Chapter 181 President's Friend
I believe that the discovery of this large oil field will allow the cooperation between United Oil and Standard Oil to go a step further. Driven by interests, everything will come naturally. With this foundation, everything will be much easier to discuss.
"As far as I can remember, Cuba has been in various newspapers for a long time. The fact that it has been so popular for such a long time shows that many people are indeed very concerned about Cuba." Sheffield said meaningfully, "The increase in tariffs has led to fierce competition among major companies. I believe many people are under pressure, right? If you have pressure, you need to vent it out."
When in doubt, fighting a war is the best way to release pressure. The domestic market is too competitive, and a controllable market is needed as a dumping ground. No matter how you look at it, it is more appropriate to be at home. Just like the United States attaches importance to America, the Republic attaches importance to Southeast Asia, and Russia attaches importance to Eastern Europe, this is an instinctive reaction.
"In fact, there are such remarks and ideas, but everything is still unknown." Rockefeller Jr. heard Sheffield's hidden meaning and sighed that the Democrats really have a hound's sense of smell for war. Any possible outbreak of war will not escape the eyes of these Dixies.
"That's right. We have to guide public opinion. Everything is still unknown. I still want to annex Canada, but it's just a thought." Sheffield laughed and paused before continuing, "But I personally think that we need to get the share that belongs to us Dixies."
"William, you are such a joker!" Rockefeller Jr. couldn't help but smile. That was a colony of the British Empire, not a place where the United States could move.
Sheffield lit up a cigar and started smoking. He was not joking at all. As a Dixie native, he naturally hoped that the war would be farther away from his hometown. It was a natural thought. He blew out a column of smoke and continued, "At present, I want to get some benefits. To be honest, I am ready to fight for my country. The initial idea is to use Coca-Cola as a special beverage for military soldiers. Because of the convenient geographical environment, the guns and ammunition used by the military will be produced by our family. This is also to save the country some money. In addition, I can help the federal government increase Dixie people's support for the war. That's all for now. If there are other conditions, I will think about it again."
If there are other conditions, I will think about it again? Rockefeller Jr. was so angry that he almost laughed, "Don't forget the last election, you led the public opinion to counterattack, which scared William McClay. How come these conditions of yours are like the Democratic Party is in power?"
"The Federation is supposed to serve big companies. Doesn't the United Company meet the standards of a big company? As for the Democratic and Republican parties, those are all internal conflicts within the United States. If we go to war with a foreign country, shouldn't we unite all the forces we can? Otherwise, don't touch the southern ports. We are busy enough." Sheffield leaned back in his chair in a comfortable position and said lazily, "Everyone knows that the Democratic Party is warlike, but sometimes we can't get the respect of the federal government, so we can be pacifists."
"You are targeting DuPont by producing military ammunition for them, right?" Rockefeller Jr. thought about Sheffield's request one by one. "This may make life even more difficult for DuPont."
"That's exaggerated. The strength of the DuPont consortium is stronger than most people think. It can even be said that it is more difficult to deal with than Carnegie. Together with another company, Laughlin Rand, if the three companies had relied on the military share, they would have starved to death long ago. The military relies most on Rand for ammunition, and Rand's business scope is narrow. Our consortium and the DuPont consortium are both comprehensive companies. The main competition is also in civilian explosives and chemical products." Sheffield commented, "The reason why the DuPont consortium is stronger than the consortium is that it is stronger than the consortium in chemistry. The competition between the two sides and Rand in civilian explosives is fierce, but Rand is the weakest."
"If we only supply military ammunition, we will all be left with nothing. The DuPont Consortium has a solid base in the mining industry, and it is not easy to compete with civilian explosives. The chemical industry is even stronger than the joint company. However, I have also received help from Bayer in Germany, and we are making up for the gap." Sheffield said, "So even though DuPont is bloated and everyone has their own ideas, it is actually much more solid than Carnegie. You are also a giant in the oil industry, and you should know clearly what the value of heavy assets such as mining and industry is."
"But land is also a valuable asset!" Rockefeller Jr. said with deep understanding as he looked at the oil wells still in operation outside, "Who knows what is buried under the land? Mines don't necessarily exist only when there are mountains."
"So the struggle between United Corporation and DuPont Consortium will not be decided in a short time. Seizing the supply of military ammunition is just a small part of it." Sheffield's face was full of helplessness. If he wanted to achieve his goal, he still had to move forward with a heavy burden.
