Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-05-27
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COMMUNICATIONS. \
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Just as wealth and wealthy
men are honored in the state, so
will virtue and virtuous men be
dishonored. Plato.
Many cities and towns have re-
fused the gift of Carnegie library,
but on the other hand so many have
accepted, and they have become so
common, that it is a real distinction
for town to possess library build
ing, however modest, which has not
the name of Andrew Carnegie chissel-
led in conspicuous place on Its
walls. In fact, Brother Carnegie and
his libraries remind one of Guzeman
Blanco, who a few years ago, when
president of Venezuela, had statues
of himself erected in all the principal
towns of the country with the inscrip-
tion "The Illustrious Citizen" No
self-respecting community would ac-
cept a gift of wealth that was known
to be stolen, unless it was stolen
directly from the community in ques
tion; and why should the ban not at
| tach to wealth that has been acquired
by other Objectionable and repre-
/ hensible methods? 1t is said that
Carnegie's home town in Scotland re-
fused the gift of a library at the
time of the Homestead strike, and
that Andrew was advised to give the
money to his employees in Pittsburg.
For a community to accept a gift
from an unworthy source and build
a memorial to the giver, places a
false ideal before the young and en-
courages the worship of Mammon.
In this connection the question,
"How did he get it?" is one of vital
Importance. If Rockefeller is the
king of rebaters, Carnegie deserves
to be called the prince of that de-
| lectable fraternity When A. ]. Cas-
satt became president Of the Penn
sylvania Railroad company he inau-
gurated the policy, which was new
one at that time, Of treating all ship
pers alike. Carnegie visited the pres
ident of the company and at first
treated 1t as a joke that the Carnegie
company was no longer to be accord
ed special rates, and threatened TO
build railroad to compete with the
Pennsylvania. He was told that the
country was large and that there was
room for another railroad,
We have always been told by the
politicians that the principal object
Of a duty on iron is to enable the
American workmen in the iron mills
to secure good wages. At the time Of
the Homestead strike there were a
few employees of the Carnegie COM
pany who received wages of fifteen
lublldlb pei AliuOuSi lIt
ayers of the company were amassing
millions, II seemed to hurt their feel
ings to see a mere workingman get
ting so much as fifteen dollars per
day. They wanted all of the bene-
fits of protection for themselves.
Wages were reduced, the Homestead
strike followed and the power Of the
government was used to enable Car
negie and his associates to win the
battle. To accept gifts from the own
ers of the colossal fortunes which are
such a menace to the country is, in
some measure, to sanction the meth
ods by which these fortunes were ac-
quired, and mo truce with the devil"
Is as sound a maxim when applied to
social affairs as when applied TO
morals. II Is presumed that the
J money with which Mr.. Carnegie en-
dows libraries Is derived principal
J ly from dividends on the stock OF the
United States Steel corporation. OF
which he is the largest holder. The
employees Of this company are now
: almost entirely foreigners, they are
paid pittance and until recently
they worked twelve hours per day
, and seven days in the week So
much denunciatlon and pressure was
: recently brought 10 bear against the
company in the east that Sunday
/ work has been largely abandoned;
but the working day is still twelve
hours. II would doubtless be better