The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-15
THE LABOKlNG MAN AND "DECEN
TKALIZ.IiON" or WFALTH.


A dav or two back the international e1ecu-
tive board Of the Knights of Labor met ia
Pittsburg with Mr.. T. V. Powde.ly present
In an interview with NJ. Powderly which
has gone out to the public. he defined the
position Of what is called organized labor
with reference to the existing political parties
lie said that those who thought with him
rather inclined to the Peoples party p" that
they favored unlimited coinage Of silver
and every measure calculated to insure
relief for the people AID the decentralization
OF wealth
We may remark at tae outset that there IS
something here TO make the free silver men
put on their thinking caps. The great labor
aeitator of the country declares himself and
his party IN favor Of whatever will "decen-
tralize" wealth. aud he mentions his pay
TALLY for free silver in the same connection.
which is very much the same thing as # he
had said that he favors free silver because 1t
tends in the direction Of "decentralizing
wealth" But this idea of "decentralizlng'
wealth, coming from the mouthpiece of the
laboring man. is one entitled to very serious
attention The writer was one day standing
on the porch Of the hotel at the White Sui
phur Springs looking at the mountains
when Henry Georges article IN the
North American Review upon the very deplor-
able condition of many laDorers IN the Penn
syyania coal mines was called to his atten-
ton The paper made "a very profound I'M
preston on his mind but this reflection came
into IT, While tho condition OF those labor
ers is not at all what we wish it to be, still
Il is far better than it would be in a state
of nature. Such support as they now get they
receive from centralized wealth" If there
were no centralized wealth" 70 maintain
them they would have to support them
selves as best they could, and would not en-
iov those benefits and products which alone
are possible from the accumulation of wealth.
Ny. Powderly should then reflect that i he
succeeded in "decentraizing wealth." lie
would destroy the very element from which a
large majority Of laboring men draw their
snpuoYt. and they would be lett without the
present means Of putting bread into the
mouths Of their children OF Themselves
But. says Mr.. PowdeTly, if We can "decen.
tralize wealth" wealth would no longer be in
the hands of lew. but spread at large
throughout the state il would pass into the
hands Of the many, and there would thus be-
come many employers ofiabor where there are
now but few. This proposition rests upon
very inadequate idea of what constitutes tho
wealthlof community.
For instance, thousands Of millions Of dol
lars Of the wealth Of this country consists Of
the values of railroad property and this form
of property furnishes bread and clothes to
many millions OF persons. Now the great
value of this form Of property s not merely
in the cars, the engines the railroad track or
the depots These constitutes but fraction
Of the true value Of the property. IT'S great
value arises from the business that il does in
transporting persons and property. This bus
mess arises from the confidence Of the public
that we live in land governed by lawn
fixed belief by the owners Of railroads that
the law Will protect them in the transportation
Of persons and commodities and in the pos
session and enjoyment OF what they receive for
the service rendered
A decentralization Of wealth" in this par
ticular if 1t did not result in the actual diss-
patton of this enormous mass of wealth.
would surely paralyze those energies by which
it had been accumulated and was daily di-
rected. What then would be the fate of those
men who, unable to direct such affairs, have
always depended on leaders for their occupa-
ton.
The valuable part Of the enterprise is not in
Elephant or the stock. but in the business done.
and this business depends absolutely upon
confidence that will be governed and protect
ed by law. Destroy that confidence and the
whole business is destroyed. If then Mr. Pow
derby shall succeed in instituting a successful
crusade in the direction of "decentralizing
wealth" be will have destroyed all the con-
fdence in the accumulat0rs Of wealth, SO
accumulation of wealth will cease and or
gained labor" will be without an employer
and must secure its support as best it may
3 Further. we fail TO see some of the evils in
Capitalization of wealth which Mr.. Powderly
Apprehsnds. Within the past hundred years