Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-04-21
Bonds and Bread.

seventy pages has recently been pub
lished in Kansas City under the title
of "Bondho;ders and Bread Winners. +"
The author is S. S. King, a young
lawyer. He makes use of the census
reports to throw much needed light
on certain politico-economic questions
OF great Importance. His manner of
treating his subject is unique. He
gives maps and diagrams as well as
figures, SO that his meaning cannot be
misunderstood. He clearly shows by
the census returns, which are gener-
ally accepted as trustworthy, that
while certain parts of the union have
been increased greatly in material
wealth during the past decade, other
portions have increased comparative
ly little.
Census Bulletin No 1o4, giving the
assessed value of properly in the INT
ted States, placed that value at $24,-
OO0,OO0.00O. The actual value is gen
orally assumed to be two and one
half times as much.
This makes the real value equal to
about S62, 600, 100000, which, divided
equally among 81, 600, 900 people, gives
each individual $1,000. OF course If
every man, woman and child in the
nation had in actual possession a
thousand dollars, we should be the
richest nation in the world. But wait,
let us see how this wealth is distrlbu-
ted. Has every man, woman and
child thousand dollars?
Mr.. King places on one page the
outlines of the four northern states of
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska
with the southern states of North
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Missis-
sippi and Louisiana, nine in all.
These states depend chiefly on agri-
cultural productions for support and
wealth, and are denominated the pro-
duce district. On the opposite page
are represented the six New England
states, and New York, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, which are not regard
ed as agricultural states. This sec
ton being the seat of the great bank
ing, money loaning, railway and man
ufacturing interests, is called the
wealth district. The comparative size
of the districts, and their population
IN 1880 are given, and the increase of
wealth in the decade from 1880 to
1890. The produce district Is about
three times as large as the other, and
contained nearly as many inhabitants
In 1880. The increase in wealth in
the produce district was in the ten
years, about $56O,OO0,OOO The in
crease in the wealth district was over
$5,O00,0 600, or moro than five times
that of the other.
The produce district gained in pop
ulation during the decade % per cent,
and in wealth only 20 per cent, an
actual decrease in wealth per capita
The wealth district gained in people
20 per cent, and in wealth 40 per
cent.
A comparison is next made between
this same produce district of nine
states, and the single state of Massa-
chusetts, one of the wealth districts.
The area of the nine states is fifty
eight times that of Massachusetts,,
and their population seven times larg-
er. The assessed valuation of the
produce district in 1880 was $2,792,
9I9, 155; that of Massachusetts was
81, 584, 756, SOP. The three great fac
tors in production are land, labor and
capital. The produce district poss-
essed these factors over Massachu-
sets in the following proportions;
Land, fifty-eight to one; labor (repre-
sented by populatIon), seven to one
capital represented by assessed val
ue), two to one. And yet in the last
ten years, these nine great states in
creased their assessed valuation only
$3.50, 600, 600, while the one little state
gained in wealth $57O,OO0,O00, or $10,-
100000 more than the nine.
Many other comparisons are made
all pointing in the same direction and
showing conclusively that, while the
country as a whole has increased
marvelously in wealth during the last
decade, that wealth is not distributed
among the people with any regard tC
Justice and equality. Such legisla
ton has been enacted and the govern
ment so administered that the rict
have grown richer and the poor poor
er for the last two or three decades
} Instead of watching over and careful
Iy guarding the interests of all class
: es. the rich and Influential have beer
allowed to obtain great advantage
: over their poorer and less fortunate
neighbors. They have absorbed thu
great bulk of the increase OF wealth
st. Joseph News.