The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-01-20


invariably comes from honest Compe-
Htlon. But the railroad either alb
sorbed its rivals or pooled interests
with them. and thereafter there were
several masters instead II one
soon the railroads began 20 war
among themselves, and la q mad
scramble 10 secure business at any
price they cut each others rates and
uniawfully catered iato secret com
pacJs with certain big shippers. per
mituns the latter 10 ENJOY lower
freight rates than their competitors.
1he smaller shippers were soon crushed
out 81 existence la this way. COM
petition was throttled and prices went
up. making the rauroad barons richer
and The people poorer. That was The
beginning OF The giant trusts. the
greatest evil American civilization has
SET produced. ana ole which, unless
t"rched. viii Inevitably drag this
country into The throes OF civil strife
FROM out this Quagmire Of COrrup-
lion and rascality emerged tie Colus-
sus, man SO stupendOusly rich and
"ilh such unlimited powers for evil
mat the world has never looked ubon
his like, The famous Croesus. whose
fortune was estimated at only =. 90 900
IN our money was d pauper compared
with John Burkett Ryder. whose hold
inss no man could count, but which
were approximately estimated al a
thousand ml.uOns or dollars. The rail-
roads had created the trust. the ogre
OF corporate greed, OF which Ryder
was the Incarnation. and IA time tia
trust became master OF the railroads,
which after all seemed but retributivs
justice.
John Burkett RYDER. the richest
man IN the wOT!,i-the man whose
name had spread 70 the farthest cor
heis o. the earth because OF The
wealth, and whose money. instead OF
being a blessing. promised 10 become
Aoi only a curse TO himself but a
source Of dire peril 10 all mankind
was a genius born OF the railroad age.
40 other age could have brought him
forth, his peculiar talents ntted ex-
aelly the conditions OF his time At
tracted early Ia life TO the newly dis
covered Oh ields or Pennsylvania. he
became dealer IN the raw product
ard later refiner, acquiring with cap
ltal lAborously saved. FIRST one re-
hhury. then another. The railroads
We're eutung each others Jhroats 10
secure the freight business OF the oil
men, and John Burkett Ryder saw
his opportunity lie made secret over
lures 10 the road. guaranteeing a vast
amount OF business II ne could GET
exceptionally low rates. and The Illegal
compact was made. His competitors.
uhoeIaoid IN the market. stood no
chance, and one BY one they were
crushed out OF existence. Ryder called
these maneuvers business" the world
called them brigandige. But the Colos-
Sus prospered and slowly built up the
foundations OF the extraordinary for
tune which is the talk and the wonder
OF ths world To-day. Master nov OF
the oil situation. Ryder succeeded In
his ambition OF organizing the Empire
Trading Company, the most powerful.
the most secretiVe. and the most
wealthy business institution the com
mereial world has yet known.
fsI with all this success John Bur
keu Ryder was still not content He
was now rich man. richer By many
millions thai he had dreamed he could
ever be. but sim he was unsatisfied.
lie becs me money mad. He wanted To
be richer still. 10 be the richest man
In the world. the richest man the
world hao ever known. And the richer
ne got the stronger the idea grew upon
him with all the force OF a morbid OBJ
session. He thought OF money by day.
he dreamt OF IL al night. No matter
BY what questionable device Il was to
be procured. more gold and more must
How lnH0 hts aA~z.4g4
lers- 30 each day, instead OF spend
ing the rest OF his years In peace, In
The enjoyment Of the wealth he had
accumulated, he went downtown like
any twenty -dollar-a-Week clerk 10 the
tau building IN lower Broadway and.
cioseted with his associates, toiled ana
plotted 10 make more money.
lie acquired vast copper mines and
secured control OF this and that rail-
road He had invested heavily I'm the
Southern and TranscontinentaI road
and was chairman OF its board
OF directors. Then he ana his
spiratoFs planned a great
financial coup. The millions were not
coming IN fast enough They must
make a hundred millions at one stroke.
Ihey noated a great mining company
10 which the public was invited to
subscribe The scheme having the in
dorsement OF the Empire Trading
Company, no one suspected a snare.
and such was the magic OF John Ry-
der's name that gold flowed in from
every point OF the compass. The stock
sold away above par the day II was
issued. Men deemed themselves for
tunate II they We're even granted an
allotment. What matter il. few days
later, the house OF cards came tum-
bling down, and a dozen suicides were
strewn along Wall Street. that sinis-
ter thorOughfare which. as a wit has
said. has graveyard at one end and
the river at the OtheFi Had Ryder
any twirges OF conscience? Hardly.
Had he not made a cool twenty mill
ions by the deal?
Yet this commercial pirate, this Ma
poleon OF finance. was not a wholly
bad man. He had his redeeming quail
tiles. ike most bad men. His most
pronounced weakness. and the one
that had maze him the most con-
spicuous man OF his time was an en-
tire lack OF moral principle. No hon
cst or honorable man could have
such stupendOus wealth IN
other woros, John Ryder had not been
equipped by nature with a conscience.
lie had NO sense OF right. or wrong