The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-11
A MuLTI-MILLIoNAIisE DEMAooGuE
Andrew Carnegie's Preaching and
Practice Are Not 06nsistent.

fEuCthcc II ~ -
Philadelphia Telegraph.
il preaching stood for practice. words
for deeds, what a truly good man Andrew
Carnegie would be. No one during the pres
ent century has written more beautifully
about the common brotherhood OF man, or
the commonwealth of humanity, or the
duty of the rich to the poor, than this ex-
ceedingly rich man. IL may, however, we
think, be said of him as Stella aid or
Dean Swift, when told that he had written
beautifully about her rival, that he could
write beautifully about a broomstick- There
is no subject upon which IT so phases Nv.
Carnegie 60 write as wealth and its obi
cations. Among other things which he sad
the other night with regard TO Inis matter,
rich; that he did not intend to leave any
thing except his interest in his vast and
enormously valuable iron and steel works,
generally assumed to be worth more or less
that the man who dies rich dies dis
graced." Precisely by what process OF rea-
sonirg the multi-millionaire arrived at this
conclusion is absurd, the process must have
been wrong.
A thousand notable examples might be
quoted of men and women of this country
dying rich who did not die disgraced. who,
in the estimation of their countrymen.
died in greatest honor, and whose memories
are revered, and will be always, by the
generations they have assisted TO careers
Of wealth, distinction, or usefulness. 1t
would be invidious. so numerous have they
been, the men and women in this COM
luIll diOnt, WIN udfC D0il IN tn-
lowed or assisted to forever maintain
benevolent Institutions of the greatest val
ue. One such name and institution, Cir
ard and his college. are sufficient to indi-
cate til. rest. Those men and women
died rich; such of rem as left heirs of the
bodybody, or even most distant ones, pro-
n nnt demand as shs FOR raM MEM o. T rsevfs did su nos leave
their children or others near TO them. pen
niless. While giving part of their wealth
to humanity, they devised part OF II to
fhair hoirC a G fhpv ShOuld have dome They
were not disgraced either by having &C
cut1ula ed wealth Or by having retained II
to the hour of their death. or by judicious-
ly leaving a g0odly portion OF II TO those
of their blood or kim
There is no offense to God or to man IN
riches honestly acquired. With some ex-
c~eptions In our time, riches represent the
intelligence, energy. thrift and enterprise
of their owners. They are disgraceful only
when gotten by i'll means. To get wealth
ming of the world a good and proper am
bition. The one desirable thing is that II
shall be well gotten and well spent. II
the incentive OF getting rich was taken
from men there would soon be no energy,
thrift and enterprise left in the world, and
the vast masses of the people would miss
and suffer from the loss of. the wealthy
who are the employing class, and the class
who spend money literally upon those
things which give employment to the
masses.
1t may fairly be doubted IL Mr.. Carnegie
is absolute authority on this subject, as IL
is possible that he is not quite competent
to determine ii. He is, first of all, a very
rich man, who gets as much out of his
wealth. probably, as any living American
He has hi spalatial homes or houses in this
country, his castle in Scotland, his palatial
residences elsewhere, his coach-and1four,
and ouch other things as are not unbecom-
ing one of his vast riches. He gives in
charity, too, builds and endows Libraries
and art galleries and the like; yet is he still
exceedingly wealthy, and his interest in his
iron works. which he declares he viii die
possessed of, would make many men rich
beyond their widest dreams of wealth. He
cot rich fairly enough, as things go, not by
his superior sh~rewdnes or thrift or en-
ergy, but by his country paying him a
bounty, and a large one. on every bit o.
product coming from his mills: 1T shut out
for his benefit all foreign rivals and left
him the market. Mr.. Carnegie knows what
II is to cut wages, to reduce the hire OF
his workmen, as much as anyone. But
maybe it was his wicked partners who did
the cutting of wages, while he gave the
gifts. The truth remains, however. that
Mr.. Carnegie's preaching and practice have
not been consistent; and when he, an 60
traordinaril yrich man. who ostentatiously
displays and uses his wealth, declares that
the man who dies rich is disgraced, ne
plays the bad part of a very mischievous
demagogue intent on creating class bitter
ness and hatred.