Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-31


times, by manufacturing less but where would
labor be with work perhaps only half the year?
In two Of the three rail mills at Chicago men will
not get work for even a quarter of a year. If in
deed these mills run at ALL If we had not made q
partnership with our workmen we might have
considered the proposition. Having them with
US In the struggle, we reject t-and will continue
to rnn our works to their capacity as long as or
ders for rails can be obtained at prices which do
not involve a dangerous sacrifice of capital. Ed
gar Thompson works are all right, and with fair
railway rates, which Pennsylvania railroads will
soon soon De forced to give, Irepeat to'you what SAID
Inpleasantness, which is happily forgotten and
forgiven on both sides: sit will be cold day
Wnen Edgar Thompson gets left!'
Turning our eyes across the river. just the other
DAY received letter from Homestead, dated
March II, from which wish to make this extract:
mr. CARNEGIE-Dear Sir:-A tradition pre-
something for Homestead soon. When or where
actly tell. 1t is envelOped in the mists of an
tqITlty T1 and a0tSH commands IDS respect acc9rdingly
have expected for a long time, but far in vain,
that Homestead should do something for u.s.. But
DO wish TO do something for Homestead. should
like to see a cooperative society formed there.
should like to see q library there. 1hope one day
stead such building you have here but this
letter compels me now to say that our works at
Thomson. Ourmen there are not partners. They are
not interested with u.s. On the contrary, ANAL
pay one-third more ic the principal department Of
our works. the plate mill business than our great
us to pay, and are driving away our trade in COIL
sequence, three times much per ton for labor as
More than one man at Homestead makes more not
only than the foreman who isoyer him, but more
even than the manager Of all the works, and the
great mass suffer in consequence.
HOMEsTEAD's NEW DEMANDS.
Even to-day learn that our firm is notified that
after July next they will demand further ad-
vance, ranging from Is to 25 per cent. THESE men
evidently require library and.need to read the
newspapers. Steel business never SO bad-com-
petitors all reducing wages, and our men take
this time to demand an advance! 1t is folly like
this that defeats the efforts Of fair employers 10
benefit labor. OF course. advan ce can be given,
but the firm may be induced to give Homestead
the benefit of . sliding scale, under which 1t can
run steadily and our men there make such wages
Fel!ow-workmen personally 1 have arrived at
more money. The desire of my wife and myself
is to know how best to administer what we have,
in this great city, Wv Whence ' our revenues have
come most of these surplus revenues should be
partners the Is or 20 young partners interest
ed In our concerns are not rich men.
terests which they own. When the firm
cannot make interest upon its capital, these
they will be in debt. The firms operations must
be conducted with the strictest regard to CONNER
same prices their Competitors pay, or labor can
not obtain steady employment. The men to whom
ness OF the firm by unfair exactions. II they do
seek, they cannot be allowed to do SO.
the labor in the Edgar Thomson, goes hand in
hand with us as partners, trust that able, fair
here and establish their co-operatve society," their
library and their beneficial society; and all can
as that correspondsnt NAV be- for sometSinR to bs
done for Homestead. my desire for that Is greater
first dollar or the first hundred thousand dollars,
receive from my investment at Homestead If
the men At Homestead, to be expended for their
benent; l am only too anxious to do for them
ThA' Of hSTs oTs dSDs for snd to DO for
Of no better use, if may be allowed to say so;.
knoS tbe Of no use sbs SO St as tG apply wealth for
duee It. My dear wife and myself win not die
fs Be S may BE VIM IN
fortune In bonds or property,
HIS TRUSTED RIGHT BOWERS.
