The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1878-05-24
TnE EARNINGS Or LABOR.

Mon. \ =. cary 81 ih~ Creation sna D.s.
How can tho joint earnings of labor
and capital be cqnitahly distributed
labor and capital each getting its share I
Upon the proper solution of this great
problem depends the material and moral
grandeur. tho strength and pcrpctuity Of
free government.
That there In no such equitable diatri.
button, that capital appropriatcs the
lions share, will not be questioned
or doubted. The problem IL becoming
moro complex and difficult Of solution
bv reason of the many improved pro-
ceases for increasing product. which
processes require large amount of capi.
tai. involving combination. of men OF
wealth, anil the crowding together Of n
great number of laborers under a com.
mon direction.
Men Of small meNns. however Akillctl.
cannot compete with thu rich firm or In.
corporation which employs machinery.
Individual enterprise must either retire
and seek some other employment, or be-.
come factor In the aggregated mass,
Dependence aud hclplcsancas are the
result. and capital, always tyrHnt, BIZ.
comes tltSpotic IN its power over the
toilcrs.
Our problem may b. properly snb.li-
vidcd, Or rsther involves two prOpo1i.
tions: First, how 10 produce wealth,
and, second, how 10 distribute II.
Wealth or riches consists In the raw
material and whatever skill and labor
can add 10 II for tho useful purposes oi
mankind.
II wealth ID created rapidly by means
of machinery, and In badly distributed,
the rcsnlt must b. great opnlencc In ono
direction md extreme poverty In nm
other.
Over. grown fortunes and general dies-
titution arc hardly possible, 4 Che means
of distribution illegal tendcrs) corrc-
spond with the incrcAse of production.
The study oi the statesman should ~
10 maintain tho equilibrium, that The
general welfare may bc secured and -.
tAbliahcd.
The problem In not solved by an equal
division of property, N by that means
NIL emulation II deatroyed, and labor IL
virtually ab0lishcd, bccansc NO man will
work without proeuvt of reward. II
II not M equal, but m equitable slistri-
button of thc product. u labor that Ii
desirable. We would not abolish prop
orty. but mnivcrsAlixe II. ~ that every
citizen, 10 tho extent of his MnassiAttsl
production, will be- a proprietor. Every
man In entitled to NIL That he individual.
" creates without aid from others. He
can accomplish little with empty hands;
he must have tools and implement. with
which 10 work. When he has paid 4 fair
rent for thc us., VI these tools hc In IN.
titled 10 tho residue of his product, and
this rent should not bc ,linproportionnlc
10 The results otherwise the lAborcr Ii
robbed. and this man who furnishes tlc
toolN II the r0bbcr.
the nsc N capital IN IN excess of the
ability of labor 70 pay, or. II other
wor,ls, ID not IN proportion " thc mar.
ket value of the Joint product.
Labor II n still creator disadvantage.
and inequalities IN condition are magni.
ncd when machinery IN employed in
volving = large expenditure 81 dear
capital.
An increase in production, however
brought about, Gun never injnrc labor,
II nm equitable distribution ID secured
In every normal condition of society,
consumption and production will always
he the c0untrpMFts uf raeh other. An
increased production of tho ncccnaartcs
of life cnlasgcs tile number and mag.
niiics thu wants ~ consumers, II the IN
atrnment ~ distribution (moncyl Ii
ample and within tho reach u the ii.