The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-01-30


Is tho accumulation Of vast wealth
immoral and destructive of Republi-
can institutions, and is ii not forbidden
by the Christian scriptures? There is
n conflict of two kinds-first, worldly
conflict; second, intellectual and moral
conflict. Worldly conflict Is the strug-
gle OF individuals to accumulate
wealth, the common chase after the
almighty dollar. This springs from
the desire to provide for ones own,
and only becomes immoral when
wealth, as sought for and accumu-
lated for its own sake, and not for the
blessings and comforts 1t secures for
ones family. Tim. vi. 10 and II: FOR
the love of money is the root of all
evil, which, while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and
pierced themselves through with many
SORROWS" But thou, o man of God,
ilee rem these things, and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
patience, meekness." There is moth
ing wrong in seeking after money.
Wealth Is not a sin unless obtained
dishonesty 1t may be obtained le-
gally, yet its possession be a sin.
Proverbs xxi. 49,: "Ife that oppresseth
the poor to increase his riches, and he
that giveth to the rich shall surely
come to want"
Poverty is curse, and if the laws of
accumulation We're Just to all so that
every one could have exactly what he
earns, then poverty would he sin as
well as a curse. But owing to the fact
one may labor and earn much and
another take il from him through
some form of stealth, poverty, while
always misfortune, is not necessarily
a sin. Labor is the creator of wealth;
that is, all wealth has been earned by
labor although the one who earns It
does not always possess it. The truth
is expressed by n poet: 'Sfhe seed We
SOW another reaps, the wealth ye find
another keeps Although it would
seem the laborer has moral right to
what he has earned. the creditor has
a right 10 the created. The wealth OF
q nation is the aggregate wealth of the
individuals composing the nation,
plus the common property, such as
public buildings, equipments, binds,
etc, and consists OF the total aueumii-
lated earnings of the whole people.
This nations wealth, aside from land
values, Is put down at $10,000, GOO, 600.
This is the amount of the nations
wealth accumulated beyond con-
sumption since the landing of the
fathers about $50 years ago.
Labor In this country has been at
work $50 years, earning and laying up
beyond consumption $4,000, 600, 600,
that is about 5000 per capita. Do those
who produce il possess il? All the
wealth has been earned by labor, but
the labolpr has hut the smaller part of
the wealth of the country. Those that
toll not, neither do they spin, have the
greater portion. Jay Gould (poor NAM
has 5000, 000,0 900 put down to his credit;
that Is, he owns what it has taken
1,000,O00 men 2SO years to accumulate
beyond consumption. Ii it takes one
man 2S9 years to lay up 5000 how long
would IL take one man to earn and Law
up $500, 000,0O0l The answer is 2S0, OO0,-
600 years. This is the economic age 81
jay Gould. Methusalem is nowhere.
He Is as truly 100000 years old as
he has truly earned $500, 600, 600 in
twenty-eight years in business life.
That is 900 per day, counting Sum
days. Or, II the calculation would be
more exact, we will suppose the ave-
rage population of the country, from
the early settlement to the present
time to be 25,000,000, then tine average
accumulation per man would be 500
in $50 years.
This would make jay Gould's econ
omie age l90,O00.00O years. II is clear
that somebody earned his fortune and
it is equally clear that jay Gould could
not earn it in twenty-eight years, and
it follows that they who earned il do
not possess it. How came Jay Gould
by it, did it all float to him on water
IN major portion of it on watered
stocks). Vanderbilt accumulated.
somehow, $2l0,000,000. While labor
earned this his labor did not earn 1t.
These men who accumulated such vast
fortunes are not necessarily dishonest
men. They have been shrewd, but not
more dishonest than the average man.
They were sharp enough TO take the
advantage of the circumstances which
enabled them to appropriate the earn
ings OF others to their own credit.
JAMES Is. NELCH.
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