THE DISABILITIES OF THE RICH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2138, 16 December 1890, Page 3

THE DISABILITIES OF THE RICH.

MILLIONS AND MONARCHY. Mr Andrew Carnegie, the famous Iron King and millionaire of Pittsburg, addressed a big audience at Dundee recently. We give some extracts from Mr Carnegie's speech, taken from the Dundee Advertiser:— It is said that in America, although we have no aristocracy, we are cursed with a plutarchy. Let me tell you about them. A man who carries a million dollars on his back carries a load. (Laughter). He cannot be elected for anything. You know the history of the American ."Republic. Why, there never was a rich man nominated for the Presidency. That would kill him at once. The men we nominate for Presidents are working men. Abraham Lincoln split rails for a living—the greatest man in this century. Garfield—(cheers) —l notice you cheer Garfield, and not Lincoln. There is where you make a mistake. Abraham Lincoln is to live for ever. (Applause). Be was a man who, with his pen, struck the shackles off 4,000,000 of slaves and made them men—not only made them men, but did not die until the poorest and meanest negro was possessed of every right and every privilege which he himself possessed. All our Presidents are poor men. You could not elect anybody else. You could not even nominate anybody else. If a man with an independent income were nominated for the Presidency you would say to the nominator, “ My dear friend, what is the matter with yen to-day ? What has Democracy to do with the rich ? Democracy is the Government of the poor.” Oh, you will say, it is not right that the rich should be discriminated against. Admitted; but as long as human nature is human nature, you will never get the needle of justice ' and righteousness to point straight to the north. It will be swayed. A judge elected by rich men will judge for the rich, and a member of Parliament with an independent income is unconsciously biassed in favor of his ] jlass. I say that in this matter we - jannot get exact justice—perfection— ; ind it is a great deal better in any , country that the doubt should always . ie in favor of the poor, and not of the 1 rich. The rich can take care of them- • selves, but in all such institutions as pou have you practically deny justice to the poor man. In America a poor nan who comes before a court or jury s received with favor, because we mow that the odds are against him at ;he start; This is what Republicanism | neans, * Do not understand me as condemning the men. When I speak against the * Royal Family. I do not condescend to t ipeak against the creatures who form * ;he Royal Family, (Laughter). When [ speak against the aristocracy, I do c lot speak against this duke or that ord—persons are so insignificant, I ipeak of principles and systems. If I md been born to privilege—if I had >een horn the Prince of Wales, prooably I would not have turned out half so good a man. If George Washington bad been surrounded with the sycophantic and pernicious atmosphere of a Royal Court he would steadily have deteriorated, and in less than six months his head would have been turned. (Laughter). Probably yon will never get a better Royal Family than you have now. I do not condescend to any personalities. I stand for something beyond that. I am no respecter of persons. I stand for what is right, and I think your, aristocracy have just done what you would have done if you bad been the aristocracy and they the poor men. (Hear, hear). Ahl fellow-citizens, it is the iniquitous system for which you are responsible, and not the poor, miserable victims who are led into all kinds of temptation by having one rule of conduct for the prince, and condoning conduct in him which you would consider disgraceful for a member of Parliament or for a duke. You have often been told that the Republican form of goyernment is « more costly than the monarchical government. Let us put the lie to that for all time to come. The American pays the President £IO,OOO per annum, and he has nothing to do with his brothers and his sisters and his cousins and his aunts. (Great cheering, which continued for some time.) I said that once in Glasgow, in tot, Andrew’s-hall, and they made me repeat it four times. (Renewed cheers.) I will say it once more. (Laughter and cheers.) The republican pays the head of the State —no dummy—(laughter and cheers) , —£lo,ooo per annum, and has nothing to with his brothers, his sisters, and his relatives—(laughter)—still less has he * te do with a German contingent—-

(cheers)—who take care to get the beat posts and get over the heads of veterans who have fought for their country. (Renewed cheers). We pay our Cabinet what you pay your cabinet practically. We pay every senator, and we have eighty-eight senators, £I,OOO per annum, and we pay every member of congress (325) £I,OOO per annum, and, paying them, we make them the servants of the people. (Cheers.) The total cost of the American Government the administrative, executive, legislative—paid to 413 public servants, is £425,000 per annum. The sum that you pay to your Royal Family is £900,376, And what is that family ? You deny them all political power. The last thing you would do would be to commit any serious business to men who are only able to lead in the mad, extravagant race of fashion. (Loud cheers.) You know, fellowcitizens, I talk as a Republican, and I tell you about the American Republic, and I repel the falsehoods which are told about it.

Lord Rosebery, your popular leader —not much of a peer, but a great deal of a man —has been talking about Imperial Federation. Permit me to I point out to these gentlemen the preliminary step. I am pleased to see that in all the speeches about the federation of the English-speaking races they are good enough not to leave out the republic of America. How could they leave out a republic which to-day has a majority of the English-speaking race far and away, being 64£ millions, compared with 47,000,000 in Great Britain and her colonies? The nations that compose the Greater Britain of to-day are j destined to be infinitely greater in the ] future. Think you that you can reach them with this funny little monarchy ? Oh, oh, how absurd! (Laughter.) My dear friends, there is only one way you can make a step towards the unification and consolidation of the English-speaking race, and that is by bringing this little island into line with the progeny which she has established throughout the world. (Cheers.) Monarchy is too small a tail to wag so big a dog. (Roars of laughter.) We laugh at your ideas in this petty little country having anything to say to the free and independent citizens who walk through Canada, Australia, and America, and wonder what these dear old gentlemen are thinking about. (Laughter.) You know how to get rid of monarchy. Brazil has taught yau. May Queen Victoria long live, ] because she is a good and pure woman, i May she live so long that the I democracy of this country—the people 1 of my native land—will resolve that ! when she passes away they must be ] consulted as to her successor. (Cheers, ] jgain and again renewed.) t That once accomplished, and you ‘ ind your children, standing on the ‘ immutable principles of justice, equal ( rights, and privileges of. all men, the Democracy of the Republic hails you j —extends its hands, and says 1 Henceforth we are brothers in feeing and in action, as we are in blood.” 'Cheers,) The first step will be taken n the great mission of the Englishipeaking race, for you will then be so jowerful that you will be arbiters of j ;he world. You can enforce disarmsnent, and if any two nations underake to draw the sword you will be irepared to say, “Hold, I command 1 rou both.” (Cheers.) Beyond this, hen, stretches the noble dream of the * >oet, and I believe it is salutory to [well upon these dreams dreams o hat are to become realities. One step p urther. After the English race be- ol omes united, we have “ the Parliament 01 i man, the federation of the world.” r C