Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-07-29
DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH..

Homestead mills is bringing out some
Of the serious thoughts Of intelligent
men in regard to dangers not only from
contact of capital and labor, like this
deplorable one, but from the inevitable
results that must follow the congestion
of wealth in the hands of a compare
lively few. The opinion seems to be
rapidly gaining ground that we are TO
have more rather than less of these trou-
bles, and that they are but symptoms of
a disease that is becoming deep seated
and that threatens the very life of our
republic, which ontwardly looks so
fair. 1t is also beginning to be recog-
niZed that nostrums and quack rene
dies, such as schemes of profit sharing
cooperation, etc, though they may do
more good than harm. vet they can
never cure the general disease which
can be reached only by radical remedies.
What then is the disease that is racking
and tortIring this industrial common
wealth? What was its cause. what has
been its progress and what is the rem
edy?
For want of a better name we will
call the disease plutocracy. 1t comes
from the unequal distribution of earn
ings or wealth. the greater part of
which is rapidly being concentrated
into the hands of few. Hundreds are
reaping where millions SOW; resulting
in millionaires on the one hand and
tramps on the other, with the pressure
ON all between becoming greater and
greater. The evils of this system are
that while in theory the laws are made
by the people, practically the masses
only obey the laws made by the rich.
Money becomes king. The evils of
the system are far reaching. Glasses
and castles are established. The wealthy
become arrogant or lead wild and reck-
less lives. The poor lose hope, courage
and patriotism and accept sullenly their
lot as subjects and slaves of the million
aires who employ them or who hold
mortgages over their heads.
The cause of this disease is found in
the laws and systems which grant pub
lie property and privileges to private
individuals or corporations.
The disease had but little hold upon the
country previous to the civil war. There
We're then no more millionaires than
could be counted on ones fingers. During
the war of 1S61-5 big government CON
tracts laid the basis of some of the large
lulitS SlHCt ne pro-
lection system was then begun which
has ever since been taking money from
the pockets of farmers and laborers and
putting it into those of the rnanuractr,r-
ers. The increased powers of p~oauc-
ton resulting from improved Inachinccy
and methods have increased the iniiu-
ence and power of capital 50 that
millionaires are being turned o,.t more
rapidly than ever before. Tho New
York Tribune printed a list OF over
1000 millionaircs few weeks $50, ClaS-
styling them according to the :c1rccs
of their wealth.
According to this authority aboct 90
per cent. made their money chiefly i'll
protected industries, perhaps 80 Per
cent. mainly as holders of or spec!:la-
tors in land, and the remainder mostly
from patent or other monopolies, arDre-
citation of money values, etc. The most
of these fortunes are accumulated legal
ly, though often laws are strained afte~
being made to aid such accommodations.
But Justice would not have distributed
wealth in any such fashion. 1t would
leave valuable monopolies in the hands
of private persons, but would make the
production of property the only title 70
it. 1t would erect no barriers to com
merce to compel consumers to buy Gear
goods of any favored set of producers.
but would leave opportunities and priv
ileges open to all alike.
The remedy for this disease then can
not be found in laws that will increase
restrictions upon trade or grant more
privileges to any class. Restrictions
must be removed and the indirect meth
DDS of taxation which now fitch money
from the poor and turn it over to the
rich must be replaced by direct sys-
tenn which shall bear no more heavily
upon the poor than upon the rich; or,
better still, tax the opportunities to pro-
duction until the unearned increment,
now largely taken by the wealthy, shall
be utilized for the benefit of all. When
this is done men will be put upon an
equal footing and each will get what he
earns and earn what he gets. Large cor
porations may then exist, but it will be
because they can produce most cheaply
and not because they will have greater
advantage over labor.