Life, 1905-06-22 · page 7 of 26
Life — June 22, 1905 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon depicts a conversation in what appears to be a newspaper editor's office (the "sanctum"). An elderly man in formal dress—likely representing a newspaper publisher or editor—sits at his desk speaking with a visitor about Standard Oil and John D. Rockefeller. The dialogue reveals satirical commentary on Rockefeller's business practices: he allegedly offered bribes to "certain finicky folks" to suppress criticism, but they "kicked" at taking it because "it was tainted." The visitor boasts of using "secret rebates" instead—a reference to Standard Oil's notorious practice of undercutting competitors through hidden railroad discounts. The cartoon mocks both corporate corruption and the apparent moral gymnastics used to justify unethical business tactics during the Gilded Age.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ss OOD MORNING, Lire. come in?” “Why, how are you, Mr. feller? May I Rocke- Glad to sce you. This ts an unexpected pleasure. “Well, the alone?" fact is, I've—are we You can speak freely.”” , Lirr, I've been misrepre- sented.” “Indeed! In what wa “In every way, You see, I was get- ting so many hard knocks, and from clergymen, too, who ought to have kept their hands off, that it burt me, and I got Dodd to answer them.” Sanctum Talks. **And Dodd?" * Dodd only made things worse. His explanations didn’t explain.”” ‘Let's see, Mr, Rockefeller. You're president of the Standard Oil?" “Yes.” ‘*And you made about four hundred or five hundred millions out of it?" eu" “And when you offered a small slice of this to certain finicky folks, they kicked about taking it, because it “But they took i “They did.” “What would you sug “Twant to explain to you just how it was,"" Good, That's w know for a long time. “Well, you sce it was like this, I robbed the people ! “What 1" “That's right.” “I struck a big idea at the proper psychological moment and I oiled it up by secret rebates, Result—a cinch," “You admit it?” I've wanted to comicbooks.com