As for why he talked about DuPont with Rockefeller Jr., Sheffield naturally had his own reasons. The northeastern states were crowded with giants. Although the population was far greater than that of the South, it was different from the Sheffield Union Company, which did not even look north. After the defeat, the Union Company kept a low profile for a long time, watching these giants compete while honestly farming.
The reason for all this was that ten years ago, Standard Oil and the DuPont Consortium had a feud. At that time, the DuPont Consortium was still under the leadership of Henry duPont, and the United Company was still farming and smuggling in Texas. The gun factories were all maintained by the Southern tradition of gun ownership. The DuPont Consortium became the dominant force in the gunpowder industry, which attracted the attention of the Rockefeller family, and the two families had an inevitable conflict of interest.
At that time, Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company controlled two-thirds of the nitric acid market and other important raw materials for explosives. Therefore, the Rockefeller family believed that they should naturally control the explosives market. They sent a delegation to DuPont's headquarters in Delaware. At the negotiation table, they asked DuPont to give up a considerable part of the explosives market to Mobil. DuPont flatly refused.
Rockefeller had the raw materials, and the DuPont Consortium also had its own raw material factories and mines to supply them, as well as many patents in the field of gunpowder. For this purpose, the DuPont Consortium also found external aid, the steel tycoon Carnegie. A major battle over the market, raw materials and patents was about to break out.
However, the emergence of antitrust laws prevented this battle, and Standard Oil encountered troubles from the antitrust laws. It was caught in a long lawsuit and settlement, and although the antitrust laws have not had a fatal effect until now, it also gave up the opportunity to teach the DuPont consortium a lesson.
"Ten years ago, if your father had ignored the antitrust law and insisted on defeating the DuPont consortium, what would the situation be like now?" Sheffield was very interested in this question and asked the young Rockefeller in front of him.
"It's easy for you to say that. We have Carnegie and other people watching. In the end, we gave up the market and raw material production areas and transferred them to the DuPont consortium. The reasons are complicated. Some people still don't want Standard Oil to control too many industries." Rockefeller Jr. hesitated to speak, obviously unwilling to say more on this issue.
Every family has its own problems. Although Standard Oil is successful in every way, it has not always been smooth sailing, whether it was the early years when it cheated thousands of oil mills or the series of decisions made later. There must have been countless enemies who fell, but there were also those who escaped by luck and survived with great strength, such as Carnegie in the early years and the DuPont Consortium in recent years.
"If United Oil takes on the DuPont consortium and Standard Oil takes on Carnegie Steel, maybe this problem can be solved." Sheffield made a half-seriously funny joke.
"Of course we can cooperate if there is a chance!" Rockefeller Jr.'s heart moved, and this idea went through his mind. However, for a company of their size, the enmity over money was not an unreconcilable grudge. If there was a chance to take advantage of someone's misfortune, he would definitely not miss the opportunity.
As the East Texas oil fields were evaluated, Rockefeller Jr. also began to get busy setting up a branch of Standard Oil in Texas. As common interests expanded, he was driven by common interests and contacted someone who could contact President William McKinley.
Senator Mark Hanna was responsible for raising campaign funds for William McClay during the general election between William McClay and William Bryan. He raised more than $3.5 million and printed more than 200 million campaign brochures, which are estimated to have not been used up yet and can be used in the next general election.
After William McClay became president, he directly appointed a senator as Secretary of State and made Mark Hanna a backup senator as a way of returning the favor.
William Maclay's selection received strong support from Standard Oil, and Rockefeller Jr. now asked Mark Hanna to act as a middleman to repair the relationship between Sheffield United Company and the White House.
Mark Hannah, who came to Texas nominally on vacation, appeared in front of Sheffield and Rockefeller Jr. in such a situation. Seeing the two young men who were almost in the same trousers, Mark Hannah knew that the two had other purposes.
"Why are you so cautious? Elections are all internal conflicts among citizens. Democrats and Republicans are all one family, dear Mr. Mark!" Sheffield first expressed his goodwill to Mark Hannah. "As a supporter of the Republicans, Mr. Rockefeller is also a partner of the United Company. There is nothing that cannot be discussed."
"That's right, Mr. Mark. It's understandable that elections are for victory, and the results have already been decided." Rockefeller Jr. echoed, "I believe Mr. President, what I hope for is the support of both parties, rather than being a half-hearted president."
(End of this chapter)
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