The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-03-04
GREENBACK TWADDLE.

! GREENBACK TwADDLE.
Gen. Weaver, an able and eloquent speaker
is perambulating the country making speeches
IN the interest Of the socalled "Greenback'
cause, on the side of which his main object /.
to enlist the laborlng men of the country by
vicious effort to array labor against capital
the head, body, tail and refrain of all his
speeches being summed up IN the following
sentences
Rome had for years-decade after decade
previous to her tall, subsisted upon the har-
vests brought by her fleets from Sicily, Eng.
land and Africa The few had absorbed the
wealth produced by the many, and, as the ma
ton rested upon the shoulders OF the people
and the people had become impoverished, OF
course the nation had to fall We
are drifting In the same direction in this cOun-
try. | hold in my hand the official report OF
the commissioner Of census. lie states where
the bonded debt of the United States Is held
that portion held by private individuals.
Eighty five per cent Is held in 1T cities of the
Union ard it is also true that 80 per cent Of
the remaining Is per cent. is held in the small
er towns and cities. The non.producar il
gathering the wealth, and labor is sinking into
poverty,
This everlasting dingdong about "the rich
growing richer and the poor growing poorer
has been q pet theme with demsgogues in all
ages and while no doubt there were eras IN
the history of many nations when, on account
of the unrestralned power and greed of the
dominant classes, the complaint was Just and
true, it will not stand the test OF close investl.
cation and reliable statistics IN these days
The same cry had been the keynote of agita.
tors among the working classes in England
for years, until lately parliament took steps to
have the subject thoroughly investigated, en-
ploying for that purpose the ablest of living
statistIcians, Mr. Mulhsll of the Contemporary
RecleD. Mr.. M. had devoted years to the inves
tigation Of the distribution OF wealth in Great
Britain, and with the means placed at his com.
mand has gone 10 the bottom of the question I;
and his figures demonstrate beyond all questIon
that the condition of the working classes is
improving out of all proportion to that Of the
middle and wealthy classes, 80 that as a mat
ter of fact the rich are growing poorer ana the
poor are growing richer.
In 1910 the average property of these three
classes stood as follows, rendering the pound
sterling into dollars;
The wealthy 100
The middle classes. 7l95
In 1877 the relations changed as follows:
The middle classes SOS
The working CLASSES. ........ 1870
There has no such exhaustive investigation
of the subject been yet made In this country
but when 1t Is made, we make no question but
the result will be even more surprising than
III England. We all know that wages are
double to day what they were thirty years ago,
while the cost of the bulk of the necessaries of
living are lower. Thousands Of mechanics
and workngmen live in comfortable houses of
their own where hundreds SO lived then. 1t is
true that much of this improved condition of
the working classes is due to intelligent CON-
bnation among themselves, and 80 far as such
combinations are directed by an intelligent
purpose to equalize the profits OF labor be.
tween the employed and employers they serve
a noble purpose and are not only justifablc,
but commendable, But when It comes to this
communistlc gable about 1.-THE rich growing
richer" etc, and redistribution OF property
in countries the prosperity OF which is advanc-
ing under the stimulus of combined capital
and labor-they who, like this Gen. Weaver,
make trade of 1t, are the enemies of the poor
To shake the guarantees ofproperty is to drive
capital out of circulation and into boarding,
and thereby to make 1t impossible for men
who live by their daily labor TO accumulate
even the beginnings of property. In other
words, the communist Is the tool and instru.
ment-the ignorant tool and instrument some.
times but quite as often the deliberate and
venal tool and instrument-of the monopo
list.