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About The Alliance-independent. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1892-1894 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1892)
THE ALLIANCE-INDEPENDENT. 15 SOME CARNEGIE HIST6RY. Crushing Power of The Great Iron Com pany Untold Wealth. The bitter struggle at Homestead between organized workmen on the one hand and organized millionaires on the other, gives to the phenomenal career of Andrew Carnegie, the chief of capital's iidc in the controversy, a special interest ) to Americans, who arc called upon to lecide by their votes whether or not they indorse a system which has made such wholcsarb money-gathering possiblo to any man, The history of Carnegie's wealth-making is one of the most extra ordinary in the history of the United States, and he differs from every other American millionaire in his ambitions and achievements no less than in the use he has made of his wealth, the distinct ions which he has striven to obtain, and the curious mixture of socialism and imperialism which go to make up his character. People in general who read about the 6trikc at Homestead have no idea of the extent of the Carnegie industries of wiiich that will, with it3 thousands of workmen, is but one among many. Even in Pittsburg, under the shadow of he vast commercial house which Mr. Carnegie has built iip, there are thou Eands of people with no adequate idea of its extent and resources, of the crush ing power with which it has stamped out aspiring rivals or the millions of profit which it has reaped and of the long line of huge iron industries which it has swallowed one after another. People who read the accounts of the strike are confused by Various names cm ployed. There is talk cf Carnegie, Phipps & Co., of the Bessemer Steel Co., of the Lucy Furnace, of the Keystone Bridge Co., of the llartmnn Steel Co. of Carnegie brothers although there is now only one Carnegie of the Edgar Thompson mills and of the Homestead mills, with a host of others. They all are Carnegie industries, although Andrew Carnegie has no share in their management. The man at the head of affairs is the Mr. Frick who is taking all the responsibility. Ho is the head" oFtlie new concern, the Carnegie Steel Co. (Limited), which came into being a few weeks ago and which embraces all the industries absorbed by Carnegie or started by him up to date. This huge ocropus has so many arms and tentacles t hat only people in the iron trade arc aware of its vamilicatiens. Yet the rise of Carnegie and the story of his life arc as much a wonder to them as if they knew nothing of the man who has made himself master of the greatest industry in the new world. Carnegie not only founded a great house, but he has invented a new business maxim and followed it with marvelous success. When he ceased to be a telegraph operator and went into business with his brother Tom and D. A Stewart, Carnegie laid it down as a fundamental principle upon which the partnership should be conducted that when a partner died his estate should bo settled up within thirty days and his interest in the business acquired by the remaining partners, and also that no son or child of any of them should have a share in the concern or a voice in its management. This policy has been rigidly followed down to the present; The consequence has been that the partnerehip from time to time has been refreshed and invigor ated by infusions of new blood and the active managers have been young and energetic men. )Yrhcnevcr an employe or a successful man in some outside but collateral businees, as in the case of Frick, displayed unusual ability and energy, he was taken in, given a share in the profits and pushed rapidly to the front. Both David A. Stewart and Tom Car negie, who formed tbe original copart nership with Andrew Carnegie, are now dead, and each died a many times millionaire at a time when the business had not anything like its present proportions but was growing rapidly. Mr. Stewart left two sons and Tom Carnegie more than half a dozen, yet none of these young men were allowed to come into the concern, and the estates of their fathers were settled up im mediately after death and the business continued by Andrew Carnegie. The consequence' has been that the active management of" the business has been intrusted to bright and active men wlib have grown up on iron. All of theso partners have become millionaires. To be suro thGy are not millionaires of the Carnegie magnitude, having to strugglo along with from one to ten million!. This was the case with Henry Phipps. He is one of mlnoi partners, whose name has not even been mentioned in connection with the Home stead strike, and yet he lives in England in a palace and maintains an establish ment like one of the princes of the blood. Indeed there is not in England a princ with a house as line as Kneb worth Park. Stevenage, Herts, where Henry Phippi and his family are now residing. This magnificent house is the count rj stat of the Lyttons, and from there the late Lytton was buried. Knebwoith which has an immense aemcsnc ana ar estate of thousands of acres, with every thing which wealth, care and time car add to make it a delight to the eye, wai at one time a royal palace, and has beer in the family of the Lyttons since abou1 1470. It was purchased then by Sii Robert de Lytton, who was Undei Treasurer jof the Exchequer to Ilenrj VII., and Queen Elizabeth with othe; subsequent sovereigns have been enter taincd within its ample walls The fortunate tenant of this establish ment has, however, been through tin mill at Pittsburg, and the yeMv of'tol lie has put in piling up the Carnegie millions as well as his own entitle him to the case and comfort which it is presumed he now enjoys there. Mr. Phipps, who, unlike Carnegie, lias never aspired to literary or political distinct ion, was recently presented at court, with his daughter and other members of his family. Rigged out in the ornate costume which a man is obliged to put on when he goes to court, the partner of Andrew Carnegie may be highly Interesting from a picturesque stand point, but does not add much to the dignity of American citizenship. Carnegie, as the cable has told the puUic, is living now in lordly luxury at Cluny Castle, Scotland. 1 Here is what a recent writer had to say about the goings-on at the castle : "Mr. Carnegie has a pljjer of his own, who pipes each day " for dinner, the company marching two and two behind him thrice around the hall in solemn Srocession until led by the host to tho Ining-room." The same writer, in farther description of this famous piper, says that ho is always "resplendent in tho Carnegie tartan." Thcro is no Carnegie tartan, and James Grant's book, "Tho Tartans of tho Clans of Scotland," docs not CTcn mention tho name of the family. Tho "Carnegie Tartan," therefore, which tho piper at Cluny Castle wears, must not only havo been made out of whole cloth, bujt it must havo been invented by Mr. Car negie. Perhaps he wears tho kilt him self. People who know Carnegie havo told him that his manly form coald be set off to no better effect than if he were to don the cap, the stocktngs and the sporran. - f"v i III3 NEW niGIILAKD SEAT. I But ho is now at Cluny Castle. Klnlochrannoch, Perthshire, is the name of his new country seat fn the, Highlands', and here his grounds embrace thousands of acres of mountain and moorland, brawling burn and silvery loch. , In Ids splendid house in New York, No. 5 west Fifty-first street, Carnegie, who has filled tho establishment with Scotch servants, has invented a coat-of-arms which reporters who have Inter viewed him in his library hav.e seen emblazoned on tho walls. It consists of loaves of bread quartered with a knife, sausagos, heads of cabbages, etc., in yules, azuro and ermine and all painted with a wretched disregard of art. Much attention is given to Spain' young six-year-old king. The proba bilities are that when that kid is old enough to be a king the world will bo too wise to admit of any such foolish ness even in old bcnjclitcd Spain. Sixty-cent wheat, five-cent cotton, lower prices for cattle and everything else produced are arguments that are silently but surely doing a work in opening the eyes of men that have here tofore been deaf to the appeals of reason. asrttofeiB iwBin impM mmurn auip M 'I I'll g"H XMnl ill iif Hi B: 7 mAWJMSM y , ijixnv nxnx i i 1 i 14 mi m mm 1 1 1 1 1 vi it I nr a r i rm jr-wtp gg'H.TT-TT "jfeV " ",""""."" . ";"?lr ;' I T U R E. LARGEST STOCK, LOWEST PRICES. Solid Oak Three Piece Chamber Suit to Match this Cheval Dresser. 20.00 211 SOUTH 11TH STEEET,