Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-26


slider tonight the difference between thu.
capitalists nt this country and the working
people. What have 10 say Is from the
standpoint of sOrialIst. | wish to
speak iO You upon >nrial>tIc. upon co
operation. labor. upon anarchy. Their.
i something that is producing the condition
of affairs which We witness all around u
TO-DAY. There must be cause for every
effect. \ tree i known by it, fruit. WHY
/ i there such an unrest and dl>cOntrnt among
the people? This i the thing to hr sought
/ for. We must ascertain the Cause before
/ We can remedy II OF before We can treat
/ properly the effect resulting from that
cause. Upon every hand We witness the
indications which point uum>takahly Ia a
>urIalistic revolution. This revolution
may br peaceful: it may be violent; but
that there i a revolution pending u"
mtriI-cu man can doubt The Socialists
a>cTIbe this to the existing system ot indus
try known a. capItalI>m What l. this" II
i the monupolization 10y few "a the means
of human existence. the appropriation 10y a
few of the means whereby other people
live. What l. this institution, ami whence
does il come" Ii had its origin in the Mid
die Ages, but il more recent development
has been of very modern character. The
III N dlt wv llt-lNliAH VI ldil IL i'lu'l l"'llat
ton by few; the private ownership "f cap
ital. the means of production and common
exchange; the system ot private property 8.
the ownership by a few ot machinery, oi
lands. of houses. of all the implements of
production and exchange. The prNat"
ownership Of capital i the cause of the
difficulties under which We are suffering.
I 1t had It> origin IN the middle ages in viO-
lrncG. in bluUd>hed. and in war The eN-
listing system of industry and the existing
civilization of the world had its origin in
force, IN physical violence, and il came
about by one set of men in the center ut
Europe seeing the peaceful valleys be
low, the waving haTveStS the lowing
herds. and the industry of the peaceful
vale. and looking with jealousy upon these
peaceful habitatlonS. They swept down
upon them. seized their property. put the
men 10 death. captured their women and
children. bound them in chains and held
them a. personal slaves. appruprialing the
land. houses and property OF these people.
This is the origin, and il Is producing the
results which we see today. The speaker
went Oh TO show the difference between
now and twenty-five years ago. claiming
that the invention of labor saving
machinery. the discovery OF steam
ana tlttlIlcllN were utlIllntUldi 10
our cuuntry'S interest lie illustrated
his point by citing the trade OF shoemaker.
Twenty-Five years ago one man made the
whole shoe and was in business for himself.
but now. with the invention of Iabor->aving
machinery. it took tifty-two men to make
one shoe, 80 that man in that trade uow
is only the send part OF a shoemaker. This
is what the socialists mean. he says. Wh"n
they speak Of the development Of the
captali>tic system and the effect which il
produced.
The speaker then went into statistics
He said. according 10 the census OF lSsU.
We nnd there were 21,OOO.OOO wage
workers employed in the man
ufacturng industries and 80. 900 man
ufacmrimg establishments. that the wages
paid 10 these men. women and children.
was 5000. 900. 900; that the profits for the
manufacturers SlU0.OOO 900. Divide up
the sum total among those who were en-
plOyed and you ma the average made by
employers 10 he S3O4 apiece. Divide the
sum total received by the manufacturer IL
prutt and you find the average Is little
over 81 900 apiece Thus the wage-worker
who did all the work and pro
duced this wealth. received but
1904 apiece, while the capitalists
who performed no labor. rendered no ser
vices. derived an income Ut over 1000
apiece. is il any wonder" he continued
that the rich are getting richer and the
poor poorer every day? 1t could not be
otherwise.
The speaker then took the census Of 1850
in Ohio and de,luc,d the following cuncIu-
SiunS: In the state of Ohio in l>SO there
were S41. 900. 600 more employed a. capital
II. l.
the capital engaged in the manufacturing
industries IN Ohio Increased S4T, 900, 900.
While the capital increased nearly
nifty millions. the number OF
capitalists engaged in manufacturing
decreased 2.O7O. There were ii. 4O1 more
wagr-workcrs employed in 1850 in these i'll
duStriee than in 1870. The wages Ia 1870
on the average We're S351.62; in 1850,
SSS4.lS. Wages were reduced during these
ten years - per cent: the profits were 20
per cent. greater. The number of manu-
factuTer> had decreased, the amount Of
capital invested had increased. and the
wage-wurker> had increased nearly nifty
thousand. thus proving that the rich are
getting richer and the poor poorer. The
number of those who are rich Is decreasing,
but the riches of the rich are con
stamtly increasing. That i. he VIII"
hVe years ago was millionaire
i today worth ten million, but where there
were nNt mlliOnaIre> nNe years
ago. to-day there are only three.
That i the number of those who
are driven to the necessity Of working tUr
daily wages i Increasing. while the num-
Der Of those who cannot tind employment at
any price is also increasing. This results.
the speaker continued. from three different
causes. The army Of the unemployed.
those who are kept in compulsory and Ell
forced idlent>S, i being >wclled. How?
First by labuT-SaVlnG machinery: and second,
hy the CrUwdiHg Uut of the employed
class. and destroying them. and dIvidln-
them into the class OF wage-wOTkerS. Thus
this army j. being increased all the time.
the necessities Of the people constantly i'll
crease, and the opportunities 10 satisfy their
wants constantly diminish. These are the
forces that are generating the social reNo-
luton. There l. increased profit Tor the
capitalist: reduced wages Tor the employed
class; the number Of th">eSyhn are seeking
employment increases. and the number OF
those Who tmd employment sdecrra>r>:
capital is Increased and piled up
until We have some men in this country
whose wealth can he estimated al over two
hundred millions.
The speaker then strayed from the argu-
mrnt and gave some interesting figures in
regard t. Nanderblt'~ fortune of over three
hundred millions. He said if this amount
of money was laid along III one dollar bills
il would reacn -. 900 miles, OT clear around
the earth. II il was coined into silver ii
would take fourteen freight trains, each
consisting of seventeen cars. pulled by two
locomotives each.
He next quoted BradStreet. of CONNER
cial agency fame, as follows: Last year
there were H. 800 business men went 10
10 their financial death, and Of
these ninety per cent had capital of less
thai $1,000 each. This shows that the cap
italstic system is like the whale in the
ocean-the big iish eat the minnOws. and
the big capitalists swallow the small buNi-
ness men The property OF these $4,000
men represented over 5000, 900. 900. Their
bankruptcy did not mean that this money
was destroyed: il meant that it was trans
farr,.b =, tb.. richer feIIpW.' ltppk,fs and