The National tribune., 1908-12-31
MIR. CARNEGIE.
The Laird o. Skibo Appears Before the
Ways and Means committee and

Scot, is the Laird o. Skibo. Why, he
went after that WAYS, and Means Conn
mittee as tho they were a class in Zig
gers and he the master. The master
wasn't slow about telling those mem
bers of the Ways and Means Commit
Itee that in handling steel statistics they
were about the limit. He said, well,
gentlemen, you do not seem ito fave the
/. brain to comprehend the steel lam
guage" Just like that.
And the remarkable part Of II was
that Mr.. Payne, who scolds everybody
and everything, and the other men,
bers just gasped, and let the Laird o.
Skibo go on with his talk.
Did you ever see Mr.. Carnegie?
Well, you ought to.
He is small, compactly built man
of possibly five feet four. and you would
call him stocky. His hair, where he is
not getting barefoot on the crown,
is snow white, but 1t must have been a
real flaming red in his youth, and that
was long time ago. Then he wears
The safety nor any other kind Of a
razor never touches that face. His
eyes are twinkling blue or blue gray.
He smiles and laughs like child, read
lily, merrily. But not all the time, oh,
dear, no! When he wants a thing he
wants it when he wants 1t, and then
those eyes turn to blue steel and bore
lstraight thru you
/ I think. perhaps, a great many peo-
pie are under the impression that Mr..
Carnegie is an unschooled, unIettered
"nouveau richie" man.
Forget it. He knows more, nay, put
it the other wayne has forgotten
more about the material things of life
than most men ever learned. He knows
books. he knows people, he has trav-
eled the world over again and again.
he knows art, he knows mechanics. he
knows everything that is worth know
ing, and can tell 1T.
Knowing Man.
| I do not know that he knows Ian
guages, but my word for it. if he
fetched up" in Africa's blackest heart
| he would be perfectly able to make its
people understand and comprehend
what he wanted, and in three weeks
time, if he remained marooned there,
{ he would dominate the whole shooting
match, and would be the big Chief"
| in six months.
| Because he is "bossy" and domineer-
ing? Well. no; think not. He is just
the kind of man who makes you feel
that he knows things, and that il he is
at the head you are bound to win. You
know both men and women who are
| like that. Their personality is such
| that you submit at once to their domi-
| nation without question.
Mr.. Carnegie Is not an orator. His
voice is husky, and in its tones you de-
| tect the sign of age-just a little queru-
| lous, perhaps, but not much so. He
| talks deliberately, using the choicest
| Englisfs; short words, short sentences.
| And as he talks he uses his hands a
good DEAL, his right one particularly.
He closes that right hand, and points
the index finger at you. very sharply to
| emphasize his ideas, and often brings
| it down on the arm of his chair or the
table beside which he SITS
Only few of the members of the
| Committee on Ways and Means tackled
him. Mr.. Hill, who knows great deal
about banking statistics, tried him a
diff but he quit the loser. The Laird
o. Skibo was too swift for him. Bourke
Cochran. he of the Irish brogue. also
took plunge into steel statistics. but
the canny Scot did him up, too. Mr..
DalZell tried it, and Mr.. Carnegie said
with tiny affectation Of Scotch brogue
which he can affect when he likes.
Now, John. we always thought you
better lawyer than steel expert" Dal-
zell is Pennsylvania man. and he and
Carnegie were telegraph cfiums during
the war. ,.s
The Laird o. Skibo was a witty wit
ness: indeed. he Just made fun for that
! committee from the minute he took
the oath, with uplifted hand, "to tell
the truth, the whole TRUTH and 50 on.
He did not hold them a bit more in
reverence than did Mr.. Schwab the
other day. when he in rather more
diplomatic language told the members
Of the committee that they were trying
| to delve into something that they could
never understand. He said something
about the money he had 40 years ago,
and Bourke Cochran Immediately took
him up on It, How can you state
anything about the money you had 40
years ago?"
"I can remember very well exactly
how much had 40 years ago." declared
Mr.. Carnegie. land know what pocket
had it in," he declared emphaticaIly,
amidst gale Of laughter from the
audience
Mr.. Carnegie Is good deal of a wit
and he was more than a match for the
men who questioned him. What he
knows he knows, and he knows it so
well that It is no use to try to mix him
up. He never said that he forgot things:
he Just said that the committee was a
little wild on certain ideas: that there
was an "error of judgment" on the part
Of certain men who differed from him.
He praised Mr.. Schwab. one might say
almost inordirately. He told the COM
mittee that Congress should extend a
vote of thanks to Mr.. Schwab for his
work in improving the methods of steel
making in this country.
HIz Money 40 Years Ago.
81 never met his equal" said Mr.
Carnegie, "and when we were partners
we were a great team" A statement
made with the pride of boy that
brought laughter from the committee.
Judge Calderhead asked pointed
question about structural steel which
pleased Mr.. Carnegie. and he entered
into detailed reply. He seemed to
think Judge Calderhead might have
rather more "brain" than some other
! members Of the committee Just as he
was about to begin his explanation Mr..
Payne, Chairman, began a whispered
conversation with Mr.. Dalzell II wish
the Chairman would hear me-" he in
teriected, and Mr.. Payne, after being
poked in the ribs by some member of
the committed. sat up and took notice
of what Mr.. Carnegie was saying.
| When asked how it happened that
after having had some 42 partners in
the steel business he had been able to
retire richer than all the rest, two Of
the partners having remained compara-
lively pocr men, he said:
i Fortunately for me-. nv competitors
differed with my opinion. They differed
SO greatly, and so often, and so far,
that it was good for me, and had they
agreed with me, probably still would
be laboring to support 1Gmy family
Luckily; am not taxed with such
work"
Mr.. Carnegie might be said to have
. made new attack on figures. Mr.
Payne read him a statement from the
Bureau of Corporations on the average
cost of producing steel, and said.