Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-11-04
.ROCKEFEL-LER'S
"reminiscences.

Multimillionaire Tells Of Notable
Events n His Career.
DEFENDS THE STANDARD OIL.
Corporations Here to Stay, Says Oil
King, and Should Be Created and
Regulated Under Federal Laws-Pre-
diets Great Future For Rising Gem
Grafton. 50
John ID. Rockefeller appears for the
first time as writer in a series of ar.
ticles on ssSome Random "reminiscences
Of Men and Events the first Of which
recently appeared in the October issue
Of the Worlds Work. Il
|. Mr. Rockefeller says at the outset
that on rainy morning. when golf Is
wanting, II am tempted to become q
garrulous old man and tell some sto.
ries Of men and things which have
| happened in an active life" He refers
to the extent to which he has been
associated with interesting people, es-
pecially in the business world, and con-
tinues: .s3
| eff one talks about ones experience,
there is natural temptation to charge
one with travelling the easy road to
egotism; if one keeps silent, the infer
ence Of wrongdoing is sometimes even
more difficult to meet, as it would then
be said that there is no valid defense
to be offered.
cit has not been my custom to press
my affairs forward into public gaze,
/ but I have come to see that If my fam
/ lily and friends want some record Of
i things which might shed light on mat
i tiers that have been somewhat dis
cussed it is right that should yield to
their advice and in this informal way
go over again some of the events
which have made life interesting to
me. ,..
'sIf tenth Of the things that have
been said are true, then dozens Of able
4 and Faithful men who have been aso-
ciated with me, many Of whom have
passed away, must have been guilty OF
grave faults. For myself i had de
cided to say nothing, hoping that after
my death the truth would gradually
come to the surface and posterity
would do strict Justice, but while live
and can testify to certain things It
, seems fair that should refer to some
points which / hope will help. to set
forth several much discussed happen
ings in new light. I am convinced
that they have not been fully under.
: stood.
!. cit has been said that forced the
i men who became my partners in the
!. oil business to join with me. I would
not have been so shortsfghted. If II
were true that I followed such tactics
I ask would it have been possible tt
make Of such men lifelong compan
ions? For fourteen years have beer
out Of business and in eight or ter
years have only once gone to the com
pany's Office. = So IN, Il
Mr.. Rockefeller speaks Of the devel
, opment Of the Standard On company
and says that the plan Of selling direc
/, to the consumer and the exceptionally
! rapid growth of the business "bred {
certain antag onism which, / suppose
could not have been avoided" OF til,
!, direct selling to the consumer he says
This was done In fair spirit AMI
/, with due consideration for. every one'
; rights. We did not ruthlessly go afte
| the trade of our competitors and at
tempt to ruin 1t by cutting prices o
! instituting a spy system. IL any Of tn
! employees of the company were over
! jealous In going after sales they actet
Id violation OF the expressed an,
i known wishes OF the company. ~ =.
Mr.. Rockefeller says that IN the earl,
0 days the oil industry was considered |
most hazardous Undertaking, not alto
{ gether unlike speculative mining IN
& dertakings. 'tNone Of u.s.. he says
= lever dreamed or the magnitude o
what proved to be the later expan
Z sfon Further on he says: ,s.t.E. ,.ats
1 2 Another thing to be remembers
about the SO called .octopsB Is tina
3 there has been no water introduce
into the capital (peEhaps we felt tha
on and water would not have mixed
nor In all these years has any one ha
TO wait for money which the Standar
Z owed. It is a common thing TO hea
!; people say that this company Iia
4 crushed out its comps titors. Only I'll
uniformed could make such an asset
j. ton It has and always has had an
always will have hundreds OF activ
competitors. The Standard has ~
!, now and meyer did have & royal roa
: tb supremacy, nor II It's success due I
=. II any one man, but to the multitude q
s. able men who are working together"
k On the subject Of the modera corp,
it ration the article says:
4 beyond question there Is q susp
! cion Of corporations. There may /
Z reason for such suspicion very oftel
+ for corporation may be moral or IN
= moral, just as q man may be moral /
t. I the reyprsn h1St liz IN f,lly n, sronS3an1