West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1889-09-05

pupiiC uOhdiu IN over SoUO,OOO,O OO
a year.
The City of New York levies
over $50 per head for city government
alone.
The s36, O00,Oo levied by New
York for city expenses in collected
from the county through its inter
nal commercially leavy in one way
and another upon necessaries COM
ing from there-it is deducted from
the price paid by the consumer of
flour which goes there, and levied
upon tea coffee and other goods
which come from there. The cost
of all city hiving is paid by the conn
trv.
When we reflect upon the fact
that tea, which is landed in New
York at Fl cents pound, costs the
farmer rs cents, and that the flour
which leaves the farm at $3.50
reaches the mechanic at SO, we can
understand that somebody at the
transfer house is taking large toll,
and that his mill grinds as the tide
runs-doM rays.
These things we see, but there are
more and still worse things which
we don't see. Thirty years ago
Jay Gould and William Rockefeller
were men working in the city of
Cleveland on salary-the one in the
Cleveland and Pittsburg Railroad
as superintendent and engineer,
and the other with Hubby, Hughes
q Co.as bookkeepers neither having
anything but his wages to live upon.
To-day both are in New York,
each one worth 800, 900, 900, be-
cause the income on the stocks they
hold is five millions year to each.
Can anyone tell or see how this
vast sum has been produced or ear
ned by those men as bushel of
wheat is earned or produced by you?
There are seven millions of farm
ers and farm laborers in this country
who produced that wealth and
these two men have it.
1t is the old fable of the 10000
little bees cooperating with one big
man. They gathered the honey in
to box for their share, and he car
ried away the box for his share.
How many such men are there in
this country?
1t is estimated that 1000 men
exist in the United States who, coll
ectively, own and enjoy more wealth
than the whole 1000, 900 farmers.
All this has come to pass lawfully.
Z AS in the case of Gould and Rock
Teller, so with the 1000, all this
marvellous growth or unbalance of
wealth has occurred during the
past thirty years under laws then
existing or enacted during that
period.
Look in another direction at pub
lie expenses. Take up the salary
and fee bill of any county, city and
state, or the nation, and compare it
with what the same was thirty years
ago Take, for example, the Jud-
iciary of New York city. A dis
trict court judge who then was paid
5000 now gets So, 200, and sup
RENE court judge who then got So
900 now gets s17,5OO.
No offices then existing have been
abolished, no salaries have been re.
duced, both have been not doubled
but multiplied.
Thus in everything in social, civic
and commercial circles.
How is it with the farmerP
Have his burdens been lightened 4?
Have his resources been increased (?
Is farm property to-day worth
more than it was thirty years since ?
In 1866 our Government owned ST.
800, 100000 interest bearing debt,
when wheat was 81 80 bushel. In
the twenty-five years that have pass
ed over a, 900, 900, 900, have been
paid out in interest and reduction
of the principal of that debt.
To-day the Government ownes
but 81, 400, 900, 900 interest bearing
debt, just one-half the original
amount and wheat is soc.
On first blush this seems like
wonderful recuperative and debt
paying power, and the world 80
speaks Of it; but to the farmers Of
the United States who have paid