The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-03-06
KNIGHTS Of OH.
POLISH LANCES
ON JOUST EVE:
John D.. Victory Claimed in
Thursday Showdown
With Stewart.
MORALITY VS.. PROFITS
Churches Back Sir Gala
had in Fight to Dust
Colonel.
MORALITY VS.. PROFITS
BIT EARL ]. JOHNSON

CHICAFO, March 6.-Plumed
knights OF big business polished
their arInor today for the proxy bat
tie at Whiting, Ind, Thursday
which will decide whether the
Rockefellers still weld enough power
TO control the billion dollar Standard
Oil Company of Indiana.
Supporters of John D. Rockefeller
Jr., were prepared to ride into the
fray carrying the banner of moral
ity in industry while the hackers of
Colonel Robert w. Stewart, whom
Rockefeller seeks to depose as a di-
rector in the company, unfurled a
flag bearing two words: Honest
profits"
Outcome Known Tonight
On the eve of the conflict which
will be decided by the $4,000 share
holders in the concern at their
Whiting meeting, the Rockefeller
groups claims of victory were much
louder than Stewards. Although ad-
mitting that Stewart may poll O.
larger number of individual stock
holders, Winthrop w. Aldrich, head
of the Rockefeller proxy committee,
insists that his side already had
pledged go per cent of the actual
shares which form the units of
voting strength.
1.-The fight is not over until the
ballots are counted" replied Albert
L. Hopkins, Stewards personal at
torney.
Final proof of which side controls
the greater strength may be OBJ
tanned tonight, however, after the
last of the proxies have been
checked with the company books.
Aldrich has promised to make
known tonight just how many prox-
les he brought out with him from
New York, providing the Stewart
forces will reveal their true strength
at the same time.
Churches Boost John d.
Rockefeller, who is inspecting the
tombs of ancient, but less prosperous
rulers in Egypt while the fight
reaches climax here, gained sup
port from the Federal Council Of
Churches for the "Sir Galahad" role
he has sought to play In ousting
Stewart.
The church council issued state
ment branding as false the report
that Rockefellers motive in fighting
Stewart lies in his desire to keep the
Standard Oil Company OF Indiana
from taking business away from
other Standard Oil companies IN
which he owns big blocks Of shares.
Stewart insists that his acquittal
of contempt of the senate charges,
after he had refused to answer GER
tain questions about his connection
with the mysterious Continental
Trading Company, clears his record.
Claim Victory by Million
Much of his support toward re-
tanning his dictatorship comes from
shareholders who are satisfied that
his administration is responsible In
the main for the enormous profits
the company has paid in the last
few years
Big eastern estates and the num-
erous charities and institutions to
which Rockefeller has donated In
diana stock, however, may prove
to be Stewards undoing. Aldrich
today reiterated his claim of victory
by a margin of 100000 shares. The
Chicago journal of Commerce esti-
mated that Rockefeller would poll
4.500,000 shares of stock in the
Whiting meeting against 3,250,000
for Stewart.
All Set for Showdown
Plans for the shareholders meet
ing were completed today, the last
telegraph wires installed to make
the affair more like q national po-
litical convention than a meeting
of investors.
The meeting will be called to or
der at noon by Colonel Stewart, as
chairman of the board, in the
Community Memorial building,
which was erected in Whiting in
1923 with funds donated by the
RockefelleRS
After rea,iing his annual report
Stewart viii yield the gavel to Presi-
dent e. C. Seubert who will conduct
the election of & new board of d1-
rectors.