The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-07

five thousand dollars year, to be paid
to those who have served as President
of the United States upon permanent
retirement from that office. To his
friends, Carnegie sometimes spoke with
simet thing like indignation emphasis Of
the fact that with not single ex-
ception. since James Buchanan retired
from the office of president. the men
who had held this office compelled after
retiring to take I'D various vocations
In order that they might earn liveli-
hood. General Grant made an unfortu-
nate business association in New York,
and he would have died almost penni-
less had Congress not restored the
grade of general to him, thus providing
him with the modest salary which a
retired general of the army receives
ClevelsNd was comhelled to take up
lecturing, and writing of articles for
magazines, although in Mr.. Carnegie's
view, he should have been abundantly
provided for by the action of Congress
by a pension established for retired
presidents Former President Taft's in
cessant activity as lecturer and
maker of public addresses, for which
payment was received, seemed to Mr..
Carnegie to reflect discredit upon the
American people. But as long as Con-
gress refused to provide pensions for
retired presidents, Mr.. Carnegie felt
that it was his privilege, if not duty
from his private purse to make good
this deficiency.
THE CASE OF LLOYD GEORGE
Friends of Mr.. Carnegie in New York
say that he was, from the time Lloyd
George became prominent in public
life in England, greatly attracted to
him. He followed with intense interest
Lloyd Georges career in Parliament,
afterwards in the English cabinet, then
as prime minister, and he was very glad
| of the opportunity to make the acquain-
lance of Lloyd George. That acquaint-
| ance served all the more to impress
him with the ability, as well as the
| sincere devotion to the interests of the
British empire, which in his view char
| acterized the career of Lloyd George
After making inquiries of confiden-
| tial kind, Cargenie discovered that al
| though Lloyd George gained power, and
at last, supreme, nevertheless, he was
| without fortune, was dependent upon
| his salary for support, and was, as
| Mr.. Carnegie once said, a poor man
This undoubtedly explained the annuity
which is granted to Lloyd George under
the terms of Mr.. Carnegie's will
Although no mention Is made of the
amount which in his lifetime, and
probably soon after the birth of his
| daughter, Mr.. Carnegie turned over tc
held is that it was relatively as grea
as was the aggregate fortune which
he possessed. To say that Mr.. Car
negie died poor man is spoken o.
here as absurd. Few men comparative
ly, even these years when the accumu
lation of great fortunes have been pos
sible, have left an estate, the aggre
gate value of which Is thirty million.
Mr. Carnegie is understood to hav'
discontinued the payment of pensions
to college professors or instructors WIFI
: had reached an advanced age. The las
payment of that kind which he mad
was to professor at Columbia univer
sity. All the pensions which he es
= tablished and which are now in opera
ton, are evidently to be maintained
but hereafter, instructors who ar
deemed superannuated must depen
/ upon something else than the Carnegi
fortune for means of support.