, 1891-05-06
THE R ROBBED.
where the sse, 900. 900. ooo Surplus They
Have Created In Ten Years Has Gone.


where the sss, o 600. 900 Surplus They
Have Created in Ten Years Has Gone.
The people Of the United States were,
according to Annual Statistics, on Jan.
l, 1890, worth, in the aggregate, $780,
900, 900, 900. On Jan. l, 1880, according
to calculations on the same basis, the
true value Of all the property owned in
the United States was almost "a, O0O.-
OOO, OOO-that is, s22, 900, 600, 900 less than
the total value on Jan. l, 1890.
According to these calculations, which
were made in the most careful manner,
the aggregate value of property of all
kinds in the United States increased so
per cent. in ten years-that is, during
the ten years hat elapsed between Jan.
I, 1880, and Jan. l, 1890, the peo-
pie of this country not only succeed
ed in making a living by their labor,
but also in producing additional wealth
equal in value to 80 per cent. of the
total moun of wealth in existence in
the United States at the beginning of
that period. All wealth is the product
of labor.
The age of miracle is past. King
Midas, the happy possessor of the golden
touch, died several thousand years ago,
and we have not heard of any one who,
in modern times, possessed similar gifts.
There is nothing miraculous about the
fact that the wealth of this country in
creased 80 per cent in ten years, as we
know that the additional wealth was
created by the hard work of millions of
farmers, factory hands, miners, lumber
men, fishermen, and other toilers. We
know perfectly well who produced the
81, 0OO, 600, 900 of increase in our aggre-
gate wealth, and the only thing that
concerns rs is to discovery Iether those
who produced this increase in wealth
obtained any benefit from it or not.
For this purpose it will be necessary to
make inquiries for the purpose of dis
covering who took possession of the
S22, 000, 900, 900.
Estimates made in the most careful
show that on Jan. 1, 1890, of the
500, 000, 900, 600 of wealth in the United
States, 10000 leading capitalists pos
sessed $36, $50, 900, 900, leaving $50, T5O,-
0OO,OO for the remaining So, 600, 900 in
habitants. 1t is quite plain, therefore,
that although our farmers, artisans and
other toilers produced the surplus of
S22, DOC, 900, 900, a few capitalists alb
sorbed most of it.
The destination of wealth in this coun-
try is as well known as the origin, as
everybody can see that the poor are be-
coming poorer and the rich richer every
day. Everybody must also be capable
of seeing that this process cannot go on
forever, as Americans are too indepen-
dent to allow themselves to become the
slaves of a few thousands of plutocrats,
who, unless a change be brought about,
will, in about twenty-five years, as we
can prove conclusively, own the whole
country. We maintain that this in
iquitous concentration of wealth is due
wholly to the act that the accumuIative
capacity of money is twice as great as
the accumulative capacity of labor.
1t will be seen that the toilers of the
United States annually produce by their
labor all the people of this country eat,
drink and wear during the year, and
make up all deficiencies arising from de-
cay, fires, etc. In addition to this they
annually add 4 per cent. to the total
wealth in the country at the beginning
of the year.
The question we have now to discuss
is what should be done with the surplus
of 4 per cent Should the surplus go to
capital or to labor? We think it should
be divided equally between them-that
is, that 2 per cent. should go to capital
and 9 per cent. to labor.
The farmers and artisans of the Unit
ed States should have found themselves
S11 900, 600, 900 richer on Jan. l, 1890,
than on Jan. 1, 1880, on account of re-
ceiving . per cent. of the aggregate in
crease of wealth Zach year. 1t is a well
known fact, however, that not only were
our farmers and artisans not richer by
$11 ,000, DOC, 900 at the end of the decade
as they would nave been had they re-
ceived justice-but they were actually
much poorer than at the beginning of
that period. The cause of this is not far
to seek. The owners of the capital of
the country not only appropriated the
entire $22, 600, 900, 900 of increase, but
also a large part of the property owned
by the farmers and artisans at the be.
ginning of the decade.-San Francisco
Argonaut.