The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-05-02
CAUSES OF POVERTY.


fessors, social reformers and successful
business men: "What, in your opinion,
is the chief cause of poverty in this coun-
try at the present time, and why?" In
its issue of March 10 about twenty re-
plies were printed:
Edward Atkinson, political economist
and inventor of an original scheme for
living on o csnts day, said: What
Ignorance and incapacity. Why-Vol-
untary idleness."
That is, if the poor were not lazy they
would be wise and capable; hence the
poor are so from choice and all this talk
about their discomfort is balderdash.
Banker Henry Clews, John d. Rookie
Teller, oil king; Russell Sage, railroad
magnate; Charles Pratt, millionaire mer-
chant, and Chauncey M. Depew, all said:
"Intemperanoe, rum, is the chief cause
of poverty"
Three. at least, of these gentlemen are
high livers, and each of them probably
spends more for wine than the aggregate
wages of half dozen workingmen. The
unanimity with which the millfcnaires
express their opinion would seem to indi-
cate there is something in it; but the fact
is that they are incapable of reasoning on
economic lines, because in the mad race
for wealth they have had no time to con-
slider problems of universal scope-the
successful ones are not all who have be-
come so dwarfed. But the fact is that
a majority of the poor do not drink at
all, and the percentage Of those who in
dulge in intoxicants to excess is smaller
than those who form their opinions from
the police reports and charity society
statistics would be willing to believe
without proof. However, it cannot be
denied that many workingmen would be
better off if they would leave strong
drink alone.
Mr.. Depew also made this remarkable
statement: "There are hundreds of men
whom l have helped and am helping
continually. They seem to be utterly
unable to earn living for themselves.
never could discover why. They have
had the same advantages and opportu-
mites as have had"
In other words, if all men had inn.
proved their opportunities the New York
Central railroad would have now hun
dreds Of presidents that Mr.. Depew knows
personally, besides thousands who have
not asked his assistance.
Professor w. e. Sumner, of Yale col.
lege, reverses the subject by saying:
"The question becomes equivalent to
this, whether we can ever all become
rich?" and answers with an emphatic mol
"If we work harder, learn more, save
more, and behave ourselves better, we
shall not abolish poverty, or disease, or
death, but we shall do our best, and
make the best of the world and of our
life in it. That is the sum of human sue
cess and human philosophy"
So, though the professor displays con-
siderable erudition and humane dispo
sition, he only begs the question.
Professor G. X. Adams, of Cornell
university, strikes close to the bulls eye
in one paragraph when he says:
Another cause of poverty is no doubt
in the nature of much of our legislation.
1t has tended, 1 think, in many ways to
increase the opportunities of the rich
and to diminish the opportunities of the
poor. 1t is not easy to point these out
in detail, but / have no doubt the ten
dency during the last thirty years in this
country has been in this direction"
The reply of Professor E. BENZ. An
drews, of Brown university, deserves to
be quoted in full:
"No truthful, brief statement of the
causes of poverty is possible. 1t is far
from clear that the deepest causes there
Of do not, in spite of all our philan-
thropic wish to the contrary, lie in hui
man nature itself. Better social arrange
ments, could they prevail, would render
much assistance, but cannot see how
the essential evil could be swept away
by these means. I, however, frankly
avow my belief that considerable part
of the at present existing poverty is
durable. There are dreadful inequali-
ties in the social system which need not
be there and ought not to be there. Many
are very poor who deserve to be better
off. The fortunes of men are not in
accord with their economic ,1serts. l
hope much from the new thought now
directing itself to this subject AS the
last century has been one of great adj
vance in the physical sciences, the next
is to be, believe, one of equal or greater
advance in social science"
Charles III. Litchman, ex-general Sec
rotary of the Knights of Labor, says rum
and usury are the causes of poverty. Ig-
natius Donnelly says: 1.-THE cause of pow
erty is the unequal and unfair distribu-
ton of property, whereby those who Gre
ate it obtain little of it, and those who
handle it become possessed of most of it"
and suggests as a remedy can income
tax, rigidly enforced
Labor Leader George E. Mcneil: "ID
q sentence l would answer that poverty |
is caused by the unchristian and unscien- |
tific methods of the production and dis
tribution of wealth. The method by |
which wealth is controlled, value added
and distribution effected is unchristian |
because it is unjust and negotiable; un.
scientific because it is wasteful of human
life and material"
The Rev. DIR. Edward McGlynn says
Poverty is chiefly caused by injustice,
and the greatest injustice of our time is
the denial to men of their God given
birthright of access to the land and its
natural opportunities There would be
l;ttla ar No povartv anvwhare III tho mo-