Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-16
LABoR,s LOAD.
The Immense Burden Borne by the Work
men of the Old World.

The m,nen Burden Borne by the Work
men of the Old World.
One hundred thousand millions Of
! dollars, more or less, constitutes the
sum of the bonded public debts, ma
tional and municipal, of the civilized
| world. The annual interest thereon at
4 per cent.--a fair average rate, we
| think-amounts to 81, 600, 600, 600.
which has to be paid out of the annual
products of labor, besides paying ali
the living expenses Of the population,
and all taxes for the support OF the
various forms of government and laying
by many other millions as a reserve
fund to draw upon for future wants.
And this immense load has been placed
upon the backs OF the producing classes
-siN-sevenths of it atleass-within the
last one hundred years. Labor carries
this burden almost alone, for the nom
producing classes, whether they are
rich or poor, are all dependent alike
upon those engaged in the various
kinds of labor for their support. The
rich live upon the accumulated products
of former years, while the poor live
upon those of the present time. Not
more than onc-third-probably not
more than one-quarter-of the popula-
ton of the earth are producers, hence
the burden of the laboreris much greater
than hat of any other class. But when
millions of them are forced to be idle.
as is the ease at the present time, it not
only increases the burden OF the re-
mainder, but breeds discomfort, crime
and misery; and when their numbers
are sufficiently increased by a long con-
tinued depression the peace OF society
and the stability Of governments are
seriously threatened. As their num-
bers increase and their complaints be-
come louder they are listened to with
sympathetic care by vast numbers but
little better off by reason of their pow
erty, resulting from low wages and
scant employment. The business of
these complaints is also acknowledged
by a large class of reasonable and con-
scientious people who are themselves
in good circumstances, but who can
not witness the misery of their fellow
beings with indifference.
In this country of peace and plenty,
of liberty and equality before the law.
the privatipns and misery Of the men,
ployed labpring class are less severe
than in the older civilizations OF Eu-
rope, for in Germany and France, for
example, many millions of the inhabit-
ants, including women and children,
labor cons antly and severely, and yet
live in squalid poverty, scarcely able
to secure food, shelter and clothing
enough tokeep soul and body together,
by reason Of their meager earnings.
In proof Of this let us refer to the
tables ofthe statistician, who tells us that
in Prussia,in 1882, the number of families
exempt from taxation because their
annual income was less than 1926, was
upward Of 1000, 900, and increasing.
In France, out of the 5000, 900 of land
p%roprietors, no less than 3,0O0,O0 of
them are on the pauper roll, exempt
from personal taxation. Bothin France
and Germany the number of small
land proprietors is SO great that the
land has to be cultivated by hand, by
the men, women and children of a
family together, at Notwithstanding
Ill COIllpcGlGIoIl Will GuC luupAOVcu
agricultural machinery employed on
large farms in their own and other
countries. Some of them are, even
then, forced to givn up their lands to
the parish, to entitle them to relief.
NJ. Lafargue, in a recent publication,
says the excessive subdivision of
property and the scattering ofthe small
patches of land belonging to a single
proprietor not only prevent the use of
agricultural machines, but entangle
them to a hopeless degree. one with
another, giving rise to interminable
and ruinous lawsuits and inextinguish-
able hatreds, thereby causing an
alarming situation in France, which is
now passing through an agricultural
crisis, causing great depression and
distress among the laboring classes.
The same condition of things exists in
Germany and other parts Of Europe,
where the same system of small hold
ings and low wages prevails. -Brooslym
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