The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-06-01
From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, May -.
The D~ssiay Of the Operative.


of modern civilization is to make the rich richer and the
poor poor that has almost to be regarded
a trusm. A late number OF the Edinburgh Review,
however challenges the soundnesa OF the assertion. As
the question one that lies the threshold of the social
agitation OF the day. it may not be amiss to look at the
facts quoted by the Edinburgh Review, and then to ex
anime their sucency In word, TO inquire what is to
be the destiny OF the operative in Engand-wheher he
is to rise or fall in the social scale
The reviewer maintains in the first place, that the
poor OF England cannot be growing more poor because
within the last fifty years the wages OF operatives have
decreased proportonaly with the necessaries Of life
In many pursuits indeed wages have rsen be says IN
and all ordinary articles OF veal. have become greatly
duced in price In 1900 the wages OF carpenters and
bricklayers in London were shinGs week-in 1850
they between IS and 30 shillinEs week In 1900
the wages OF cotton spnnes 80 shillings weekly
in 1880 the wages OF the class OF operatives
20 shillings weekly Fo! the first ten years Of the
the last ten years the average price was only o3s 3D.
Coffee in 1900 was zoos acwt.the same quality Is now
but IT'S Superior shirtnS which in 1900 wa. s. Sd
Il the poor grow poorer faster than their fathers. is not
because they earn less or are compelled to spend more
than their parents.
taxes which bear the lower classes mach lighter
in the present generation than in the last and that con-
sequeny there nothing in the action Of government to
make the poor more poor Since 1915, he Gays. taxes
have bees repealed, to the amount Of Gao $50 900
more than have been laid. Moreover in imposing
taxes has been taken 10 discriminate in favor OF the
life were taxed soap is the only article Of this kind
which s not free. Corn enters England without duty, 40
does butchers meat and do all other articles OF food
II the working man lives plainly, eschewing luxuriss
he escapes, Gays the reviewers TAXATION entirely. IL
from the middle classes and nobility that the revenue 10
chiefly collected through the medium OF the income tax
which direct and by dutcs on luxuries which are in
direct The time has greatly changed Continues the
EdnbuNh) since Sidney Smith penned his witty diatribe
NJ taxaiioa England These facts glad to
Apart from their force in the argument OF the re-
viewer, they show that Great Britain 10 beginning 10
legsate for the people, and they hold out prospect that
in tme the condition OF the poor there may almost
rise to what il is here,
But the Edinburgh has third proof il thinks, of the
aacy OF the notion that the rich growing richer and
the poor poor quotes from the Official returns OF
the Savings banks, showing that according to the the
average amount of savings for each depoeto 70 double
now what II even 10 late ~ 1928. IL quotes also
from the list OF in the national debt and e.
,abshes the important fact that the number OF Psraons
receiving dividends not hve pounds u each pay.
has increased nearly per cent ~ twenty years.
while the number of those receiving dividends ut
thousand pounds has decreased severay twelve and
twenty per cent II quotes still further from the income
tax reurns. and exhibits the concdsnt fact that the
smaller incomes increase faster than the larger All these
acts the Edinburgh sdducss in support OF ito position
The last, however, appear to ~ 10 beas directly
against ito case The assertion is the hand that
he rich are becoming swer but that these few enor
nousy rich, which assuredly the fund and income rAturnA
DO not contradict but rather sustain while, on the ohsr