The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-31
ARRAIGNS CRITICS
OF ROCKEFELLER
Rev. DR.. Macarthur Declares Oil
/, King Worthy of Highest
Eff. Confidence.

New York, May 31-Ihe recent cr.t1-
cisms Of John D. Rockefeller growing
out of his gift Of 100000 to the Ameri-
clared in an article by Rev. DR.: Robert
Stuart Macarthur, pastor of the Cal
vary Baptist church of this city, to be
coarse, cruel and perhaps criminal, ana
to have maligned the entire Baptist de-
nomination.
He "protests against the condemna-
tion of our churches by those coWardly
and unjust attacks,' declares that mo
one knows better than Mr.. Rockefeller
that he cannot buy the approval OF
Baptists by his millions; that Baptists
would advocate his expulsion from the
church if it were proved that he had
acquired his money dishonesty or by
means morally or socially destructive.
tain business transactions which nave
been fiercely denounced by Mr.. Rookie
feller's critics and has found them in
accordance with the highest standards
of commercial morality. Mr. Rookie
Teller, he asserts, is worthy OF conf
dence, admiration and affection, and he
appeals for fairness of Judgment Tor
him.
published tomorrow in the Baptist Elk.
aminer, is entitled "The Baptist Broth
erhood Defended,' and is in part as
follows:
Declares Rockefeller Worthy.
I affirm that the censure inflicted upon
the denomination and upon Mr.. Rookie
Teller as a prominent member of a Bap-
list church are unjust. I have known Mr.
Rockefeller for many years and my init
mate personal acquaintance with him has
convinced me that he Is worthy Of the
highest honor as man, and of the full
est confidence, esteem and affection as
Christian.
1 have taken pains to make careful in
oury regarding certain business trans
actions which have been the subject OF
fierce denuncation on the part Of some or
Mr.. Rockefeller's critics; and I do not
hesitate to declare, on the basis OF such
knowledge, that the transactions when
fully understood and fairly judged, are In
accordance with the highest standards Of
commercial morality. My examination
has shown me that many charges are
based on half truths, and that when the
full truth was ascertained, these very
transactions rebound to Mr. Roclsefeller's
honor as leader in business ana as a
professor of the Christian faith.
In so enormous a business as that OF
the Standard Oil company, 1t Is inevitable
that agents of the company perform acts
without Mr. Rockefellers knowledge and
without his approval.
A high officer of the Standard Oil com
pany, intimately acquainted for nearly q
generation with Mr.. Rockefeller's daily
influence in it's counsels, informed me re-
Gently that Mr.. Rockefeller had always
been quick to deplore and to correct In
stincts of unjust and injurious over-zeal
Assassination of Character.
Rev. RI. Macarthur declares that the
critics of Mr. Rockefeller appeal to thu
passions of the minimizing multitude
and that this is assassination of charac
ter. He "repels Indignantly thu
charge that the Baptist denomination
has Solicited money from man whose
wealth has been dishonesty acquired
points out that DR.. William j. Tucker
president of Dartmouth college, shoult
not be branded as criminal because
Dartmouth college owned stock in thu
Northern Securities, which company thu
courts found to be criminal cOnspir
acy; says that the supposition that MI
Rockefeller is worth 81 900, 100000 i
grossly false and that in the last tw
or three years his benevolent gifts wer
at least twice as much as the increas
in, his estate; asserts that he has mad
gift of high value to humanity il
revolutionizing business methods, an
affirms that while some men have bee
crowded to the wall in the movement
Of the Standard Oil company, ever
competitor was urged to join it on fai
and equal terms.