Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-22


community in the world, per capita is
the tribe OF Usage Indians Its aggre-
gilte wealth is ten times greater, pro-
portionately. than that of the United
i States It is held in common Com
munity OF property may not be the
cause OF barbarism, but in every state
as social and economic equality is APP
F; preached, and wealth created by Ia
bor'' without the Intervention of CAPT
/ tai, as in China and India, wages are
low, the Is borer is degraded and progress
| impossible. Were the wealth of the
United States equally distributed among
| its inhabitants at this time the sum
that each would possess, according to
| the census, would be about 81, 900.
| Were this equation to continue progress
obviously would cease Had this been
the prevalent condition from the be-
| ginning we should have remained sta
tionary. Only as wealth becomes con-
centrated can nature be subjugated
and its forces made subservient to civil
| ization. Until capital, through ma
chinery, harnesses steam, electricity
AMI gravita ton. and exempts man from
the necessity of constant toll to procure
subsistence, humanity stands still OF
retrogrades. Railroads, telegraphs,
| fleets. cities, libraries, museums. uni
vel.sities, cathedrals, hospitals-an the
great enterprises that exalt and en-
bellish existence and ameliorate the
conditions of human ife-come from
the conception of money in the hand
| of the few.
| Even if it were desira BILE to limit &C
culnulations, society possesses no agen-
cy by which it can be done. 1t has nc
bed of Procrustes upon which to lay its
victims The mind is indomitable
| The differences between men are or
ganic and fundamental. They are
established by ordinances of the su-
preme power and cannot be repealed
| by act of congress In the contest be-
| tween brains and numbers brains have
always won and always viii.
| The final assault will undoubtedly be
made through the taxing power. Our
highest judicial tribunal has already
held that the power to tax is the power
to destroy, and ultimately the attempt
will be made under the guise of secur-
| ing revenue to limit acquisitions by
! taxing incomes and SUGGESTIONS. 1t
| will be futile in the future as it has
been in the past If the tax upon in
| comes is excessive business will seek a
less hostile jurisdiction, and If the tax
| upon inheritances is invidious. dis
| tributions will be made by gift during
| the lifetime of the possessor.
| The most popular demand promul-
gated by those who are engaged in the
reconstruction of society is the ma
| tionalization. as it is called, of rail
roads and telegraphS and their opera
| ton lin the interest OF the people,
No doubt the owners and managers of
these corporations have been guilty Of
| shameless jobbery, gambling and ex-
tortion, and have piled up stupendous
fortunes by practices that are as repug-
nant to financial integity as they are
shocking to the public conscience; but
the cost of transportation and service
has steadily declined, till ton of
freight or a passenger can be carried
further for a dollar than at any previ-
Gus time in the worlds history.
The administration OF the post Office
department is constantly presented as
an illustration of the feasibility and
economy OF governmental control of
these great agencies of civiliza ton.
Unfortunately for the argument, the
expenses of the post Office department.
constantly exceed its income, and many
millions are annually appropriated
from the treasury to supply the def
cheney. Under the same circumstances
any private business concern would be
treated as insolvent and forced into
liquidation. Practically, all that the
government does is to increase the cost
of postage to its citizens. It owns
none of the facilities of transporta-
ton. These are all furnished by
private enterprise. The government
appoints a superhuous and costly
staff OF officials to collect, separate and
pouch letters, papers and packages, re-
ceive and pay money orders and notes,
and attend to the bookkeeping. To do
this work it pays its Washington force
nearly $1,000, 600. to postmasters and
their clerks more than $50, 600, 900, for
free delivery above SO, 900, 900, for rail-
way mail clerks $1,000, 000-an aggre-
gate of more than $40, 600, 900. or IS, O00,-
600 above the entire amount paid for
transportation to private railroad and
steamship companies, by whose enter
prise alone cheap and rapid postal serv-
ice is rend ere d possible.
The government is always the worst
served OF all employers The hours of
labor are less in number and the sal
aries larger than in any private bust
ness, and this is nowhere more conspic-
nous than in the post Office department
Any Of the great express companies,
Wells-Fargo, the American or the
United States. could proftably per-
form the stall service of the country
at half the present rates with equal
promptrless and efficiency and with
greater responsibility. Our present
system is typical monopoly. If let
ter or package is lost by the careless
ness OF. knavery of clerk or
postmaster there is no redress.
The government endeavorS to detect
and punish the culprit, but makes no
reparation, even If its agent and sserv-
ant is proved to have appropriated the
property OF the citizen The annual
list of depredations is appalling, but
there is no redress. An express COM
pany or other common carrier would be
liable for the full value of the loss, and,
failing in restitution, would be COM
PEELED tc respond or forfeit its charter.
No private citizen could deal with his
customers as the government treats its
patrons in the post Office department
without being in bankruptcy one-haH
the time and in the penitentiary the
other half.