While compelled to refer to my correspondent 1
may be allowed to say this much in regard to our
firm. You know that we have suffered great losses
recently. Two of our chairmen have been taken
from us, and third has been compelled to resign
the harassing duties of the Office from i'll health
I myself must withdraw more and more from
business. rejoice to be able to say that we now
have men at the head OF the companies into whose
agement OF affairs without anxiety.
am very Jealous of my title to the name, "fel-
fulhll, and resent the idea that because the in
terest of the firm compelled me to remove to New
lose my rank a worker with you in the business.
am not SO happy as to be salaried oficer like
per day, or per month; am a tonnage man under
sliding scale, dependent solely upon product
Fortunately for me, my sliding scale has no mini
mum. cannot tell how low it may fall. Let it
together, and although no longer work with my
hands as am proud to say once did, yet when
the men at the iathes or the blooming MILL the
converting works or blast furnaces seem to put
the proud appeiiafion Of tworkingman'' as any
Of them, and hope they will remember this here
gGd Of
use In the community, and one who upon that
basis alone founds his claim to live in comfort.
PITTsBURG FOREVER.
object also to being considered no longer a
Pittsburger. If my lawyers insist that must be
considered legally citizen of New Yoik, because
the law regards a mans domiciIe to be where, as
they say, ''he gets his washing done ~ there is
still higher authority than lawyers determining
mans domicile-''Where his treasure is, there
will his heart be also;'' and, differing from most
here in Western PennsyiTsnia. When Pittsburg
sinks I shall sink with it. and when P,ittseurg tits
swtms shall swim with 1t. may work less than
hitherto. but my capital and my counsel will re-
main with you and at your service.
Britain, he who has just passed away the Radical,
John Bright. being asked his chief blessing, re.
great man. Most anxious to give you the best
advice advise you to cultivate this taste. When
must ever revere, Colonel Anderson, having few
hundred books, gave notice he would lend these
The principal partner with II me IN all our business.
Mr.. Phipps, equally with myself, obtained access
factor. 1t Is from personal experience, therefore,
that feel that there is nothing human so power
slowed Upon community, SO great as that which
places within the reach Of all the chief
We occasionally find traces of the old prejudice
against educating the masses. / do not wonder
for education. Men have wasted years trying to
educate from an ignorant past, whose chief
what to avoid. Men have sent their sons to col
leges for languages which were Of no more use to
struction-merely false ideas and distaste for
practical life: do not wonder that a prejudice
young men intended for business who were not
injured by
COLLEGIATE EDUCATION.
Had they gone to work during the years at col
lege, they would have been better educated in
every true sense. The fire and energy have been /
stamped out Of them, and how to SO manage as to
live q life Of idleness, and not life of useful
labor, is q chief question with them. But now a
new idea of education is upon US. We realize
that knowledge of chemistry, for instance, is
worth knowledge of all the dead languages that
ever were spoken upon the earth; knowledge of
mechanics more useful than all the classical learn
ing that can be crammed into young men at col
lege. have known few college graduates that
knew Shakespeare or Milton. They might be able
to tell you all about Ulysses, or Agammemnon, or
Hector, but what are these compared to the char
acters that we ind in our own classics?
Not that any kind of knowledge is to be under
rated. Except for the few, the very few, who
have the taste Of the antiquarian, and who find
that their work in life is to deve among the dusty
records Of the past and for the few that lead pro-
fessonal lives, the education given to-day in our
colleges is positive disadvantage.
asked me to remove from Pittsbnrg to he master
of machinery of the Pennsylvania Railroad. |
Well, you may smile. And said to Mr Thorn |
SON: why, Mr.. Thomson, you amaze me. l
know nothing whatever about machinery"
THAT is the very reason l want you to take |
charge Of 1t, y he replied; Il have never known
mechanic with judgment and good sense except |
one.n This was before the time of Captain Jones,
SO he could not have referred to him. The reason
of this lack of Judgment in mechanics arose from
the fact that at that day in this country they had
failed to receive an all-round education.
II you want to make labor what 1t should be.
educate yourself in useful knowledge. That Is |
the moral would emphasize. Get knowledge.
Cultivate taste for reading that NAV know