Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-10-01
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN D.
Writes of Standard Oil In Chap.
ter 1.
II Ia Not Ruth1ess-Ncither Are Amer
leans Greedy-Head Of the Great
Company in Favor Of Federal
Incorporation.


John d. Rockefeller, in a happy and
optimistic vein. gives TO the public in
the first chapter OF his Random Rem
iniscenccs Of Men and Events" his de-
Tense OF the methods Of tho Standard
OIL company. his Views OF Industrial
combinations and corporation control.
an appreciation Of modern opportunity
and some OF the fulness OF his phi
losophy of life Doubleday, Page a
Co.. who are TO publish Mr.. Rookie
fel'er's autobiography exclusively in
America In Worlds Work, tho October
number of which contains Mr.. Rookie
feller's first article. announce that al
multaneousy II will be published in
prominent periodicals In nearly every |
Language. Paris lie Matin, the English |
Worlds Work and Zur Gluten Stunde |
are among the European publications
which have secured foreign rights.
Just how far any one Is justified in |
keeping what he regards as his own
private affairs from the public" says
Mr. Rockefeller in telling why he has
been induced to write his memoirs or
in defending himself from attack is
a mooted point. II one talks about
ones experiences there Is natural
temptation TO charge one with trav-
cling the easy road to egotism; II one
keeps silence, the Inference of wrong
doing is sometimes even more difficult !
to meet, AZ It would then be said that
there is no valid defense to be offered"
DEFENDS HIS OLD FRIENDS.
Besides leaving q record for his fam
lily and friends Mr.. Rockefeller says
there Is no reason; III n tenth OF the
| things that have been said are true,
then these dozens of able and faithful
| men who have been associated with
me. many Of whom have passed away,
| must have been guilty OF grave faults.
l am convinced that they have not been
| fully understood
| Mr.. Rockefeller devotcs about 700
words to the Standard OH company,
whose occasional" and "overzealous"
employees he makes its scapegoats. He
says
ut would be surprising II In an or
ganization which included n great num-
Der of men there should not be an oc-
casional employees here and there who
acted. In connection with the business
fairs. In way which might be criti-
| cised. To Judge the character of all
the members or the organization Itself
| by the actions OF a few individuals
would be manifestly unfair"
| OF the charge that he forced his COM
petitors to become his partners: III 1t
were true that followed such tactics. I
ask. would 1t have been possible to
|
Mr.. Rockefeller says he has often
wondered II the criticism which centred
upon us did not come from the tact that
we were among the f,rst. II not the first.
TO work out the problems Of direct SELL
ing to the users on broad SCALE"
SAYS HE DID NOT RUIN HIS RIVALS
Flat1y ne denies the oftrepeated
charges as to the methods OF develop
ing the Standards incompatible sys-
| tenn of distribution and tho elimination
| Of competition. He says:
This working out the problems OF
direct seling) was done In q fair spirit
and with due consideration for every
ones rights. We did not ruthlessly go
after the trade OF our competitors and
attempt to ruin It by cutting prices or
|instituting spy system" The problem.
Mr. Rockefeller explains. was TO get
the advantages OF the utmost markets
OF all lands-we needed volume"
at was never our purpose to interfere
with dealer who had adequately Guilt
waited his field Of operations, but when
we saw new opportunity or new
place for extending the sale by further
and effective facilities we made 1t our
business to provide them"
In developing so rapidly the Standa I'd
could not always recruit Its men for
higher positions from Its ranks. The
methods Tesorted to by some OF Its en-
ployces which have made Mr.. Rookie
fellers great Industrial machine the
most condemned II not the most hated
OF trusts he emphatcally repudiates.
I'm some cases our employees were
overzealous." he says. TN going after
the company But even these instances.
sales It would not be surprising to learn.
but they were acting In violation Of the
expressed and known wishes Of the COM
pany. But even these instances. am
convinced. occurred seldom. by COM
parison with the number OF transactions
we carried on. that they were really the
exceptions that proved the rule"
II am proud OF the record says Mr..
Rockefeller writing Of the fact that
the Standards foreign trade for many
years has brought weekly into this
country more than a million dollars
gold, all from the products produced
from American labor
TELLS OF EARLY STRUGGLES.
The early struggles OF the oil bust
ness, including the dMculties to pro-
cure capital for development Of an in
dustry then considered extra hazard
Gus. are told In the oil Kings simple,
lucid English. He writes Just as he
speaks. with excellent choice OF words.
and there Is none OF the verboseness
that Is a fault OF many photographers.
Besides tho working out OF Its devel-
, opment plans unchecked by panic. the
, splendid treatment OF the 6o,oO employ
ees and the absence of any important
strikes among them, Mr.. Rockefeller
calls attention to Its finsnciering
Another thing to be remembered
about this so-called octopus is that
there has been no water introduced