members Of the Stock
Exchange, but neither Is to be seen ON
the floor. II the former should walk
upon the floor there would be a panic
among the brokers. They would con-
clude at once that he had bought out
the Exchange lock. stock and barrel.
and owned all the securities in the
~
the public. Some are hired to sell to-
day and others to buy tomorrow.
Secretaries and attorneys attend to
all Of Mr.. Rockefeller's business ex-
cept signing his name. He positively
refuses to let details annoy him, and
knows nothing Of them. He Ia as plain
" dressed as any man of small salary
in New York.
Rockefeller never drinks, and 1t 10
said there never was bottle of wine
on his table at home. While less fond
Of corned beef and cabbage than Nor
gan. his tastes In food are simple. His
favorite meat Is bacon. He likes cod
fish balls and tomato sauce. Once In q
while he yields to the cereals.
There IL not a court In the country
that has ever convicted Standard OIL
magnate, though all the crimes In the
calendar have been charged. Attor-
neys General and Solicitors General
have toiled like madmen to catch John
d. Rockefeller in the meshes Of legal
nets, but he always has escaped.
Mr. Rockefeller had a standing offer
Of $1.OOO.OOO year to a young man
who could satisfactorily manage the
affairs of the Standard OIL Company
and relieve him of the care of the busi.
ness. The young man never came.
You can hear anything about this
strange man-good, bad and indifer-
ent. He is the deepest, darkest Of mys-
teries. Intensely pious (he Is nick
named "Pious John" In the street,,
giving millions to churches-Lord
knows how many he owns on mort
gage!-he IL almost parsimonious as
home.
Whenever anything threatens the
eQuanimity Of "Pious John" he gives
million to a church, 100000 to hos-
pital. 100000 to President Harpers
toy college and goes early to Sunday
school. For breakfast he drinks hos
water. He does not smoke. His mem
tor Is his good wife. who used to be
school teacher in Cleveland.