The San Francisco call., 1904-12-25

virile human document as we'll as
history.
The story of Standard Oil is the story
Of one mans work. that man John D.
Rockefeller. For his perseverance, his
tireiess energy. his phenomenal skill
as tactician in finance and his in
domitable purpose. which knows no let
or hindrance from moral or ethical con-
siderations. Miss Tarbell finds no more
perfect a counterpart in the worlds
history than Napoleon 1: the efficacy of
the elaborate machinery of hi.s oil trust
she believes best comparable TO the or
ganization of the Roman Catholic
church Here is the writer's antithetic
characterization Of the most wealthy
man in America:
Mr. Rockefeller was good There
was no more faithful Baptist in Cleve-
land than he. Every enterprise of that
church he had supported literally from
his youth. He gave to its poor. He
visited its sick. He wept with its suf-
fering. Moreover, he gave unosteata-
tiOusly TO many outside charities of
whose Worthiness he was satisfied. He
was simple and frugal in his habits.
He never went to the theater, never
drank wine. He gave much time to
the training OF his children, seeking 20
develop in them his own habits of
economy and of charity. Yet he was
willing TO strain every nerve to OBJ
tain for himself special and unjust
privileges from the railroads which
were bound to ruin every man in the
ell business not sharing them with him.
He was willing to array himself
against the combined better sentiment
Of a whole industry, to oppose a popu-
lar movement aimed at righting an in
justice so revolving TO ones sense of
fair play as that Of railroad discrimi-
nations. Religious emotion and senti-
ments Of charity, propriety and self
denial seem 10 have taken the place in
him Of notions of justice and regard for
the rights Of others"
This was the president of the Stand
ard Oil Company, who, in 1872. having
absorbed all OF the important rival re-
fining establishments in Cleveland, be-
came a party 10 and afterward lead
ing spirit in the South Improvement
Company, the parent of the Standard
Oil Trust and the initial effort at COM
bination to the restraint of trade in
cur industrial history. Miss TarbelTs
analysis of the organization and aims
OF this pooling Of railroad and oil-re-
fning interests and the ultimate effects
OF its secret operation gives an ade-
quate idea Of the trust idea in its very
inception. With the Erie, the Lake
Shore and New York Central and the
10
was made. by virtue of which the
South Improvement Company, as al
legged representative of the majority
OF the country's refining interests, was
10 receive discrimination in freight
rates over all independent refineries.
Not only were the improvement COM
panys constituent manufacturers to
receive secret rebate on shipments ac-
cording TO the railroads freight sched-
uIe, but for every barrel of oil carried
for outside refiners a drawback equal
TO the rebate was to be paid into the
hands of the South Improvement Com
pany The railroads further pledged
themselves to keep the party of the
first part well informed as to the ship
pings made by Independents by pro-
viding daily full way-bills of petroleum
shipped over their roads. Thus the
South Improvement Company not only
was permitted to ship at less cost than
its rivals. but to follow closely just
what business these rivals carried
Followed the oil war of 1872, which pre-
sented the solid front of the producers
everywhere opposed TO the machina-
tions of this combination. The produ-
GERS, through threatened boycotting Of
the railroads, caused these corporations