New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-05
MR. INGALLS, At RANDOM

When n really able man talks at random he
ia ant TO do harm The boy who touches OIL
fire -cracker is forgiven, but not so readily the
man who explodes dynamite in a crowded street.
When Senator Ingalls, says that 100000 per-
cons are tramping the streets of cities and the
lanes of the country seeking for work he ought
to know better Certainly he must know that the
proportion of unemployed in this country what
ever else it may be, is asSuredly smaller IMAM
in England. But the elaborate statistics OF
labor, published regularly by the labor organ
izations of Great Britain, show varying pro-
portion from time to time, of late considerably
larger than usual, and yet even now not reach
ing per cent. No more than this number
are ont of work in Great Britain, according to
latest reports, at a time when many great In
dustries were especially depressed, when 10000
persons employed in Welsh tin-plate making
were idle, and many thousand in the Bradford
woollen works and the iron mills. But II the
same nroportion were out Of work in a sparsely
settled and rapidly growing country like the
United States, which Mr.. ingalls, will find no.
body else to believe, even then the number
would be only about 100000 men. No LABOR
organization here exists which reports anything
like 3 per cent of its members out OF work, ana
with the largest crops ever grown 1t VIII not
be credited by anybody that great army OF
laborers in agricultural States is idle. Inc
highest estimate made by competent authorities
representing organized labor, at any time with
in the last six years, was that about 2OO,ooO
nersons were then out of work. which would
bo far enough from Senator Ingalls's statement
| IL II had been true then and were true now.
The official statement of paupers and persons
dependent for relief lends no support to wlld
estimates of the unemployed. Not only Is the
number thus reported insignificant, but Its
smalness conclusivcly proves that the body OF
ncrsons unemployed cannot be large. Most OF
those who are seeking work gather in or around
the large cities, and there are many cbaritaoie
and relief organizations which have constant
opportunities to Judge of the relative number
Of such persons at different times. 1t Is Prob
ably safe t. say that there is not one such or
p,nzation nor body in NewYork or within
| City miles of the city which has not met with
fewer cases of this description than usual within
| the last year. In few localities there have
been strikes in this and other portions OF the
country. But even when the building strikes
were most numerous, some months ago, ana
many miners we're out of employment at the
same time. the elaborate statistics then pub
lished did not show that as many as 2O0'0OO
nersons had ceased work, even for slngie
month.
Mr.. ingalls, was perhaps enormously report
ed hut statements of such nature should not
BID made so carelcsSly as TO invite mistakes
With every appearance of much deliberatlon
n
half the accumulated wealth of the country had
fallen into the hands of not more than 31,o0O
persons. as if he had some means of knowing
something about it. in 1880 about twenty
seven thousand seven hundred millions out OF
n s,,nposed aggregate wealth of forty three
thousand six hundred and forty-two millions
was in farms and their stock and equipment
and in residences and their furniture. 1t would
be difficult for Senator ingalls, to satisfy any
reasonable mind that the proportion of such
wealth had materially decreased within ten
wears, or that any considerable part OF it was
owned by a small number of individuals The
). 100000 farm-owneIS, and the 100000
owners Of residences not on farms are still the
owners OF a majority of the wealth OF this
country, and even the mortgages on these are
mainly held by life insurance and trust and
other corporations, of which the real owners are
millions of policy holders.
1t is not a creditable thing, in times when
communstic notions are doing mischief every
where, to give the authority of distinguished
name to random assertions about the distribu-
ton of wealth. If Mr. ingalls, will put some
of his leisure and his distinguished ability into
the painstakng examination of the question he
will be better qualified than he is now to in
struct the country.