large number of exceedingly able men. "They are mighty smart
men," said the despairing W. H. Vanderbilt, in 1879, when pressed
to give his reasons for granting rebates to the Rockefeller
group. "I guess if you ever had to deal with them you would find
that out." In Rockefeller the corporation possessed a man of
tireless industry and unshakable determination. Nothing could
turn him aside from the work to which he had put his hand. Public
criticism and even denunciation, while he resented it as unjust
and regarded it as the product of a general misunderstanding,
never caused the leader of Standard Oil even momentarily to
flinch. He was a man of one idea, and he worked at it day and
night, taking no rest or recreation, skillfully turning to his
purpose every little advantage that came his way. His
associates--men like Flagler, Archbold, and Rogers--also had
unusual talents, and together they built up the splendid
organization that still exists. They exacted from their
subordinates the last ounce of attention and energy and they
rewarded generously everybody who served them well. They showed
great judgment in establishing refineries at the most strategic
points and in giving up localities, such as Boston and Portland,
which were too far removed from their supplies. They established
a marketing system which enabled them to bring their oil directly
from their own refineries to the retailer, all in their own tank
cars and tank wagons. They extended their markets in foreign
countries, so that now the Standard sells the larger part of its
products outside the United States. They established chemical
research laboratories which devised new and inexpensive methods
for refining the product and developed invaluable byproducts,
such as paraffin, naphtha, vaseline, and lubricating oils. It is
impossible to study the career of the Standard Oil Company