Chapter VIII The Hand of the Banker Tracing a Sordid Scroll

and small refineries in the oilfields of East Texas. Not because he was a good fighter, but because the major oil companies chose him, along with a few more small operators, to survive. One afternoon, a Standard Oil Company official walked into this oil man's little office in an old cottage on his refinery grounds, and said: "We don't want to kill all the little refineries. The public would shout monopoly. So we must have a few to play against that cry. We have killed most of them but there are still too many. Why don't you buy one of them?" This oil man asked, "What would I use for money?" "We'll honour your draft." "Well, I have a $30,000 note due tomorrow at the First National Bank in Dallas. When you came in I was wondering where I would get enough money to pay it off." The Standard official walked to the door, called to his Secretary who left the big polished Cadillac, and with a brief case under his arm, entered the little oil office. In fifteen minutes the small oil man had a $30,000 draft on the Chase National Bank, New York. The little oil man had arrived. He had been accepted by the majors. A few weeks later an issue of his little company's stock appeared on the New York Stock Market. Yep. It had been bought in the "open market" by the Reserve Authorities. The little oil man was entering the big oil man's sphere. He walked into the First National Bank of Dallas a little jauntier than he had with the $30,000, and deposited to his account the million-dollar cheque the Reserve authorities had given him. He returned to his little office. He began to buy producing wells. He began buying leases and drilling. His refinery grew. He was growing BIGGER. Oil money poured in and he began buying ranches and farms-safe investments, 14,000-acre ranch here, 500 acre farm there. The war came. He said conscription is right. A man should be compelled to fight for his country! His black gold flowed in bigger and ever BIGGER STREAMS, piling up bigger and ever BIGGER profits. He bought more and more real estate. He felt grateful. With millions of oil money coming in his desire for real estate outran the stream of oil money. Real estate began to double and double again in the sales price. Others were making their thousands and millions. A feeling