The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1896-08-08
UNCLE RICHARD


usual wages. But he failed. He lost
his 500. 900 in cash and all his other
property. For eight years he had paid
out to employees an average Of $120. 1000.
furnished from one hundred to two
hundred families with a good living.
Was your father an enemy of society?
At the end he had nothing. He went
back into bondage. and he succeeded
again. He was able In five years to
cesume his old business. Prosperity
returned. 1t Is possible under certain
conditions that Mr.. Carnegie might
lose every dollar he possesses. When
you balanced the millions that he has
paid out to labor against his own
poverty would you regard him as an
enemy To society? Wealthy manu-
factui ers" often become financial
wrecks.
Another thing: The lowest priced
employee OF Mr.. Carnegie has pleasures
and comforts of life such as your faith
er when he was working at SIS per
month never dreamed of. / think IL
you will study the wage question, to-
gether with the cost Of the necessaries
Of life. you will find that never, in the
history OF the world, has labor received
so large compensation as now.
l am speaking of conditions as they
obtained in this country three years
dsO. pHlEpSopHy E1uSt nave
taught you that IL will never be pos
sible for the human race to exist ex-
cept with the condition that some lead
and some follow. / think 1t is not nee
essary for me to say that every man
cannot be his own Carnegie. IL every
man were left to make his own iron
bridge or construct his own gold watch
or raise his own grain there would be
no iron bridges, no gold watches and
Lob.
do IL Ii were not fer the Carnegie. the
Armours, the Wanamakers and the
like? History shows that great en-
terprises, construction, and develop
ment have only been possible when
some one ran or set of men took
the initial and directed the move
ment. Tell me, honestly, what you
think would become of labor and
wages IL all these men whom you call
the enemies of society" were shut up
in prison. 1t is. perhaps. natural for
the man who is above to oppress those
who are below, though there are many
exceptions, and / do not deny that
there is a great deal of injustice and
suffering in the world. But IL seems
to me the thing TO do is to seek to
improve existing conditions, strive to
teach the inter-dependence of man
kind. appeal TO the highest and best
the order of things that has existed
since the time when the morning stars
first sang together. Do you not think
so? Look into the question of the
condition of the workingman, the raise
in wages, the treatment of employees,
etc, and see If you do not find that
nine-tenths of the benefit that has
come in generation has come through
the political party TO which your faith
er belonged. There is another thing;
the men of present wealth have, with
scarcely an exception. risen from the
bondage" you speak of. Your father
rose from the lot of common laborer.
The way is open. There is always the
possibility of attainment. Men will go
on rising and falling.
1 have written at such length that
will have to defer the consideration
of your other proposition. But, let me
ask you, can you take the Chicago
platform or the party that adopted it
and leave the Altgelds and Tillmans?
Is not the free coinage of silver at
the false ratio of is to l fraudulent?
Have you ever known a nation OF a
people To prosper permanently by dis
honor and dishonesty? Excuse me IL
seem blunt, but that you know is a
characteristic.
vOI-p IrNCJ L pICIJApn