Monopoly Control Quotes
The only previous source of light in America had been whale oil or candles—both very expensive. Oil was discovered in Pennsylvania and refinery techniques developed to produce Kerosene. (Gasoline was too explosive and dangerous for home use.) Everyone’s standard of living depended on Kerosene at the time and John D. Rockefeller controlled the price everywhere except New York. There were no monopoly or antitrust laws when he gobbled up his competitors and he rapidly became the richest man in America and one of the most hated. His abuse of the system at the time led to the government regulation of monopolies and the antitrust laws. It was very courageous for the Atlantic Monthly to publish this article, as Rockefeller’s power extended all over the nation—but less in New York where the magazine was published.
At the time France and Germany controlled different parts of the Ruhr Valley. Each believed that they should control it all and the other had no right to control any of it. This never did get settled and was one of the justifications Germany gave in WWII for invading the area. Haskins was one of only three assistants who were part of Woodrow Wilson’s team that negotiated the Treaty of Versailles ending WWI.
The reference to “Chavern” is David Chavern, president and CEO of the News Media Alliance, a trade association representing 2,000 North American newspapers. Thompson is commenting on Chavern’s WSJ article “How Antitrust Undermines Press Freedom” (July 9, 2017). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-antitrust-undermines-press-freedom-1499638532]
In WWII 15 years later, the Japanese seized most of the natural rubber plantations, and the U. S. would have been in great trouble had not American industry expanded the technology developed by the Germans and the Russians in making synthetic rubber in 1931. Whitford’s warning had not been heeded and rubber was rationed throughout the Second World War.
