IBM
8 Conservative *
runnc SKKVIOK. .
The following appeared recently in
the Boston Herald :
"His fortune massed while serving
the public. "
"Tho death of Mr. George H. Nor
man , which occurred in Florida.whither
he had lately gone for his health , removes
a remarkably interesting and resource
ful man from the business activities of
New England , wherein he had played
an important part. Although a citizen
of Newport , his largo business interests
in this vicinity made him practically a
Bostonian , where he was well known
and recognized as a prominent factor
in the development of important enter
prises that make Boston a great com
mercial centre. He was best known in
connection with the building of water
and gas works , in the establishment and
development of which he displayed
great skill and foresight , as well as
practical knowledge of engineering ,
which enabled him to overcome ob
stacles that would have discouraged a
less resolute and energetic man. He
I accumulated a large fortune in this way ,
which was still further increased by his
shrewd business sense. "
The above is worth a moment's study.
Just what the Herald means by ' 'serv
ing the public" is open to question.
The Herald is quite prone to condemn
a man who dies leaving millions to his
family and none to the public as an un
worthy citizen. It did so in the case of
the late Mr. Blair , of New Jersey , and
in other cases , yet it gives no evidence
that this Mr. Norman served the public
any more than Mr. Blair , Jay Gould ,
Cornelius Vanderbilt and many others.
In one sense this man served the public
no more than the dirt-digger who worked
on public works and was paid by the
public. We see no evidence of benefi
cence in such a service. The laborer
was paid according to his work , the en
gineer according to his. It is a question
of quality , not quantity. It is the ques
tion of difference in ability.
But there is another question of far
greater importance. This example
shows that he who serves the public to
its material benefit , that is , fills its ma
terial wants , prospers thereby. He
makes the public of service to him. On
the other hand , he who serves the public
with one great idea that benefits the
race may die in the poor-house as far as
the public is concerned. It is the great
discoverers of material benefits only
who have any hope of compensation
therefor. What would have become of
Darwin if he had had to depend on the
public to live ? Virchow would have
died of starvation in this country un
less he had turned a practicing phy
sician. No man did nobler service to
humanity than. Thomas Paine , yet what
was his fate ? If the newspapers are
going to talk BO much about service of
the public ia it not about time to say a
few words about solid material service
on the part of the public ? Monuments
to dead men and post-mortal gratitude
do not feed widows and orphans nor
make up for ignominy in life.
FRANK S. BILLINGS.
Sharon , Mass.
A NATIONAL FAKTY.
Pittsburg , Pa. , Feb. 24 , 1900.
EDITOR CONSERVATIVE.
With your permission I will call Mr.
Frank S. Billings' attention to a plat
form adopted by a convention held at
Braddock , Pa. , September 1 , 1894 , called
by the writer and a few other patriotic
citizens desirous of arousing the people
to the danger to our municipal , state
and national governments , from pot
house politicians , who are prostituting
them to their own avarice and greed.
Well may Mr. Billings , call it "the
great danger. " It is not only a great
danger to civil institution our govern
ment of the people , by the people and
for the people , but the lives and liber
ties of the industrial classes are in con
stant danger from the woeful lack of
true patriotism , from the prostitution
of all our governments as is seen in the
state of anarchy which for the past four
months has kept the state of Kentucky
on the verge of civil war , and on a
smaller scnle in nearly all our municipal
elections more or less of riot and scenes
of strife are witnessed. Not only so ,
it is the quintessence of fanaticism for
an individual corporation , state or na
tion to talk of maintaining a sound
standard of credit or monetary system ,
while conducting their business on the
most inflated system of corrupt abuses
possible to conceive of.
Bryauarohy , as you are pleased to call
it , fiat money or fifty cent silver dollars ,
are far more in keeping with equity and
decency ( when applied in payment for'
such services as the pothouse politicians
render , who are drawing the salaries
our public officials receive ) than that of
paying them in gold coin. Is it possible
to conceive of a greater travesty upon
our American manhood suffrage than
that which compels wage earners , me
chanics and farmers ( whose earnings do
not average $500 per year ) to be taxed
to pay an official aristocracy of pothouse
politicians from $5,000 to $50,000 per
year ? Imagine brave old General Put-
man , who aided in throwing overboard
the cargo of tea in Boston harbor rather
than submit to being taxed to support
a royal aristocracy , as he looks down
from his star-lit home in the skies , and
covers his head with shame as he be
holds the pusillanimous spirit of the
degenerative American sons tamely sub
mitting to be taxed and pay $50,000 to a
man who was incapable of managing a
business of $10,000 , and was forced into
bankruptcy. Yes , Mr. Editor and Mr.
Billings , McKinleyism which is boodlor-
ism is even a greater danger than Bryan-
ism. Indeed , if the boodlerism is to con
tinue , Bryan's free silver cheap money
is a panacea for the corrupt abuse and
will stave off the evil day of bankruptcy
awaiting the pusillanimous Americans
who tamely submit to the abuse. Let
Mr. Billings trot out his now party and
test the degree of American patriotism.
J. B. COUEY.
Hanna-
THEHANNA
SYNDICATE.FryePayne syndi
cate , promoters of
republican larcenies to foster tariff-made
trusts and other infant industries , has
recommended a measure to afford aid to
ship builders. The motive is thoroughly
unselfish and patriotic ; the preamble
speaks remarkable devotion to country :
"A bill to promote the commerce and .
increase the foreign trade of the United
States and to provide auxiliary cruisers ,
transports and seamen for government
use when necessary. "
So excessive was their patriotic in
spiration and so intense their desire to
express it in the preamble that the
senatorial syndicate neglected the trifling
matter of embodying , in the bill , means
"to promote the commerce and increase
the foreign trade. " The bill provides
for an insignificant subsidy for freight-
carrying vessels and an excessively large
bounty for the fast steamers transporting
exclusively the leisure class passengers <
and tourists to and from Europe.
Though the bill would not promote
commerce , the nobility of purpose back
of it should make the Payne-ful com
pound of greed and patriotism immune
as to criticism.
It is also a lamentable circumstance
that about the time Hanna and his co-
patriots were inspired to build ships , a
number of mercenary merchants listed
orders for the construction abroad of
all to the American
forty-five ships , eligible
ican subsidy while foreign labor and
capital derive all the employment and
benefit of their construction. This is
unfortunate. Carping critics will mean
ly mix up the Hanna brand of patriotism
with the hoggishness of ship builders.
THE ONE
.
If there be
LESSON. one
lesson that history
clearly teaches it is this , that free na
tions cannot govern subject provinces.
If they are unable or unwilling to ad
mit their dependencies to share their
constitution , the constitution itself will
fall in pieces from mere incompetence
for its duties. "
The president of the United States ,
his cabinet and their partisan blind and
bigoted supporters in congress ought to
read Fronde and ponder upon the lesson
he so tersely tolls. This republic can
not deprive others of their natural
rights of life , liberty and property and
preserve those of its own citizens.