The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-02-09
THE EXPENDITURE THAT uAe
RUINED THE COUNTRY
P~lutocracy not DemOcracy---Is the Chro,.
icle Democratic?
The Expenditure is Helpful.

ASheVll6 Will cost over 500, 600, while
many thousand are starving for bread
and a ChristianO press stand, teeth
set. against an honest effort for reform
-CIfntOn Caucasian.
1.-The thousands starving for bread
could not eat a tennis court. or apv
ether kind, but they could eat what
the cost of that tennis would bring
Therefore, we are glad that Vanderbilt
put that much money into circulation.
He has his tennis court and the people
who worked for him have tie money.
both are satisfied. LethAndO so some
mOre,"-State Chronicle.
Mr.. Editor, the 800, 900 put into the
tennis court Is dead property. This
500, 900 was taken from the field of
labor, and appropriated to private use.
True labor was paid for doing the
work. Suppose this 500, 600 had been
put into a factory, the laOOrer would
have received the same wages for build
ing it they received for building the
tennis court. This factory would have
given steady employment to labor for
a COZ of years and distributed mil
lions of dollars. This money put into
factories, railroads or the farm, would
be live capital, giving employment to
labor and adding to the wealth of the
] COOlllyI 1lAo u4C4IOy uO BCACl1 L ~
the field of industry; it was created BY
labor, and labor should have the con
tinued use of it. What right has Van
| derbilt or anyone to appropriate the
| earnings of labor taken from the field
! of industry and use it for unnecessary
| display2 If he has the right to take
| 500, 900 from the field of industry, he
| has the right to take millions of dollars,
and others have the right to do the
same, and they can appropriate to
private display the earnings of labor,
leaving them a bare subsistence. The
thirty thousand m~illiOnaires can divert
capital from the field Of labor. build
| palaces, roll in luxuries, while the
masses are L poverty. In a short
time hundreds of millions will be taken
from the field of labor and diverted to
private display. This diversion Of
capital from the field of labor will III
crease from wear to year until we will
| see the few in palaces and the many in
| novels. If the thirty thousand million,
aires were to take one hundred thou
| sand each, three billion dollars would
| be diverted from the field of labor and
become dead property. This excessive
display on one hand means others have
been robbed. Let him do so some
more"
Yes, let him rob the industrial class
and put millions of their earnings into
private display when it will be dead
capital and can do no one any good.
These hundreds of millions put into
railroads would be live property, Civ
ing employment to the idle millions for
years to come, feeding and clothing
them and building comfortable homes
for labor, freeing them from paying
rent.
Vanderbilt's vast fortune was not
earned by him. It is accumulated
labor. Vanderbilt holds this in trust
and it is his duty to- re-invest it in the
field of commerce, giving employment
to labor. This money is not his, though
he has legal control Of it. When Van
derbilt diverts the earnings Of labor
from the industrial field and uses i5for
private display he betrays his trust. 1t
makes no difference to the industrial
class if Vanderbilt controls billions Of
dollars, so long as he keeps it In the
field of industry, giving employment
to labor. The moment he diverts cap
ital from the field of labor for unneces.
sary display, he is morally q robber,
and those who uphold him are uphold
ing a rObber system. 1t is the duty Of
the State to protect labor and see that
accumulated labor is not "misappropri-
ated. It is this misrepresentation Of CAPT
tai from the Industrial field that creates
discomfort and is breeding. socialism
and anarchy.
Capitalists should study the signs Of
the times. The disconnected is potea-
tious of a rebellion. Oppression breeds
discomfort. All controlling vast for.
tunes should be warned in time and
cease to divert capital from the field Of
labor. The concentration of capital is
a fOregOne conclusion because it in
creases production and Cheapens. These
large corporations must have heads to
direct them. This must be done by in
dividuals or by the State. As long as
individuals manage these corporations
and do Justice to all concerned, there
will be no interference. If they con
tinue to rob the industrial class by
diverting capital from the field of in
dustry, the State will step in and a k
control and il will be run in the interest
of all.
Articles like this, eminating from
the Chronicle, the State organ of the
Democratic party of North Carolina, If
persisted IN, will bring about p~aternal-
ism or a state of national ownership.
Such articles are plutOcratic. Such
utterances shows an ignorance of his
tory, and the past effect of the misap-
preparation of accumulated capital, or
a total disregard for the rights Of those
who produce wealth.
It is the misrepresentation of the
earnings Of labor to private display
that has impoverished Ireland. All
but a meager subsistence Is taken from
the Irish peasants and used by the land
lords for private display. What the
Irish landlords have done for Ireland
these huge corporations will do for US
if a check is not put on them. Every \