The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-12-10
For the Ottumwa Courier
ESSAY. NO. III.
obligation Of Wealth.
BY HsS"

" ha', thefl, are tie causes why all are not
supplied? They are: 1, The few command
ing the labor Of The many: 2, The boarding of
wealth, which is accumulated labor, by the
few: 3, Extravaganza of the fer, and want of
proper economy on the part Of many: A, Ignor-
ance. II might be tolerable for the few TO
command at will the labor Of the mass, pro-
vided they would give them a suitable reward.
and not exact from them too long period of
toll. Man is so organized that he must spare
his time not required for rest and recreation
between intellectual pursuits and mammal ex-
srcise. To force him to employ all his time
in physical toll, is 20 outrage his being. But
man loves power, and when he has it, is prone
10 oppress and play the tyrant. Consequently
the means of independence should be as equal
ly distributed as possible for man loses his
personal identity when dependent upon and
subject to the caprice of another The vanity
of man is delighted with distinctions, and
when he can extort from his neighbor to PAM
per his pride and pander to his lusts, he is
much inclined to improve the opportunity.
This power of the few over the many does not
=
influence in producing ignorance, jestitution
distress, than is usually calculated. The
strongest and most general passion that at
present, rankles in the human breast, is for
boarding wealth, which is but another name
for the labor of many, which one has been
able to command and appropriate exclusively
TO himself. Laws and business regulations
are such as to strengthen the arm of capital
against the muscular energy of the poor. and
give 1t advantages not its own. Capital as
usually employed, is q kind of monster that fat
tens on everything it reaches. It stalks among
the people like Briarius among the Spheres,
with an hundred hands touching everything,
moving everything, controlling everything at
will. II is constantly on the move, and it stlrs
not but adds to its own strength. While hui
man blood is drying up, sinews wasting away,
and the very bones losing their marrow, under
the severity of toll and the weight of years.
Capital moves on doubling its own power
gloating on the decay of human flesh, and fat
fening on the wreck of mind and happiness.
ltlanghs at the misfortunes of men. and reioices
the poor are to be sacrificed for debt,-gormsn-
dizing capital steps up in stately dignity and
| devonrs them. New lands are to be colonized
she goes forwardt to seize upon every chance
OF profitable investment, ani to strip the hardy
/ pioneer who has saved a small sum. and with
it, dares privaton and disease to get an indie
pendence, The Feudal system was bur an IN
genious contrivance of capital to bind all the
lands within her grasp under the control of a
few castled barons who held the people as
serfs, slaves and menials. But after many
bloody contests between men and capital, this
system was abolished, though its power was not
| broken.
| The land remained in the hands of the no.
blity, and we would suppose it would natural
ly increase its number of owners. But so far
from this being the case in England, it is said
that between the years 1875 and 1915, the num-
ber of landed proprietors was reduced from
2l0, 600 to 10000 These 1000 persons have
bound by the aid of the law and capital, all the
land which is inhabited by 12,000,0Oo people
in their exclusive despotic control The whole
tendency of capital when boarded, is to ex-
pand itself. Ever our own country of boast
ed freedom from entailment and primogeniture,
is peculiarly favorable to the amassment of
wealth. Capital Instead Of equally distr but-
ing itself among the people, is continuously
moving toward the few. Dove not observe
evidence of this fact throughout the length and
breadth of the land? You cannot enter city
or large town in the nation without noticing a
few who are looked upon as some cubits larger
than any of their neighbors, on account of their
''great possessiens.n Away out here in the
newly peopled West, we have our lords with
their. stately fortunes. What occasioned the
anti-reat troubles some years since, in eastern
New York, which resulted in the imprison
ment OF some Of its leaders for life, who
thought itan outrage that two or three should
be pei mitted to forever lord it over a vast ex-
tent of country that should belong to multi
tude? What, too, occasions the hostility that
has arisen andis constantly increasing between n
capital aud labor? We find the press divided,
"a portion depending and advocating the in
terest OF those who endure "the heat and bur-
den of the day." while the other portion side
with capital in .he contest, defend it through
out, depricate the hostility and throw all the
blame upon few whom they denominate
"demagogues," their favorite term of re
proach. Every senaible man can readily de-
termine who the demagogues are in this con-
troyersy,-those who sympathize with the
poor, and speak for them against the oppress-
ing rich who hold most of the influence, or
those who either have not courage enough 10
stem their power. or look to them for influence
and office. This contes, has arisen because
the people begin to understand their true
rights,-because they thirst for mental devel-
opement and spiritual enjoym MT, which their
means will not permit. Blu. no more of this.
Suffice it to say, that the destitution of the
land is not owing to any lack of natural abun-
dance, for wealth rolls up on every hand.
There are other causes why all have not
enough of the blessings with which the All
Bountiful rewards the toll of man. Extrava-
gance and luxury, fashion, folly and trumpery
shut from the reach Of the down-trodden mil
lions who support this pageantry, the light Of
knowledge and the means Of dignified living.
We need not notice the trappings of royalty,
II ~