The weekly examiner., 1901-04-06
THE CARNEGIE MILLIONS.

AnenC the matIer or the CaTneg1e millions going out of late for the establishment of public libraries, the best thing we have seen or heard on the subject comes from the Chicago Public, the greater part of which Is here reproduced:-
 There is nothing in this philan- thropic spree of modern Dives to call for commendation. The expendi- ture by any man of what society comedies to be his own fortune, is a private matter outside the pale of criticism. It Is only when the ques- ton of how millionaire ought to use his wealth is brought forward in connection with these charitable performances that the subject be- comes one of public concern. Then 1t is of public concern only to the extent of justifying the retort that 1t. Is nobody's business but his own how any millionaire uses his wealth, pro- vided he does not use it prejudici- ally to the rights of others. The vital question is not how the million aires use their wealth, but how they get it. Not how they did get it, for what has happened has happened, and by-gones should be by-gones; but how they are getting 1t now. Have they hoard of goods formerly accumulated, from which they draw? Then their getting it hurts nobody. Do they earn it as they go along? Then their getting 1t benefits everybody. Or do they merely possess legal authority to levy continually upon the common earn ing for their own enrichment? Then their getting 1t is a present and con tinuing wrong, which Is of incalcul- able public concern.
 There is room for the least bit of suspicion that MT. Carnegie Is philantropist for the notoriety it brings him. At least he doesn't fol- low the divine injunction in his giv- ings of not letting the left hand know what the right hand doeth. Again, 1t is told of him bylthose who profess to know all about 1t, that his gifts are all of public ch2raeter- nothing to an individual, no matter how urgent the case or pitiable the appeal. Here again is something running counter to the divine sug gestion "In as much as ye have done 1t unto the least of these my brethren ye have done 1t unto me ; It is even told of the great-hearted gentle man that he doesn't even permit himself to know who his applicant for assistance may be, having given orders to his private secretary in advance to destroy all such letters.
 In reference to the way MT. Car negle came into possession of his millions, or the way they come to him now, there is little profit in dis cussing. All who know anything of such matters fully realize that there is no such thing known to moral philosophy as the earuing of "an honest million" in a life time by any individual who walks the earth, or in the space of several life times, for that matter. Mr. Carnegie's millions came to him on the principle of the hog-trough ph;losophy-that on which our civilization is based. But no blame Is his for that-he played according to the rules of the game and that Is all our civilization re- quires to fulfil the law, even though blood spots are to be found on the cards.
 The only amends for the past of having eaten where he had not earn ed that a true philantropist could make, would be in applying his sur plus millions to the work of getting rid of the industrial system that per mitted him thus to get them. at the expense of thousands who had earn- ed them for him and were doomed to poverty in consequence, and the substitution therefor of system com petent of dispensing justice in the future-a system based on the phil osophy of the laborer being worthy of his hire and he that will not work neither shall he eat.
 Hn 1892 and Now.
 The solution of the never ending war between capital and labor. lies, in our