The San Francisco call., 1908-09-25
'ROCKffnlER'S PEN
DEFENDS OCTOPUS
Appears as Author iOr First
Time in Effort TO justify the
Standard Oil Company
Declares in Favor of FederaI or
State Regulation OF Cor.
poratiOns

NEW YORK. Sept 24-John D.
Rockefeller appears for the first time
in the role OF an author in series OF
articles on Some Random Reminis-
cences Of Men and Events" the first
of which will appear Friday in the
October issue Of The Worlds Work.
Rockefeller gives as a reason for
speaking now, that
II a tenth of the things that have
been said are true. then dozens OF able
and faithful men who have been as
ISOLATED with me. many or whom nave
passed away. must nave oesn SuiltE
of grave faults For myself. had
decided 10 say nothing. hoping that
after my death the truth would grad
uaIly come to the surface and postertty
live and can testify 10 certain things
IL seems fair that i should refer--Io
some points which 1 hope wil heip 70
set forth several much discussed hap
penings in a new light am con
vinced that they have not been fuiiy
understood. -
mepkwho became my partners IN the
oil business to join with NE. l would
mot have been so shOFtsighted- II H.
We're true that / followed such tactics.
/ ask. would il have been possible 10.
make of such men lifelong companions.
Rockefellerf speaks of the develop
ment of the Standard oil company and
says that the plan OF selling direct
to the consumer and the exceptionally
rapid growth OF the business bred
certain antagonism which I suppose
could not have been avoided.
On the direct selling TO the consumer
he says:
ANIMATED BY FAIRNESS
This was done in a fair spirit and
with due consideration for every ones
rights We did not ruthlessly go arIer
the trade Of our competitors and aim
to ruin it by cutting prices or instI-
tuting spy system.
II any of the employees OF the COM
pany were overzealous in going after
sales. he says that they acted in vio-
lation OF the expressed and known
wishes OF the company.
Rockefeller also says that in the
early days the oil industry was
taking not altogether unlike the
speculative mining undertakings. we
hear so much OF today.
Further on he says
Another thing to be remembered
about the so called octopus is that
there has been no water introduced
into the capital (perhapS we felt that
oil and water would not have mixed)-
nor in all these years has any one had
te wait for. money which the Standard
people say that this company has
crushed out its competitors Only the
uninformed could make such an aSser-
tton- 1t has and always has had an4<
always will have hundreds OF active
competitors. The Standard has not
now and never did have a royal road
TO supremacy. nor is its success due TO
any one man. but TO the multitude or
able men who are working together
In discussing The Modern Corpora
ton Rockefeller says;
SUSPICION OF CORPORATIONS
Beyond question there is a suspicion
OF corporations. There may be reason
corporation may be moral or immoral
just as a man may be moral or the
reverse: but IL is folly to condemn all
corporations because some are bad, or
because some are bad. But the cor
poration in form and character has
come to stay-that is a thing that may
be depended upon.
1t is too late TO argue about the adj
vantages OF industrial combinations
They are a necessity. And IL Amer
leans are to have the privilege of ex-
tending their business in all the states
of the union and into foreign countries
as we'll. they are a necessity on a large
than one corporation
Rockefeller recalls what he said at
an official hearing. that III i were 10
suggest any legislation regarding In
dustrial combinations. IL would be. first.
federal legislation under which cor
porations may be created and regu-
lated. if that be possible. Second in
lieu thereof. state legislation as nearly
uniform as possible. encouraging COM
binations OF persons and capital for
the purpose OF carrying on industries.
but sufficient to prevent frauds upon
the public"