Evaluate the evidence presented by rice and rockefeller what light do they shed on the robber baron industrial statesman debate

Mr George Rice had a huge effort in order to maintain in the business. He claimed that Rockefeller was trying to wipe him uot of business by any cost and with bad intentions. Mr Rice said that Rockefeller made threats to his agents saying that if they buy another type of oil other than rockefeller's he would enter into competition on all articles sold in their grocery stores. He also offered to pay an amount of $48.000 not to handle Mr Rice's oil. Rockefeller, called also the Robber Baron, defend himself by saying that the success of his oil company was not due to threats but to its consisten policy to make the volume of its business large through merits and cheapness of its products. The statements of Rockefeller turned to be more persuasive. Many excused his actions by saying that he needed to use the weapons and instruments of its time and that he had to use more efficient patterns in order for his business to be strong