St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-18

men will lend willing ears to appeals
for fairness, in this mad rush, when the
comfort and security of their wives and
children are in the balance? Away
beyond the tariff, beyond the
incompetence. beyond the political cor
ruption, lies the king evil of them all,
the private, absolute ownership of nat
ural opportunities. Men are denied
their god given right to utilize such nat
ural resources as they and the rest of
the world are in the need of the prod
ent lords of creation do condescendingly
permit production TO 90 on, the actual
producers are practically robbed OF the
major portion of their share OF the re-
suits.
A short tine ago sSupt. Porter, of the
census bureau, directed that several
persons be appointed in st. Paul to take
the census of the city,. Notwithstand-
ing that these appointments are well
known to SAVIOR of politics, and
that a certain amornt of political
influence is considered an essen
tial qualification. very nearly 600
applications were made for the posi-
tions. Now. those 600 people wanted
something to do. They were willing to
work; willing to produce something,
anything that the rest of the people
OF this world wanted. They were not
willingly idle. but enforcedly SO. There
is no end of fields in which their en-
ergieS and skill, whatever it may be.
might not be proftably employed
under proper conditions. Do not men-
ton overpopulation or overproducti0n.
This great country of ours has scarcely
been scratched as yet. AS for OverprO-
ductlOn, very large mandatory OF
shirts, in New Jersey, was closed a
short time ago, and Overprodnction was
the cause announced; now. let me ask
the reader, if he has all the shirts he
wants, or how many of his friends
have all the shirts they want, not to be
wastefully, but comfortably and prop
eriy supplied. Assuming for moment,
however, that the reader and all his
friends want nothing, setting our
selves aside, as it were, for the time
being, how about the little army that
rushed for these possible openings
for few weeks employment?
Are not their wants as i'm
portant to them as ours to us, as AStOr'S
to him? DO they not require the neces-
sarles and deserve the luXuries of this
mitted to do so, could not they utilize
the unused naturalopportunities in con-
junction with their personal abilities
and in the natural order of
production and exchange support
each other? They could. Men
want houses. men want clothing, men
want hats; and, my God, at the end OF
the nineteenth century OF Christian civ
iliZatiOn there are men who want bread.
Consider that. The law of supply ana
demand might go far to equallze earthly
benefits, but it is hampered and dis
torted. Give free scope to the supply
and the demand can take care of
itself. The bases of supply are the
crude materials, as nature gives them
to us, and the locations for their devel--
opment. These constitute natural OPP
portunities. With the supply con-.
tr0lled, the natural opportunities owned
in absolute by few more fortunate or
less conscientious than their fellows,
what MAY we expect other than the
us? just the masses poor
and growing poorer and the centraliZa-
ton of all wealth in the hands of few?
This contradiction of wealth could not
possibly be the result of legitimate and
fair business. How many of the enOr-
nous fortunes of to-day have been
amassed from fair profits in far bust
ness? None, excepting, possibly,
in some line that has been
an absolute monopoly, and for
that matter when any business becomes
a monopoly it ceases to be legitimate.
Moderate foundations for large fortunes
may have been made In years but re-
Gently gone by In the ordinary profess
sional or mercantile pursuits; but the
great sums of wealth held by a few i'll
dividuas of to-day are the rewards
of unholy speculation in the in
herent rights of others, in the
holding in or out of use, the mOnopollZa-
very few years ago building lot could
be bought on any of the avenues of st.
Anthony hill, in this city, for few
dollars. We will suppose that Boston
gentleman purchased one for 500.
Many people less fortunate, or more
enterprsing than our Boston friend,
isolated themselves from the pleasures
and comforts of life in older sections,
and came to st. Paul. They are indus
lrious and busting, and st. Paul be-
comes town of no small Importance
through their efforts. They build homes
and stores around the lot of the BOS
tonian. Street grading and paving
becomes necessary and his lot
is assessed for hundred dollars to
defray his share of the expense. The
poor Hubite has to go into his pocket
for another 500. but, aside from any
other reason for increase in value, these
improvements make his lot worth 500
after all. Meantime the neighbor-
hood of his property is being
developed. Houses are erected,
gardens are made convenient
modes of transportation to and fro are
constructed, and his lot rises in market
value year after year to five hundred,
one thousand, three thousand, five
thousand, perhaps to-day it is worth
ten thousand dollars. Has he given it
that value? He may never have seen
the property, and he certainly has never
freely spent one penny to improve it,
and yet. should you desire to purchase
the lot. he is privileged to exact from
you $4,000 because you, together with
your neighbors, have given the location
that value.
A short time ago William Waldorf
Astor invested 81, 500,0 00 in suburban
realty in the upper part Of New York
city. He was asked by friend
what he purposed doing with the prop
erty and his reply was. Nothing, for at
least ten years." For the next ten
years the ever increasing population of
New York, by its increase and by its in
dustry and its enterprise and its labor,
will be giving to that property such an
enormously increased value that
Mr.. Astor can exact from pur-
chasers at the end of that
time S1OOOo.OOO at the least ealcu-
lation. Now, will some one kindly tell
me how much of that ten millions of
value Mr.. Aston will have created?
How much he will have given to the
world in exchange for it? Natural OPP
portunities are not alone found in city
lots. They are in the mines, ana the
farms, and in all places where labor in
any form can be applied. and
it is the monopolization of them
by the dog in the manger that is max
ing the rich fewer and richer and the
poor correspondingiy poorer and greater
in numbers. Capital is without any
principle but that of gain. Invested in
land, it has nothing in common with
labor and becomes its enemy. The rem
edy for the existing evils Of the day is
to abolish that field for speculation.
ROBERT S. DOUBLEDAY.