The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-04-25
A DANGER.


late issue of the North american
Re0teoo, by Rev. DIR. Crosby, of New
York. The article in question was
one calling attention to the great
evil that was threatening the libertp
of the people through the tendency
of our laws and customs to make
the rich richer and the poor poorer.
The doctor has excited a good deal
of discussion, and called forth
some pretty strong criticisms of his
assertions, but no one has yet been
a bic to prove that the gentleman
was incorrect either in his state
ments or differences. During the
past quarter of a century indi-
viduals have accumulated larger
masses of wealth than were ever
possessed by the richest Americans
in former days. Not all this wealth
has been created. If it had been
there would be less cause for COM
plant, and not so much occasion for
alarm. The property has been
| gathered and concentrated, and as a
consequence there is a less amount
to be distributed among the many.
The natural and unavoidable
result is the absolute poverty at one
end of the social scale is in proper
ton to the excessive accumulation
of wealth at the other. But the
morals of the people are more
severely affected by this struggle
to get rich, than their liberties are
endangered. The race for money |
indicates disregard of the means
by which property may be obtained.
The craze has made men unscrupu-
lous and corrupt; they care nothing
for honest ways so long as they can
get'rich faster by going in crooked
paths, SO long as they can escape
punishment. They do not dread
discovery even, if exposure is not
followed by legal punishment. To.
day rich men will engage in specula-
tions, corners, monOpolies and cor
ruption Of legislatures and public
officials, which twenty-five years
ago would have been regarded as
most disgraceful and immoral con-
duet. Even embezzlements, defal-
cations, robberles Of banks by
presidents and cashiers, and viola
tons of trust do not carry with
them half the disgrace they did
when the mania for money making
was not so general, and the struggle
for immense fortunes less severe.
We can talk about this great de-
sire for riches and condemn it, but
how is it to be checked? DR.. Crosby
says s'there must be a limit to in
dIvidual wealth if we are to be pre-
served as a republic" Who will de-
termine the limit and at what figure
will he fix it and upon whom will
he bestow the surplus? Such a
course would never do. The evil
would be greater than the one it
assumed to cure. 1t cannot be said
to Jay Gould or Vanderbilt or any
body else, you shall not own above
a certain amount of wealth. If that
were done the liberty Of the indi-
yidual would be more completely
destroyed than it can ever be by
moncpolies, corporations or corrupt
legislatures. Every citizen must be
protected in his right to get as rich
as he honestly can, and to secure
possession of his wealth; but the
law can step in, without violating /
any of his privilege or overriding 7
any of his liberties, and compel him
to make his money honestly, and at
his death compel him to divide it
up. It is the declared and fixed
policy of our laws that
property shall mott be en-
titled = that is, it shall
not be so. settled as to descent
unalterably from generation to
generation. This theory or policy
is one of the best projections that
could be devised for the liberty and
equality of the many against the '
graspings of the few. DR.. Crosby
is of the opinion that this policy 7
should be extended by compelling I
the vast fortunes in individual
hands to beiwell-distributed on the
death of the .pOssessOr. He claims
that by this means the Objectionable
tendency of the rich to get richer
and the poor to become poorer would
receive an effectual check. Under
the operation of any law there
would he rich and poor. Society
would soon be destroyed if it were
not for this fact; at the same time,