Chapter 74 Personal Cooperation
Unlike the serious Rockefeller Sr., Rockefeller Jr. was still in his early twenties after all, and could not hide his emotions, even though he wanted to emulate his life idol, his biological father.
Before meeting Sheffield, Rockefeller Jr. really wanted to live up to the demeanor of the heir of Standard Oil. However, his attitude was instantly ruined when he saw Sheffield, who had the ability to turn formal occasions into nonsense.
The two men were so disgusting, and as professionals, the bodyguards from both sides pretended not to see it. Even Sheffield's black dog was very honest and didn't say a word.
"You've lost weight! It seems that it will take some time to get used to the job at Standard Oil!" Sheffield pointed at Rockefeller Jr., and the disgusting scene continued. It was like a long time since we last saw each other, which was unbearable.
"You're also black!" Rockefeller Jr.'s politeness made Sheffield feel that his second son was no less than his. He laughed and said, "After meeting him once at Rockefeller Manor, I thought that the expansion of Standard Oil and the expansion of the Rockefeller family's wealth were just the beginning."
This is how things are. The current Rockefeller family is nominally the richest family in the United States, but it is still far from reaching its peak. The real peak is when personal wealth accounts for one-sixtieth of the United States.
"Only when we stand together can our wealth become greater. My father and I both attach great importance to the cooperation with the Sheffield family!" Rockefeller Jr. looked sincere and spoke with great sincerity.
Don't try this on me! Sheffield raised his eyebrows. Don't think you can be fooled just because you are young. He coughed and said calmly, "The cooperation will naturally be evaluated by a professional management team. No matter what the final result is, it will not affect the friendship between you and me."
This is not a problem between Sheffield and Rockefeller, or between two companies. Standard Oil has a lot of shareholders, and Sheffield has many plantation owners behind him. It's not that Sheffield was fooled by Rockefeller Jr. and then agreed. How can a business be so easy to cooperate?
"Ah, don't worry about these details for now. The cooperation is naturally a professional management team. I will not interfere with the business negotiations this time, and I don't have the ability to do so. The purpose of this trip is actually to talk to you in person." Sheffield said, "I even know the history of Standard Oil. We all believe that the Rockefeller family's performance in each action is typical of planning before taking action. You have investigated the field you want to get involved in in advance, and you only took action after you were absolutely sure. I believe that your interest in Texas now is definitely not a temporary impulse, it should have been in the plan for a long time. So, I hope you can tell me the truth, that is, your prediction of the oil industry."
It is a different time now. Standard Oil is not like when it was just starting out decades ago and had to rely on old Rockefeller's personal strength to conduct assessments. Given the current size of Standard Oil, it must have gone through discussions with the board of directors before officially getting involved in Texas affairs.
Sheffield personally did not object, not because he was afraid of the other party. The fact that he was more resistant to Rockefeller was just one of the reasons, but in the oil field, he could not get around Standard Oil.
He couldn't just fight with the richest man in the United States to prove his presence. For now, the interests of both sides can be aligned. However, Rockefeller Jr. obviously misunderstood Sheffield's meaning and changed the subject, saying, "Regarding the patent bill, my family is contacting friends in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Some business partners are also willing to help, such as the Mellon family. Some companies that secretly mine steel and gold sand are also a headache."
Rockefeller Jr. understood that Sheffield was not easy to fool. Even if he was, Mrs. Anna was still there. The best way to negotiate with a smart person is to tell the truth, because it is difficult to deceive him. Instead of wasting time and energy by going around in circles, it is better to tell the truth and see if you can find a compromise that everyone can accept.
"That's what I said. There is no order in the industry in the United States right now!" Sheffield slapped his thigh and emphasized, "Anyone can start a company secretly and make money privately without the supervision of the federal government. Isn't this stealing the country's resources? The country's resources belong to the citizens of the entire United States, and running an industry requires professional talents and huge funds. How can anyone want to get their hands on it? What right do they have? The garbage they produce is not only sold abroad, but even citizens are unwilling to buy it. This damages the image and brand of our companies in the United States."
"Only companies like ours that have technology and strong capital can resist the invasion of European capital. Can those small workshops do it? Won't they be harvested anyway?" Sheffield spoke righteously and sang praises for the monopoly enterprises in various industries. Those small private capitals must be protected and cannot be harvested by European imperialist capital. If there is to be harvesting, only I can do it.
"In fact, we all know this problem, but some unscrupulous journalists always criticize our actions." Rockefeller Jr. agreed with this and appreciated Sheffield's attitude. He said with a smile, "If it weren't for Morgan and us who took advantage of the European capital intervention, the domestic market would have been in chaos. The reason why the United States is not developing as slowly as Latin American countries is our credit."
"That's right!" Sheffield clenched his fists. "Some journalists are like dung collectors, watching those things every day. I heard that some newspapers were besieged by patriotic citizens recently because they accepted pounds. I can only say that this is retribution."
As the two of them launched a ruthless attack on the evil chaos, the black back brought by Sheffield ran to a tree with drooping ears, staring back, hissing...
Get out of the way! I'm going to pee yellow to wake up these two bastards!
"But that's not what I'm talking about. The passage of the patent bill is good for all of us, and it can't be considered that the Rockefeller family did me a favor!" Sheffield changed the subject and said, "On the contrary, I currently have an idea that you and I can gain intangible benefits personally, saving money and gaining a good reputation."
"Standard Oil's achievements and reputation are still good in the country!" Rockefeller Jr. said insincerely.
"If you really could, would you donate tens of millions of dollars to charity?" Sheffield teased, "What citizens want to see most is the dismantling of the Standard Oil Trust. If you can do that, it will be more effective than donating any amount of money to charity."
(End of this chapter)
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