Mickey Z

Cool Observer

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Friday, May 26, 2006

For whom Tarbell tolled

Howard Zinn sez: “There were writers of the early twentieth century who spoke for socialism or criticized the capitalist system harshly, not obscure pamphleteers, but among the most famous of American literary figures, whose books were read by millions.”

One such writer was Ida M. Tarbell (1857-1944), part of the original “muckrakers” (a term—not exactly of endearment—coined by Teddy Roosevelt). Born in Pennsylvania...but frustrated in her journalistic efforts in America, Tarbell left for Paris to study at the Sorbonne. It was there that she began writing articles for American newspapers and magazines. Her popular and successful series on Napoleon for McClure’s was quickly followed by another on Abraham Lincoln. Both were later published as books while Tarbell took full advantage of her notoriety to focus on the Standard Oil monopoly.

Motivated in part by Standard Oil causing her father to lose business when she was younger, Tarbell dug deep to uncover, among other dubious practices, a covert arrangement by which the oil giant received enormous price breaks from local railroads. Her sixteen-part series ran from 1901 until 1904 and was also published as a book. Fallout from the series and book directly resulted in a new antitrust precedent being handed down by the United States Supreme Court against the entire oil industry along with Congress establishing a Department of Commerce and a Bureau of Corporations.

(Speaking of corporate crime...as Baruch Spinoza sez: “Ignorance is no argument.")

(Photo by Sacha Lecca)
The above item is excerpted from my book, 50 American Revolutions You’re Not Supposed to Know...a perfect choice for summer reading. Spread the word…