Iron County register., 1892-07-07

| of civilized communities. Man 1oRced IL
self before public attention. It is hard
iy worth while to bring forward argu-
ments and facts to prove the increasing
pressure of this question Of poverty.
The place it holds in the popular mind
| is patent to all who will look. Prof.
Charles eide, of the University of Mont
pellier, France, conservative teacher
of political economy, writes in regard
| to the distribution of wealth rs followss
ITO the general public the c;s.arest and
most appalling fact in the distributions
of wealth is its inequality the more un-
bearable in proportion to the successive
| breaking down of all other inequalities
which used to separate then, one from
| another. Modern laws have realized
civil equality; universal suffrage has
given political equality; the growing
diffusion of education is tending to in
troduce the reign of a virtual intel
lectual equality. But the inequality of
wealth still remains; formely it was
hidden. as it were, behind even greater
inequalities, now, however, it is seen in
the foreground of our democratic So
cieties, and against it dash the waves
| of public wrath. Prof. Glide then pro-
ceeds to point out that inequality in it.
self is no just cause for complaint, and
winds up as follows: I'm fine, the real
| complaint that can be urged against the
distribution of wealth is not SO
much its inequality as our
inability to perceive the reasons
for this ineqality. 1t is by no means
proportional to the labor expended; ON
the contrary, according to John Stuart
Mills bitter remark, the scale of remu-s
neration appears to descend further and
further the more laborious the work be-
comes, until finally it reaches a point
where the most severe toll barely suf-
fees for the necessities of existence.
Still less does it seem to be proportion
ed to mems merits or virtues. The an
tithesis between the man who is poor
but honest, and the scoundrel who is
fortunate and wealthy, is common
place which is as old as the world, but
it never fails to be true in the present"
In these paragraphs Prof. Glide states
that the substance of the labor problem,
which is essentially how shall we secure
a more equable and an equitable distri-
button of wealth? Not a mathematical
equality, but a practical equality, an
equality of opportunity to satisfy the
wants which we each one feel within
us, and which are in a measure peculiar
to ourselves.
The inequality of wealth Is increasing
ly felt, partly because, as. Prof Glde
says, other inequalities which erst-
while separated man from man have
passed away, but partly also because
this particular inequality between rich
and poor is increasing. The time has
come when many men, even of conser-
vative instincts, have recognized the
need of remedy for the present in
equality, and have come to the conclu-
sion that such a remedy must be radi-
cal, and is to be sought for in a wide
departure from present governmental
methods. They acknowledge that the
present distribution of wealth is unjust,
and that the world will not much
longer endure it, and they also see that
it is impossible to change the distribu-
ton of wealth and leave the present
social order just as at present Bellamy,
with his plan of state socialism, has
gained many disciples. 1t is becoming
quite fashionable to call ones self a
socialist or Christian socialist 1t
would be difficult to define some OF
these names, but they all mean that it
is necessary for the state to lay hands
on the wealth of individuals. and use it
or direct its use for the benefit of other
individuals or for society, But it is
evident that to do this with a clean
conscience we must rcwrite the Deca.
logue.