The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-04-10
CARNEGIE Is DOING GOOD
Bill Arp Endorses the Gleat Steel
King and Makes Suggestions

Scale it, Mr.. Fricks, scale thcs
profits down 5 per cent for the ne,
fiscal year. The books show that W
are getting too rich. Put down IN
price Of steel rails and put up the pric
of labor. We are but trustees for on
fellowmen and a million year
enough for u.s."
If Mr.. Carnegie had said that tel
years ago, he wouldn't be so perplexe,
now about giving away his money. II
says it is sin for man to die rich
and AS life is uncertain and death i
sure, he seems to be in a hurry abOu
getting rid of his millions. The five
millions he has settled upon his ageC
and INDECENT laborers is a benCf' ctiol
that everybody commends. The
twenty-five millions that he hah given
to the cities for public Libraries is not
especially commended by anybody ex.
cept those who receive it. 1t is about
on par with Rockefeller's twenty
five millions tC the great universities
Neither gift reaches the masses of the
people nor alleviates the condition of
the poor. Geolgc Peab, dy's and Peter
Cooper's charities were much more
life work, who without dollar of
capital to begin with, established or
phanages in London until he had over
1900 in charge when he died, and
from year to year maintained and cdu-
Gated them, was Il much grander
charity than giving mil ions to colleges
and libraries. George Peabody's mil
hons built blocks of good comfortable
tenement houses for the laborlnS poor
of London, houses that were furnished
and equipped with every comfort and
every safeguard for the health of the
tenants. Besides that, he left large
fund for the promotion of education in
the South. There are many charities
far more needed by the people than
giving them chance to read free
books. The poor do not have time to
ready very much. A right hungry
man can hardly get religion, much
less eujoy story book. But still we
intentions, and if he had given two or
three thousand dollars to Gainesville,
| would have said. "Mr. Carnegie,
you are big-hearted Scotchman, sir"
hope they will elect him mayor of
New York.
The reason why the public praise
Mr.. Carnegie so is because the public
is surprised. Such municencc is 80
unco mmon that it is unexpected The
gift is really no act of generosity, for,
AZ he says himself, il is a sin to keep il
and die rich. He got all his millions
from the labor of the people, and now
he 10 trying to pour some of it back in
the jug. That is right and honorable
for the ore was Gods and the labor
Was the toll of his men. He ought to
pour it back and give some to the
toilers whose sweat earned the money.
This is pure morality and common
sense. Every man has moral right,
and it Ia hiS duty to make sufficient
profit from his labor TO maintain him.
self and his family in comfort, and even
in luxury, and also to lay up something
for his children and for old age and for |
the accidents of life; but beyond that
his rights under Christian civilization |
do not 70. He then becomes trustee |
for his fellowmen who are in need |
Not that he should parcel out and dis
tribute to each one his share, for it |
cannot be done, but he should make
some investment that would insure the |
greatest good to the greatest number.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Carnegie is scatter
ing his money. He is sowing wheat |
among the tares. He is giving largely
to the wealthy cities who can provide |
their own libraues. He is scattering
his money; mean the surplus, that
has grown to b. burden. He has
inc Il
IN New York and has another in Scot |
land, and few millions in reserve for |
contingencies. We hope that these
small holdings will not interfere with
his intention to die poor. No, there
IL no peculiar grace in the gifts of Car
negie or Rockefeller. They are sur
prise, that's all, for not one in hun
dred Of the millionaires do such things.
Most Of them hold on and pile it up for
their children to quarrel over. The
Standard Oil Company has just de-
clared dividend of twenty million for
Rockefeller. He crushed out and alb
sorbed all competing mills and still
sells oil to the consumers at 10 cents
per gallon. Cheap isn't it? But he
could sell it at 10 cents and make n
olOu pei SCho. IL 10 VIC COllilhOll
people, the masses, the toilers ami the
poor who buy the oil, and excry gallon
takes nickel from them that ought
not to be taken. God made thc oil,
ard man gave the labor. Mr.. Rocke-
Teller had but little to do with it. Most
Of his millions really belong to God
and the laborers. 1t is no sufficient
answer that he has endowed a college.
The children of the laborers are not in
1t. It's too far away and too high up.
These colossal fortunes are becom-
ing alarming. They endangcr good
government, for it 10 still fact that
riches and virtue are rarely found COM
bined." Laws grind the poor and rich
men make the laws. A graduated IN.
come tax would limit these great for
tunes, but alas, we will never get it.
1t is too late. The opportunity has
passed, for rich men make the laws.
Millionaires control the United States
Senate and will resist any tax that
limits or lessons their estates.
ABut it ls wrong for us to envy the
rich. In the economy OF life and the
pursuit of happiness it seems necessary
to have rich mon. They build ships
railroads, canals, telegraphs and tee
nhones cotton and woo,en mills