The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-31

electric transportation systems, steam
ship lines, gas stocks, natural gas, coal
mines and real estate are pouring in a
volume of money that adds to the
Rockefeller task of keeping it en-
ployed.
1t is said Iohn D. Rockefeller never
has lost money in an investment. He
has had to make some queer deals in
order to carry out his plans at. times
and seemingly has made bad invest
ments, but they have been for pur-
pose. Almost as universal has been his
winning in actions at law, and they
have been many. No one ever is more
sure of his position than Rockefeller
when it comes to a fight in the courts
1t always has been my rule in bust.
ness to make everything count" sayst
Mr.. Rockefeller. never go into an
enterprise unless / feel it is coming
out right. A promising scheme may be
proposed to me. 1t doesn't altogether
satisfy me, and 1 reject it. My broth
er William probably would go into it
and make 100000 Another equally
promising scheme comes along. He
goes into that and loses $4,000. The
result is he has made no advancement
and has been losing time. Meanwhile,
In some sIrer enterprise have made
say $4,000. I believe the only way to
succeed is to keep getting along all the
time"
The Rockefeller income to-day repre-
sents one-fifth of per cent. of all the
wealth created in the United States
This means that 500 men with similar
incomes would absorb everything made
| in the country, taken from the mines
with pick and powder. drawn from the
farms with Dlow and pruning hook,
turned out by the factories with loom
or lathe. or made in any way whatso-
ever.
Of actual money in the United States
there is less than $4,000, 900 to-day.
| Figuring on the present rate of the
| Rockefeller income, if Mr.. Rockefeller
| simply sat back in his chair, or fol-
lowed white balls over golf links and
| permitted the money which comes to
him to accumulate, some forty-six years
would see every penny of this $3.0O0,-
| 000,0G0 credited to his bank accounts.
All he would put into circulation again
| by benefactionS to Chicago and other
/ universities, all he would spend in
keeping UP his establishments would
not be a drop in an ocean so far as
keeping the funds of Uncle Sam in cir
culation was concerned. Things would
go back to a state of barter where
| it was a hindquarter of. pork for a
|
the social system hung together so long
1 under the strain. And so it is that
| Mr.. Rockefeller personally and through
| his lieutenant must find investments
for the profits which pour in upon him.
He owns, it is said by persons who
should know, 10000 grocery stores in
the United States, He personally owns
80 per cent. of the stock of the Stand
ard OIL Company and practically all the
| cf0olr Of oil cub
panies. From the Standard Oil COM
pany of New Jersey the Rockefeller
| income is from $4,000, 900 to $29 ZOO, 900
| a year. OF this amount the personal
share of John D. is from $15,O00,000 to
5000, 900.
Rockefeller owns so much of the
| New York Central that he could take
absolute control and turn the Van
| derbilts out tomorrow if he so desired
He owns huge blocks of Pennsylvania,
Lake Shore, Chicago and Northwestern,
st. Paul, Union Pacific, Northern Pa
cific, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy,
| Wisconsin Central, Rock Island, Atch-
| ison, Topeka and San Fe, Missouri,
Kansas and Texas; in fact, of every
| railroad of any consequence in the
Limited States.
The Rockefeller income is so large
| that he could out of it buy control
| vi OtlS VI Tic SASdl OySlCiuo linz LIE
Union Pacific every year and never
touch a penny of his principal
Mr.. Rockefellers gifts to Chicago
University and to other institutions
are estimated in round numbers at $780,
100000, less than half of his income
for one year at it's present rate. The
greater number of the gifts other than
those to the Chicago University have
been made conditional upon the re-
cipient containing an equal amount
from other sources. OF his gifts to
relatives in Richford, N. Y, which place
Mr.. Rockefeller has thanked God he
left, only two or known. One was $50
to a member of the family who was
in straits and asked for help. The
| other was a suit of evening clothes
which Mr.. Rockefeller himself had
worn until they had lost all appear
ance of freshness.
Mr.. Reader, Mrs. Reader or Miss
Reader, what would you do if you
saw a golden river like Rockefeller's
pouring upon you, threatening to
sweep you away, to drown you? Sup
pose you could spend 100000 a year in
| living-and that would satisfy the de-
| mands of the major part of the per-
sons in the United States-what would
you do with the other $64,0000O0? Par
| ticularly what would you do if you
| confined yourself, as Mr. Rockefeller
does. to investments that give a sure
WN~M ~ WM "a m AMM