New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-11
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH.

SHOULD CAPITAL BE IN THE HANDS OF FEW or
THE MANY9
To fhe Editor or The Tribune.
SIR: In nm editorial deprecating the attempts
OF voringmen keep up wages through the agency OF
trades unions THE TRIBUNE asks: n Cinnamon build
thousand miles OF rond at Of $4,000 900 whereas
other labor would have made IL cost 900.
there not remaining TO DO employed in opening
mines or farms and In paying labor Thereof without en-
terng into discussion OF the general subject would
like TO say few words in rcply to the question quoted
First. then. there Ia proof that there dollar
moro remaining let alone 500. 100000 moro. because
Cinnamon did certain amount OF work for $4,000 900
than other laborers would have received for It,
Twenty millions that would have gone into the pockets
OF other aborers supposng that the work would
have been done by them had the Chinese not been avail
able remained instead in tho pockets OF captnsts but
whether It would DO employed in opening mines or
farms and in paying labor there whether the said cap
itasts would other business enterprise
spend II In having good time. We have no means OF
knowing Nor IA there any obviou, reason why 10
should have been better for the public in any way that
the 500 100000 should have remained In the pockets OF
those capitalists to be invested expended by them
rather than have passed. into the pockets OF certain
laborers he invested expended by them SupposnR
IL spent by the capitalists 1t would employ
labor than II 1t spent by the laborers II might
employ labor I'm making champagne rather than IN brew
ing lager becr In manufacturing silks rather than In
manufacturing oottons. and In building few paatia
mansions rather than In building large number Of cot
tagest but II Ia OF more advantage TO labor TO be
employ cd In producing luIunes for the rich than In pro-
ducing for the poor while 1t Ia OF moro sd-
vantage society IN general that tho many should have
nccc.sares than that the few should have Injuries.
Let ns suppose however. that instead Of being spent
this OF S2OOOO.0O0is invested In Industrial enter
pri.os. IN which case II would not merely employ the
labor required to the enterprises going. but would
onr labor I'm carving the
enterprise, on The owner Of n million dollars buy
with only million dollars worth Of labor tor hbors
productsl II no spends It outright for consumption
II he invests 1t Ia some productive enterprise. no can
sell tho products OF ono million dollars worth of labor
and buy another million dollars worth Of labor with the
proceeds: and and over again. For this and
other reasons II may granted that tho accumulation OF
capiiajhat Is Of wealth 10 Ice lso1 actively IN employ
INK ihor-is OF advantage 10 We pubic hut II II not
necessary 10 tins end that II be accumulated In few
hands. II twenty thousand railroad lnhOrers saved ID
the course Of ten years thousand dollars each. ana
then set up I'm business htte farms Of their own,
or T. u them borrowed from others OF the number
piscs II little crOrps OF them started such iSer en-
terrrses 10y uniting IN pLrtnershp, or Jont sucE aS'o
addition OF s-OoOO,ouO to Tie Productive capla oi TUG
country u- much ~ n the same amount were saved
aud added 60 the productive capital " tue country by
the caW, iis,s By whom tho said railroad hands were
Tne chances are that whether the S2O0oO00O went to
tie ahorcrr retained 10y tue capitalists part OF II
would he expended for consumption and part OF II saved
u form productive capital Int be said that the car
itnsts would be key 10 save more than the lahore-
| reply that al the capital needed can he Accumulated
this country without cr0Hng the ahOrei down 10 tue
Chinese standard Of living and that all advantage
gained In that way through increase OF capital would
be Oyrrbalauced through deerI 1aon ia the Iua-
y of labor 1t H. In fact hardly po.sibe to eIasgerate
Ina estimating tho extern which the gain from the
former would be out elgh6t by the loss from the
latter Tor II Ia tue Intelligence OF the lat Orer that gives
lie aud efficiency 10 capita! by constant improvements
n the implements OF productions aud Intelligent laodr
cannot exist upon tho level OF compensation to which
tho competition OF Chinese labor Nould soon reduce us II
FREQ immigration were allowed
That tue better paid chsses OF workingmen do not
contribute ma much they might 70 Increase the sskre-
gate ninount of productive capital may perhaps, he
true and 10 H. ali events desirable 90 strengthen their
motives for saying by ncreasng thor facilities Tor the
snfe aud ndynntn geous combination OF small capitals
I'm pront welding enterprises This n one way In which,
infiolous Legislation may DO much Tor tho bcheh OF
ia Dor Tho legislation of Massschurrtts some years hgO
IN regard tho ssrocatious commonly thong some
what inappropatoyl known a. bnillng societies. pre-
sonts 4 case in point Respectfully yours, -
EDWARD 7. PETERS.
Washfa1ion, d. o., AdH 81. 1888.