The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-07-16

you kept the standing of the cor
poratlon in the dark so that Mr..
Iorr1gan should not know the rcal
value of the shares. What is
more, You told him that they are
not worth any more than-l25. and
that the company had no surplus,
Alter you forced Corrigan to ac-
cept your offer it was discovered
that the surplus of the Standard
oil company, at that time, was
SD, SAC, 81, and that the shares
were worth perhaps twice the price
you paid for them. Mr.. Corrigan
was forced to sell it because the
shares were with you and because
he needed the money. Here is a
case where you have forced a man
to give you large bills for small
pl'ls and yet you were not '.pinch-
ed" Somehow you have a way Of
escaping punishment. That is
why you are superior to any ordi
nary criminal and this is why we
asksyou for advice.
Another scheme I have in mind
would certainly result in magnif
cent dividens for the s.Standard
Holdup Company This was the
plan; You know that Connections
mas many farmers who bring in
their products to Bridgeport. l
was going to place men with rifles
near that city, with instructions
that they shoot the horses. This
would be Il terrific blow at trans
portatlon and the farmer would
not be able to deliver the goods.
The result would be that proyis.
ions would rot and farmers would
become completely demoralized.
lhen we would come and offer to
ouy the farms; and we would not
remove our men from the road I'M
I'll we bought them at our own
price. Understand? But again
the old question What about
the police?
Now you have been doing the
very same thing with impunity.
lhls is why | respect you SO much.
In the history of the Standard Oil
Company, written by Miss Tarbeu,
we read that you conspired with
the railroads aud have arranged
that they refuse to carry oil re-
lined by anybody else but YOU.
Ih1s demoralized the Oil industry
and owners were forced to sell
their works to you at Your own
figure. A pathetic case is that of
Mrs. b OF Cleveland. She was
a widow, and the fabrication Oil
works was the only thing left her
husband on which she was to live
and bring up her children. The
works brought in between thirty
and forty thousand dollars a wear
and were valued at 5000, 900. But
you forced her to sell it, and she
gave 1t to you for $4,000 She
went to court about it. So did
good many. The state of Kansas
was in arms against you. The
country was scandalized at YOUR
methods elf you refuse to sell
you will be crushed'' is what Won
said to those who held on. And
they were crushed. Many were
ruined, many We're completely
wiped out, many committed sui
clde, but you were the master of
the situation. And-here is the
wcnder-Iou are not in prision!
Here is story of fellow who
wanted to emulate You and failed.
1t is ruet story that happened
during the San Francisco earth
quake, and you may have read in
the papers. The whole world
knows it. When the city was
shattered and the people were
shaken with grief and disaster,
there was one clever baker. who
did not lose his head, and who
kept a commercial eye on the stu
alton. Many bakeries were de-
stroyed, and he knew that bread
would be in great demand,
Dread, mind you, like kerosene.
IS something that the people must
haVe.) So he baked large sun
ply, and the next morning he was
on the market selling his bread at
a dollar loaf. This was clever
commercial move and he would
have Jared well. But a soldier
shot him! The ambitious baker
fell dead, the soldier was applaud
ed and the bread was confscated
Now you are doing the same
thing that the baker wanted to do
and yet you are not shot. Ry
comparison, the bakers method
seems merciful and insignificant.
While people can find many sub.
O. ~ foe -. L