The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-09-22
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
Commercial Wreckage.


The boast has become proverbal in
this country that this is the richest and
most prosperous nation in the world
and when we take into account its ma
terial development during the past few
years, and its natural recources we can
hardly dispute the claim, IF it be true
then that this is the most prosperous
country on earth in the aggregation Of
Its wealth and the profits from invested
capital why are the masses ofthe people
not sharing more equitably in the
profits upon the labor necessary to pro-
duce the wealth which enters into the
prosperity of the country? Thousands
of our people visit foreign countries
and hobnob with the titled dignitaries
Of royalty, spending money lavishly as
no other nationality but Americans,
could or would. Why this is so is
explained iu the fact of the ease by
which their accnmulatiops are obtained
The stock jobbing schemes by which
the railroad corporations are enabled to
multiply their investments four-fold by
watering the stocks and then to compel
the producers to pay dividends upon
the actual and fictitious holdings Of
these investments is one Of the many
methods There are also many other
high handed schemes for holding up
the producers found in the gambling
dens Of "Bucket Shops" Boards of
Trade and Stock Exchanges. Nor can
we lose sight of the great monopolies
located at the packing centers where
the prices of live stock are controlled
within the hands of few men to buy
at low prices and the selling price Of
the dressed product is likewise in the
same hands to extort tribute from the
consumers of it at large profits, 1t is
claimed that these monopolists, swim
dlers and extortioners, who do the most
of the travelling abroad spend about
$100,000,000, per year which must be
paid in gold or its equivalent and the
wealth producers are annually called
upon to foot the bills. This is not all
when we consider the out 60 and cost
of foreign travel, for the riotous living
at home in the use of costly wines and
other luxuries such as silks and expen
sive wardrobe, as there is nothing,
apparently, good enough for our mod
ern plutocrats unless imported from
abroad.
The financial panic from under
which we arc now emerging is largely
the result Of the high handed robberies
which are going on everywhere and
which encourage the extravagances
which must continue to cause panics
and financial disaster every two or three
years unless the masses rise up and put
stop to the inroads upon the profits
of productive labor by the money
power. Standing alone no man mol
class Of men can resist the grip of the
money power upon the resources OIL
this nation and the great fortunes in
the hands of the few will continue t.
increase in volume while in like ratio
the prosperity of foreign powers will be
promoted at the expense of our people
1t is obvious then that the only hope
for the farmer is in organization. In
other words the farmers must stanG
together for common cause as a mat
ter of self protection or submit tc
abject slavery in time. What the result
will be no one at present can foresee OF
whether the average citizen is compe-
tent for self government. Many realize
the need of the time but are waiting
for others to DO the necessary work tt
bring about the better conditions
prayed for Western Rural.
-t4AS4