The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-10-01
ROCKEFELLER IN
DEFENSE OF OIL
Writes "reminiscences in Which
He Defends the Upright
Corporations.

New York, Sept. s8.-John D. Rockefeller
appears for the hrst time In the role of an
author, iii q series OF articles on Some
Random "Reminiscences OF Men n
Events, the first cf which appears to-
day in an October magazine. The articles
are accompanied by FAC smile reproduc-
lions of Mr.. Rockefeller's cramped but
careful handwriting.
Mr.. Rockefeller ays at the outset that
on a rainy morning when golf Is wanting,
II am tempted to become a g%arrulous
old man, and tell some stories OF men
and things which ave happened in an
active life.n He refers to the extent to
which he has been associated with inter-
esting people. especially IN the business
world. III one talks about ones expert
ences. he continues, there is a natural.
temptatlon to charge one with travelling
the easy road to egotism; X one keeps
silence. the inference OF wrongdotng Is
sometimes even moro difficult to meet, as
it would The be said that there 10 no
valid defense to be offered"
ut has not been my custom to press my
affairs rwa into public gaze; but !
have come to see that II my family and
friends want some record of things which
might shed light or matters that have
been somewhat discussed, 1t is right that
I should yield to their advice. and in this
informal way go over again some OF the
events which lave made life interesting
to me-"
Mr.. Rockefeller gives as another reason
for speaking now. that az q tenth of the
things that nave been snid are true, then
dozens of able and faithful! men who have
been associated with mo, many of whom
rave passed away, must have been guilty
OF grave faults. For myself, l had de-
cided to say nothing, hoping that after
my death the truth would gradually come
$o <l,1 e,,,.fn 10 a nd DnyfprftV WnIllGG Hn
strict Justice; but while / live and can
testify to certain things 1t seens fair that
I should refer to some points which / hope
will help to set forth several much dis
! cussed happenings in q new light. j am
convinced that they have not been fully
understood.
ut has been said that I forced the men
who became my partners In the oil bust
ness to join me. ] would not have been
so shortsighted. II 1T were true that I
followed such tactics / ask would 1t have
been possible to make OF such men life
long companions? For IA years | have
been out of business. and in eight or 10
years have only once gone to the COM
pany's Office"
Mr.. Rockefeller speaks OF the develop
| ment OF the %tandard Oil company and
says that the plan of selling direct to the
consumer and the exceptionally rapid
] growth OF the business bred q certain
i antagoniSm, which l suppose could NOT
have been avoided"
Corporations Not Bad.
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 nave mixed}; nor In all these years
has any one had to wait for money which
the Standard wed.
at is a olnmon thing to hear people
say that this company has crushed out its
competitors. Only the uniformed could
/ make such an assertion"
In discussing the modern corporation"
, Mr.. Rockefeller says:
Beyond question there is a suspicion OF
corporations. There may be reason for
such suspicion very often: for a corpora
tion may be moral or immoral. Just as a
man may be moral or the reverse; but It
is folly to condemn all corporations be-
cause some are bad. But the corporation
in form and character has come to stay
! that is a thing that may be depended
upon.
ut is too late to argue about advant
| ages of industrial combinations They are
a necessity. And If Americans are to have
the privilege OF extending their business
in all the states of the union and into for
eign countries as we'll they are a neces-
sity on a large scale, and require the
agency of more than one corporation