The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-01-17
The Concentration of Wealth.

4no CONCENTRATION VI 0hAIn'
One of the most important and interesting
questions of the times, is, what are to be the
effects of the rapid concentration of wealth in
large amounts, upon our commercial, social and
political condition. The power of capital to
accumulate, and by gathering strength with
its accumulations, to increase its power in
goometrical ratios, is alarming to those who
believe democracy to depend upon the equal
ity of the conditions Of men, Capital and
especially money-like mems weak and
powerless, when divided and scattered, but
combined in masses--like armies of men-its
powers in the hands of one man, or few
combined, is irresistible; and as its thirst for
acquisition is unquenchable and undying, it is
as dangerous to freedom and democracy as
the Unsuitable passion of the military con-
queror.
The power Of combined capital is one of the
revelations of modern commerce. It's effica-
cy was first manifested in public works. 1t
was collected at first under corporations. and
began to apply itself to the business of private
life, with the invention and improvements Of
modern machinery. And as machinery dis
places hand labor, the more will the monopo-
lies of capital be increased, for machine labor,
like slave labor, is one Of the possessions-s
the passive slave, of capital. Every substi-
tute of machinery for manual labor, adds a
province to the dominion Of capital and takes
fortress from unskilled labor; and capital
will continue its encroachments till it reaches
the boundaries of intellect. which it cannot
pass, where intelligence, skill and genius com
bine with labor-and afford the last and only
sure retreat to unexplained labor. Unskill-
ed labor is daily superseded and deprecated
more and more by labor-saving machinery
Values are taken from limbs and muscles, and
given to mental skill and art, which are be-
yond the encroachments of machinery and its
master capital. Education and mental power
are the only resources of uneudowed democ-
racy-the only means Of saving the masses
from the slavery to capital.
Combined capital is monopolizing the con-
troll Of all the varied private enterprises of
life and roofing out the individual, indepen-
dent operator. 1t has possession of the factory
and the mechanics workshop, and it is rapid
ly getting into the retail trade and driving
away the shop keeper. In England, man.
moth shops established by capitalists or asso-
Citations, are. Graduating the small dealers
in all sorts of wares, not only in London
but in all the provincial towns. The
reign of capital is becoming more and
manifested opd fha cipnla NJ
laborer and mechanic, and shopman, who
have heretofore formed the middling classes
are becoming the clerks, journeymen and en-
ployees OF capital
1t is rapidly be coming the competitor
of the small farmer whose chief dependence
is his own labor. As costly machinery is
more and more applied to farming capital by
using it on large scale, and producing
grand results, will root out the small indie
pendent farmer. Machinery in the free States
will produce precisely the same results, as
slavery does in Kentucky and the other slave
States, where capital is by degrees monop-
olising the land and gaining control of its
chief products.
In commerce it is monopolising and concen
trating business into the hands of large CAPT
talists who are rolling up gigantic fortunes
and with the increase of these inordinate for
tunes the monopoly extends and the accumu
lations become more and more concentrated
and the whole course Of events seem to help
the concentrations; railroads concentrate bu
siness to a few great points; and large capitals
at those points with the power of credit which
capital commands; and the facilities which tbs
systim of modern exchanges has created, en-
able capital now to gain control and hold
within its grasp, the great staple products
by gigantic schemes OF speculations and tc
determine prices Of the essentials of life to the
consumer, controlled only by the dictates Of
its own interests. And the question occurs
to every rejecting mind, what is to be effect
upon the masses, the country and its insti-
tutions. We were led into these suggestions
by reading the following statement of W. B.
Astor's property in New York:
1t is estimated that one of our rich men has
now Irregular income'' of $4,000 a day; OF
about 100000 a year. Out Of this he can
probably manage, with economy, to clay aside
against rainy day" the respectable sum
of million a year. Add to this another
million by the rapid appreciation Of his real
estate, and we have an annual increase oil
wealth amounting to two millions of dollars
BATTLING THE FRECH Notwithstanding
handbils are constantly affixed to the walls
of Paris, and that too, during the day time
notwithstanding the continual presence of p0-