Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-15

Victory for John D. Rockefeller. jr.,
In his fight to GUST Col. Robert w:
Stewart from the Standard OH co. OF
Indiana Is applauded by the press as
an advance for big business. In tnls
aftermath of the oil scandals the cor
porate life of America Is declared 10
gain in public esteem because an issue
between ethics and profits was decloeo
in favor of the former.
1.-THE corporation was making ire
mendous profits under Stewards direc-
ton" says the Buffalo Evening News.
Rockefeller might have sat back and
taken his dividends without question.
He elected rather TO fight for the re-
moval of Stewart on ethical grounds.
He fought for the integrity of American
business methods He has won VIC
tory for honesty and fair dealing In
business" The Pittsburgh Post-Ga-
zette gives assurance that Rockefeller
had public sentiment with him from the
first on account of the high ground he
took for business" and that Ibis over
whelming victory on the issue cannot
fail of having salutary effect upon the
business practice of the country"
Large stockholders, with important
interests to guard and cultivated
sense of all elements that enter into
present-day prosperity" according to
the Chicago Daily News. took very
different view from that of thousands
Of small investors. They were aware that
it is the duty of corporate business to
avoid evil or the appearance of evil, to
live up to decent moral standards and
to demonstrate that great enterprises
can be as clean and ethical as small
enterprises or as any liberal profession
Consequently, they felt constrained to
vote with the Rockefellers for the GUST
ing of Col. Stewart In so doing they
furnished significant proof of the abil-
ity and the willingness of men of wealth
and position to reform business abuses
from within. without legislation or other
external pressure The lesson of the
historic contest will not be lost upon the
business world. It is wholesome and
permanently useful lesson"
4 x X
"The younger John D. made thor
ough Job of it," declares the Charleston
Evening Post, ''once he had buckled
down to the business of putting out the
bold executive who had been caught in
the backwash of the great oil scandal,
and he did service to big business
thereby in making obeisance to the
moral code. Rockefeller made
good his promise to the Senate commit
tee that he would do what he could to
evidence condemnation of the Stewart
methods. He has done we'll"
The Salt Lake Deseret News finds
that the Rockefeller name is still one
70 conjure with; that lin power and
prestige in Standard Oil 1t remains i'm
pregnable. The surprising thing about
the recent contest" continues that M
per. sis that Col. Stewart should have
had the temerity to enter it. His sa-
gacity was wide of the mark in permit
ting him to think he had any chance
of success"
Rockefeller gets his man" remarks
the Milwaukee Journal. Thereby lie
reads us lesson in how ineffective We
have been with other men who actually
were involved in the illegal leasing or
the naval oil reserves. If Stewart paws
the price of his indiscretions to the
business world. what can America say
about its own record of dealing with
Fall and Sinclair and Doheny? III bilsi-
ness is to get a rebirth out of this, then
isn't America to get rebirth, too. that
will raise lis TO plane where billion
dollar betrayal of the Nation viii mean
to us?"
The Greensboro Daily Record feels
that great credit Is due Rockefeller be- |
cause of his devotion to principle, not
he was fighting against |
"a man whom he had known for years |
end who. up to the time OF his connec- |
ton with the oil reserves steal, was con- |
sidered one of the ablest OF the men
brought TO the front by Rockefeller, M.'