Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-06

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century. and was superseded by law govern
ing the descent and distribution of property,
which has had the effect to break estates into
fragments the decease Of their pos
SCISSORS When the life of each generation
terminates the property of the country
passes into new and more numerous hands.
None of the immense concessions made by the
kings of England and Holland to the colonsis
within the limits of what constitute the United
States have been maintained they have been
subdivided into small parcels and
owned and occupied by large numbers OF peo-
pie. In the same way the existing great landed
estates will be subdivided on the decease of the
present possessors. Very few of the estates of
this country, whether consisting of realty or
personally. have passed UnlmpGired to the
ond generation from the acdusitors. More
than 20 per cent of the wealthy men of the
nation have acquired what they possess. ard
only 10 per cent have inherited it. The rule is
general that the sons of rich men end life as
poor rs their fathers began it. Great achieve
ments III science, art, the professions.
war. craftsmanship and business pursuits
have generally been by the Of
men in indifferent moderate cir
cumstarces. Results in this country not to
be judged by those in the old world. There
are those who may regard the presen: situation
as gloomy. but when We consider the freedom
enjoyed under our Institutions and the causes
al work which revolutionize conditions quickly,
there Is reason for that forlorn feeling which
D HIS tLs n'Nu OI luo pessiulisl. lnOse WHO
/ sarvive for n quarter of a century will, in all
probability. see the bulk of the present ponder
Ous estates broken up-especially the landed
estates-for time. popular sentiment and the
laws of descent and distribution will inevitably
| soon destroy land monopoly. Inequality in the
| possession of movable property. especially Of
money securities, is not serioas danger.
\ for they are like the stolen purse mentioned by
| Iago, as having been mine, yours and the slave
Of thousands. There Is very little permanency
| in the possession of personally.
| 1t is argued that no man has
ever been will be strong
enough to earn a million Of dollars above his liv-
| ing however prolonged his life; every million
aire and multo-millionaire has taken largely from
| the earnings of Others. To extent this has
| been done. sometimes through fortultous cir
I cumstarces in which there has been no moral
| guilt and sometimes through oppressive prac-
Iices. 1t is probably true that labor has not re-
| ceived its proper share of produced wealth.
| High statistical authorities differ somewhat as
| to the percentage which labor in this country
| contributes to wealth production, the lowest
! estimate being seventy-two per cent and the
highest ninety. Upon either estimate it Is GER
| tain that labor has not had its fair share Capt.
tai has managed to possess the proportion which
nature has created, which is estimated from ten
to twenty-eigh per cent. Capital Is more or
ganizable than labor, and, in fact, may be
said TO be always organized, and 1t IL
more exacting than labor has been.
The modern practice being for capital
to organize through corporation. company or
association, it seems more formidable than In
reality it il, because the fact that stocks and
bonds or shares are widely distributed and are