The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-23
The Coal Of. .Rockefel-
ler'S Ambition.

49,: ~ q "a
BY L. Dc Norvins.
Not very long ago, in one Of the great !
salons ct New York, where diplomats
from al countries are frequent visitors,
the problem Of finding future hus-
oand tor a little Yankee girl, the grand
qaugnte: Of. the. American millionaire,
cussed, and the choice is said to have
1al!en upon a, son of the Kaiser. This
union Is said to be the goal of john
d. Rockefeller's ambition.
AND Why not?
Is it not a fact that the Hohenzol-
Terms nave not money enough, while the
Rockefel fers have too much, and would
not this union be profitable to all coll
cerned?
10 the American mind there is moth
Ing strange in this bartering away OF
helresses, settling their fate even before
they have reached their teens. 1t is
adm1tted that marriage may take
1914 or 1916, between the young Mar
qu's OF Stafford, a \oy of ten, and little
Miss Margaret Carnegie, a young lady
or elght years, If considered settled.
The little: Marquis IS the heir presump-
tive to the Ducal Coronet Of Suther-
,
probably two hundred millions of dol
lars. Could any union be more suit
able?
In the same way it is said that future
marriages have been arranged for Miss
Gladys Vanderbilt, who is to have the
young Duke of Leicester, little Miss
Alice Chauncey is to marry the Count
| OF Caledonia, and little Marguerite
Drexel, daughter of a former partner
| Of J. Pierpont Morgan, is in time to be
Lady Torrington.
Why then should not the grand
daughter of the real ruler of the United
States marry a son of the ruler of Ger
| many?
| Does not Rockefeller even now con-
! troll me- ny institutions in the United
| States which on this side are owned by
| the government?
| The growing fortune of this insati-
| able mCneymaker constitutes in itself
the strongest condemnation of our pres
ent social conditions, and one asks
one's-sef what is then this all power
| ful man, this semi-god, who through
his numerous trusts already dictates
! the laws of the United States as he
| wants 0 dictate the laws of the whole
| world. and who has the power to make
the millions Of people prosperous or
| miserable?
Is h" a benefactor of the poor, is he
is he generous Maecenas to art?
! Ever one who knows him will an
| sWer va 4 that he Is nothing Of the kind;
| that 10 nm D.. Rockefeller takes q spec
i ial pleasure in defying public opinion;
that his fortune has been built from
NOTHING, and that, aided by luck, he has
| always spread misery and continues
to create misery among those around
him. From the very day when he
| stumbled over his first oil we'll he has
been 1Nsy running and deprivinS his
fellow hen of their: property, and to
carry ut his plans he has used means
which under ordinary circumstances
and in any we'll regulated society would
| have landed him in the penitentiary for
a considerable number Of years. Hav-
ing gobbled the entire supply Of oil in
! the United States Rockefeller con-
ceived the gigantic scheme of making
his fellowmen pay exorbitant prices
for oil and other necessaries Of life,
land at the same time reducing the
wages paid the workers for theirsto toll 7*
%*' And this.sg great Il conc ueror, who has
proven himself to- he above the civil
| and criminal laws of the United States,
has never concealed his acts, but has
broken the laws openly and defantly.
He cares absolutely nothing for the
should the day come when he would
care to become popular he will un-
doubtedly buy popularity, as he bought
| everything else, without any expense to
himself. He will simply ruin a few
more thousand smaller fortunes and,
with the spoils, endow his country with
Rockefeller universities, Rockefeller
hospitals and Rockefeller libraries
and new public-spirited citizen
John D. Rockefeller.
In the meantime he continues to
"operate," he swallows up the fortunes
of his countrymen and, as his own for
tune grows, the number of those who
portion His "subjects'' are found
among ~ classes, consumers, produce
ers, sm' manufacturers and bankers,
small eculators and, most numerous
| Of all, 4 vast army of salaried en-
poyes. He fixes as autocratic dictator
! their wages as we'll as the cost of their
living. And this fragrant contradiction
necessaries of life and the decreasing
wages paid for labor Is without a
doubt the most serious and dangerous
problem which faces the government OF
the United States today.
The trusts have centralized the con-
troll e all products and facilities in
| Ameri.a in the hands of a very small
group of capitalists, who are draining
the public of that great country of its
former wealth.
All necessaries Of life are from fifty
to sixty per cent higher in the United
States than they were ten years ago.
Meat which in 1895 cost only 10 cents
now costs Is cents, pork has risen from
10 cents to 18 cents and eggs from Is
to 80 cents a dozen.
But not satisfied. with the natural
growth Of their fortunes the American
trust kings have used all kinds of
tricks, which would at least have made
them impossible in good society in
Europe.
The famous steel trust, which start
ed on it's brilliant if meteoric career by
increasing the wages Of it's employees
made a cut of $4,000, 900 in these same
salaries and this is generally attributed
to the Influence of John D. Rockefeller
who is now in full control of this enor.
| nous undertaking.