The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-06-07
GREAT FORTUNES.
They Are the Outcome OF Robbery
Spollatlon and Murder.
How Men Grow Rich. and How
Labor Ii Robbed by Rings.

-
How Men Grow Rich. and How
Labor Ii Robbed by Rings.
tttenrs aecrse, ~ Frank i,csllss Illustrated
II Ii constantly asserted and assumed
that. In the United States at least,
there II nothing unjust IN existing so
cial relations. The comfortable theory
that Il Il In the nature Of things that
some should I've poor and some should
be rich, and that the gross and con-
stantly y.incrensed inequalities IN the dis.
tribution Of wealth imply no fault in
our institutions, pervadcs our litera-
turc and h taught In the press, in the
church. In school and III college.
This In free country, we arc told
every man has vote and every man
hAs 4 chance. The laborer's son may
become President. poor boys Of to-day
will be millionaires thirty or forty years
from now, and the millionairc's grand
children will probably be poor. What
moro can bc askedY II 4 man has en-.
er1,, industry. patie, &c and foresight,
he may win his wnv 10 great wealth.
II he has not tho ability to do this he
must not complain Of those who have.
II some enjoy much and do little, II Is
because they, or their parents, pos.
sessed superior qualities which enabled
them 10 acquire property or make
money!" Ii others must work hard
vet little, il h because they have not
yet got their start, because they are ig.
norAnt, shiftless, unwilling 10 practice
that economy necessary for the first
accumulation of capital, or because
their fathers we're wanting In these re.
speets. The Inequalities in condition
result from the inequalities of human
nature. from the 4 Ference in the pow.
era and capacities H different men. II
ene has TO toil ten or twelve hours a
day for a few hundred dollars year,
while another, doing little or no hard
work. gets Nn income of many thou.
sAsds, Ii il because all that the former
contributes b. the augmentation Of the
common stock of wealth Is little more
than the mere force OF his muscles. He
can expect little more than the animal,
because he brings into play little more
than animal powers. lie il but pri.
vAte in the ranks OF the great army OF
industry. who has but to stand still or
march, IA he Il hid. The other is the
organizer. the General. who guides and
/ wields the whole great machine, who
must think, plan and provides and his
larger income il only commensurate
with the far.hiGher and Nrer powers
which lie exercises, and the far-grcatel
Importance of the function he fulfils.
Shall not education have its reward,
and skill It's pAyments What incentive
would there hc to the toll needed Il
learn tc ITO anything we'll were grea,
priace not to 6e gained hy those who
learn to cxccls II would not merely bs
gross injustice 10 refuse Raphael or
8 Kubens more than . honse.painter,
but il would prevent tho development,
Of great painters. To destroy incguAl
ities in condition would he TO iestro,
the Incentive to progress, To quarre
with them il to quarrel with tho law,
ef nature We might ~ we'll raj
against the length Of the days or th'
phases II the moons complain tha
there are valleys and mountainss ozone
al tropical heat and regions Of eterna
ic~, And were We by violent measure
te divide wealth equally, We shoul,
accomplish nothing but harms in
little while there would I've ineqaAlitie
~ great M hefor.
This, IN substance. i the teaching
which We constantly hear. 1t is &C
ccptsSl hs Aamc because Il in flatterin,
to their vanity in accordance With thei
interests or pleasing 10 their hope; b
others hccAnsr il il dinned into thei
ears, Like all false theories that OF
tain vile acceptance, il contains mnc
truth, But il is truth isolated fror
other truth er Allovcd with falschooi.
Topamp out ship with hole in he
bottom would I've Az useless A hopeless
hut that il not H. say that leaks ma
not he stopped and ships pumped DR..
II il uadeniahle that under present COT
aitions Inequalities in fortunes woal
tend 10 reassert themselves even il Al
hltrarsls lcseled for = moments y,
that does not prove that the condition
from which this tendency to ineluallt
spriaHs may not he altered. Nor b
cause there are differences in huma
qualities and powers does il follow tn,
existing Inequalities Of fortune are thu
accounted for. | have seen very ia,
! eempositors and very slow compositcr
hut the fastest ever saw could not a
!. twice a. much type as the sloWest. an
doubt il in other trades the variation
are greater, Between normal men Il
7 difference Of sixth or seventh is
great difference in height--the talle
giant ever known was scarcely mol
than four times as tall as the smalle
: dwarf ever known, and | doubt II NJ
: good observer will say that the ment
differences of men are greater than Il
physical differences. Yet We alreat
have men hundred million tim
richer than ether men.
That he who produces should hav
!. that he who saves should enjoy. is co
= sistent with human reason and natur
y law. But the attempt to justify exis
: ing inequalities of wealth on this gronl
will not bear examination. Asamatt
!, of fact. how many great fortunes can
!. truihfally said to have been fair
e earnel-how MANY of them reprcse
wealth produced hy their possessors
= those from whom their present posse.
ors derived them? Did there not go
\ the fcsm3tion Of all of them somethi,
: more than superior industry and skill
y These qualities may give the first stal
= Int when fortunes begin to roll up in
u millions there will always be found sor
n element Of monopoly, some appropr
tion ~ wealth produced hy others. @
n en- there is a total absence OF superi
y industry. skill or self-denial, and mere
u better luck or greater unscrupulo,
= = ness.
: An acquaintance Of mine died in S
! Francisco recently leaving $4,000, ,0t
= = which will go to heirs to be looked
Il Il in England | have known many m
= more industrious, more skillfnl, mi
!. temperate than he-men who did not
= who will not leave cent. This N
!. did not get his wealth by his industl
skill or temperance. lie no more pl
duced il than did those lucky relaiio
in England. who may now do nothi
ie for the rest of their lives. He becal
n rs.l hy eating InlI af mace 0f la