Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-08-16

few years, no one can doubt who has
ever read her magazine articles AMI
her History of the Standard Oil com,
pany" So, when she says i'll the New
I York World that ''the day of the
Standard Oil company and its old form
| is over; 1t must either conform now
TO justice and fair dealing or it viii
,, fall utterly; | don't mean that its day is
over this year, or will be over next
year, but it is as surely ended as right
! is right" she has the ear OF the entire
| American people.
Miss Tarbell calls attention to thu
| fact that it is thirty-five years ago thai
the United States government fir 81
| had to investigate the Standard Oh
company for its illegal contracts with
railroads. This is only the last offence
| we know of in thirty-iive years. There
are plenty of others as richly deserving
| of punishment which have not been
| brought to the attention of the court.
Miss Tarbel says: The difficulty of
the men with the Standard Oil com
pany seems to be that they have no
sense that the public has any part III
the conduct Of corporations. They ut
terly lack the collective sense. 1t is
| individualism gone mad-reducCd to n
absurdity.
THE point is that the public for
thirty-five years has been trying t.
make the Standard Oil company play
fair. 1t has given the trust repeated
| warnings i'll the way of public upris.
ings, the passage of laws and adverse
decisions. But every time the trust
has snapped its fingers and gone on
in the same old way.
1T is a sort of insOlence which g
people would be very supinC to tOley-
ate indefinitely 1t is being demOnstra'-
ed clearly that the American people
do not propose TO endure it any long
| er. The Standard Oil men are not
only insolent, but they are stupid As
well. and show that they entirely mis-
understand the power of public opll
ion and the genuineness of the put-
| lies sense of fair play.
They have had every chance to re
adjust their business and conduct 1t
as gentlemen should, and all they haF2
ever done, after a public exposition, -
to readiust it so they could carry on
their same Old practices in a new way
| Mr.. Rockefeller never has taken
any public verdict against himself very
seriously. His comment on Judge
Lands decision-that the judge would
he dead a good many years before the
| fine was paid-is characteristic OF MN
He always shows the same confidence
| that he will be able to prove himself
stronger than the government.
81 hope the fine will be collected,
| but think. with Mr.. Rockefeller. that
it will be some time before it Will be
paid If it is collected, the public Will
pay 1.-THE public always pays under
present conditions.
at is not that | do not believe that
we are eventually going to bring thl
Standard Oil company down to doing
| a strictly legal business. | believe W.
are, but it is going to take good
many years yet of hard fighting.
These men have thought they
would be justified by their success, bu,
the whole history of the world Is
against the continuance of success
built on injustice. The fruit OF inJus
tice is never permanent. The Stand
ard Oil company will be, believe, oa3
| of the most remarkable illustrations oi
the truth of this adage."