, 1903-02-23

grand institution would more than COM
prnsate in dollars and cents for the ad.
ditional venue required for its sup |
port. And then it kicks over the en-
tire picture by Directing to the accept
ance of Mr.. C%arnegie's $40. 900. saying
il is blood money.
\ short time ago a few OF the people
Of Laramie had the pleasure of listen
ing to an address by Prof. Slosson up |
on the theme. Can a mar Earn a Mil !;
lion Dollars The professor clearly |
and logically set forth the fact that it
would have been cheap for the Ameri-
little Scotch youth. Andrew Carnegie,
To come to America IN develop the
steel industry for the enormous sum
of three hundred million dollars. He
came of mis- own accord. however, de-
vclOpcd the industry, obtained the mil
lions M is now distributing them in
the manner which he believes for the
best interests of the people. In pass
irg. it may be said there never was an
employer Of labor in the history OF the
world who paid such a uniformly high
rate of wages as the Scotch steel man
and there never was an employer of
labor who has had so little trouble with
his employees. The strike at Home
stead. to which the Boomerang refers.
was against the Judgment of Mr.. Car
negie. Mr.. Prick had by this time be-
come "A large stakeholder and manager
of the Carnegie steel works and to him
is due the trouble at Homestead. 1t is
travelling clear around Robin Hoods
barn to say that Carnegie debauched
congress into raising the tariff on steel
in order that he might make larger
profits and therefore the money he Is
now seeking to give us is blood money
%extortcd from the American people.
It may be that this particular $50. 900
he has laid away for Laramie was
made honestly. Who knows?
After reading and ~re-reading the
boomerang editorial the conclusion is
reached that We should by all means
have a library; that it would more
than compensate for the additional ex-
pense we would be at in the way Of
taxes; that the boys and the girls and
the men and the women of this city
would be greatly benefited thereby in
many ways. but that we must not touch
Carengie's money for fear that it is
polluted. The Boomerang prefers that
we raise the money for the library
among our own people. but does not Of
fer a cent. nor does it suggest the
name of a man who is willing to give
anything. 1t knows that If this offer
of Mr.. Carnegie's is turned down we
will have no library here for decades
to come. Twenty thousand dollars is
a large sum and there is no possibility
OF raising it by subscription. 1t will be
found difficult to raise by popular sub
secription the sum necessary to buy a
lot for the building. Let us try that
ahu VIC = NhSh NC III ~ ttSt lhS
philanthropy of our esteemed contem-
porary.
The Boomerang estimates the in
creased cost at $500 per annum. Per.
fhaps these figures are a trife low, but
assuming they are correct, what would
the taxpayers of this community pay?
Albany county is assessed at a little
more than four million dollars. One
quarter of a mill on the dollar would
more than raise the required $500. On
this basis the additional tax upon the
Boomerang would be rs cents per an,
mum. Certainly it could stand this
small sum in the interests of popular
education.
BY the way, what has caused the
Boomerang to change it's mind. When
Mr.. Carnegie's offer was first heralded
in Laramie, it certainly looked upon
the proposition with extreme favor.
Here is some Of the remaks it made:
"Mr. Carnegie's munificence will be
remembered throughout the land and
Laramieites will be glad because of his
interest in their town.
The two men who succeeded in in.
teresting him in Laramie deserve the
highest praise and gratitude of the
people"