Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-12-12

tax Letters I1al1ir or Criticisms these articles
addressed TO the author OF the OF the league
VIII receive : prompt or courteous reI'iyI
THE DIsTRIBUTIoS OF WEALTH.
That those who labor most get the
smallest portion of the wealth pro-
duced, while many who live in idle
ness get the lions share, cannot be dis
puted- The poor Iaborer, working ten.
twelve, and even fifteen hours a day.
receives a miserable pittance, barely
sufficient to keep himself, and family
above actual want and suffering, while
lie has both health and employment.
a few weeks of sickness, or enforced
idleDess, and the poor wretch is thrown
upon the cold charities Of the world.
Even The skilled mechanic Is unable
10 save more than few dollars each
year, and he must labor the greater
portion of his life TO pay for a modest
home, and must continue 10 toll iu his
old age when the labors OF his life
should be over, and he should be able
to enjoy few years Of rest.
While be who has never produced
dollar worth of wealth, who has new
er done an honest days la Dor, is sur
rounded by all that makes life enjoy
able. Not content with a modest little
cottage, be lives ID mansion, erected
ST cost of thousands Of dollars, and
representing the labor Of many men
for long weeks and months. Liveried
coachmen. and well-fed, well-clad serv-
ants obey his commands. He has
not produced, but appropriated, that
which others have produced. Yet he
has perhaps violated no Law of the
land. He has appropriated that " hich
belonged to others, bot he has done so
by legal methods: therefore be is not
looked upon as q thief, or robber, but
a. very shrewd business man.
But for this state Of affairs there
must be cause. 1t is not question
of superior intellect, for many Of our
wealthy men have only ordinary intel
ligence, and many Of our brightest in
telleets have died poor, while some
have lived and died in absolute pow
eIty.
If we would discover the cause Of
this inequality We must examine the
laws that regulate the production and
distribution of wealth.
Wealth is created by three factors,
land, labor. and capital. Land, and
labor are absolutely necessary for the
the production of wealth, while the
use of capital greatly increases the pro-
duction. 1t may therefore be stated
thus: wealth is produced by labor
q appIied 10 land, and assisted by capjt-
al. Wealth then must be distributed
between these factors. The land OWL
er will receive that portion called rent,
labor will receive wages, and interest
will go to capital If for any reason
one factor receives 8 greater portion,
the other factors must receive less.
For example: let production be repre-
sented by ten. If rent receive two,
then eight will he left to divide between
labor and capital; but if rent raises 10
four, labor and capital must becontent
with six between them.
The generally accepted theory is that
If capital receives mora, la bo- must re-
cei7e less, and, "vice versa" while
rent is entirely ignored; this gives
the impression that labor and capital
are st war with each other, when their
interests are in fact Identical 1t may
be stated in q general way that rent
interest. and wages are regulated by
supply and demand. But examine
ton. will show that this rule can not
be fairly adpplied to rent. If labor is
scarce in any country and wages are
high, labor will be attracted from 9TH
er parts of the world until wages fall
10 the average. II capital is scarce,
and interest high, capital viii flow
from other countries till interest falls
to the average. But If land is scarce
and rent high there is no remedy.
Land cannot be drawn from other
and every increase in the
supply of capital or labor only causes
a greater demand for Ia ID. and as the
supply is fixed the result is ever in-
creasing rents. 1t may be denied tnat