Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-04-12
NOT ATTRIBUTIVE TO TARIFF.

AaSC0 Wy hI. SdlASSlC ID dAlAl-
butsd by many to the operation
of the protective tariff. 1t is to
be expected that socialists and
communists will promulgate
such statements, but it is sur-
prising thai reputable writers
and reliable publications will rel
fer to Carnesie's phenominal
success as proof positive that the
protective system is simply
robbery of consumers to enrieh
producers and monopolists. Even
though a writer is unable to
divest himself of the merely
academic view of free trade and
protection, he should not bel
reckless nor careless Of facts.
The truth is the tariff has been
an exceedingly small factor inI
producing Mr.. Carnegie's wealth.
Other manufacturers of iron and
steel in the field before him and
reaping all the benefits Of protee-
tion fer a longer time than he
has, have not become immense.
ly rich. He cared very little,
what protection was given his
business by either the Wilson
tariff or afterward by the Ding
ley tariff act. In fact, the tariff
On structural steel was reduced
by the act of 1897. Mr.. Car
negie we'll understood that the
sources of his wealth could
neither be harmed nor benefited
by any possible tariff legislation.
We must leok in ether direc-
tiens if we would understand
how poor and almost friendless
Scotch boy became ''king of
industry" and amassed immense
wealth. While yet in an humble,
subordinate position with the
Pennsylvania Central Railroad
Company, his fidelity, great
energy and natural ability
brought him to The notice of
Edgar Thompson, president of
the railroad company and gained
for him exceptional opportu-
mites for advancement. With
Thompson and other railroad
men he became connected with
several manufacturing concerns
In Pittsburg. Of course these
were given special advantages
in the way of transportation and
patronage by the railroad COM
pany.
The Pennsylvania Railroad
Company was organized. 1t is a
huge monopoly, controlling many
utilities beside transportation.
Men connected with it or close
in its councils bought up large
tracts of ceal lands, beds of iron
ore, limestone, etc. Mr.. Car
negie became a large holder in
these undeveloped resources.
His first large manufacturing
plant was the Edgar Thompson
steel works at Braddock. This
was to manufacture steel rails by
the Bessemer process, and of
course had the assured patronage
of the Pennsylvania company.
The Homestead works, the works
at Carnegie, numerous blast
furnaces, mines, and quarries
followed. He organized or
gained control of many lines of
manufacture of steel, rails,
armor-plate and structural steel
being the leading products. He
was rapidly converting his large
holdings of raw material into
manufactured commodities and
accumulating wealth.
He called sc1ence to his aid.
Skillful chemists and metal1ur-
gists were employed at princely
salaries; inventive genius was
patronized; new processes were
discovered; new machinery and
mechanical devices invented and
employed, and every effort was
pat forth to bring the processes
of manufacture to the greatest
attainable point of economy in
laber time and material and the
highest degree of perfection in
the finished product. He in
fused his subordinates with seme-
thing of his ewn indomitable
energy and pertinacity of pur-
pose and all labored to make the
Carnegie works and their pro-
duct the best in the world. Dur
ing his business career and large
ly through his efforts the cost of
a ton of steel has been reduced
over civ hundred ner cent while