The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-07-30

WEALTH AND WAGES
Rev. |. W. H~athaway's Re-
markable Sermon on
Social and Econ
omiC Problems.
LABOR NOT A COMMODITY
Legislation Wanted to Give the
Toiler a Larger Share of the
Profits of His Work.
LABOR NOT A COMMODITY

Church yesterday morning, who listened
with eager attention to his sermon on politi-
cal and social economy. The text selected
by Mr.. Hathaway was from Matthew vii: -,
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do We even SO to
them, for this the law and the prophets
political and social economy" said the
preacher. 'sare the great questions of the
age, and the Church must not ignore them.
They have always been living questions, but
they nave come more to the front as wealth
has increased and social conditions ave be-
come more complex. By reason of the in
creased means of rapid communication
and transportation the marvellous
increase of and interchange of
commodity the whole world hes at our door
and is tributary to our daily lives. The
social and economic relations of the civilized
world have been revolutionized within the
last fifty years. Old things have passed
away; all things have become new. The
last fifty years have SO reyolutlonized the
social problem that the books on political
economy of a few years ago are well nigh
obsolete.
1.-The last fifty years ave been years of
marvellous e~yolutionizing forces which AVE
produced chaouiesocial conditions. We are
entering upon a new era OF REIMBURSEMENT.
Alas, however, the year of Jubilee does not
appear to have arrived. The vast immigra-
ton, the rapid growth of our cities, with a
corresponding decline of rural life, the enor-
NOUS increase of wealth, with the frequent
EARTHQUAKES of scientific discoveries and the
utilitarian magic of mechanical appliance
have. made the economic problem a new
science.
THE WEALTH OF THE WEALTHY.
GAS we look out upon the present chaotic
social conditions our attention is first a. reSt-
ed by the enormous increase OF wealth IN all
the civilized world, and especially in this
country, which is by far the richest nation
in the world. 1t is stated by the best au-
thority that, over and above all expenditure
and waste. our average annual increase of
wealth from 1880 to 1890 was Sl,7Sl, 100, 00o.
q sum SO vast as to be absolutely beyond the
grasp of any ordinary human mind.
1.-The wealth of Cresus was stimate at
$751; COO. 000-the then richest man in the
world. The nabobS of the Roman Empire
were counted as being immensely wealthy,
but the entire. riches OF any one OF them
would not compare with the year
" income of some of our Amer
leans. What in these ancient empires
was counted as fabulous is but a 1.-THE OF the
gold princes of today. Mr.. Sherman, a
well known writer upon these subjects, in
anticipation of the American Millionaire,
SAYS that several Misrepresentation estates
have increased five fold in less than forty
wears. and estimates that with, compound
interest, to say nothing of the increase OF
bonds and stocks and city lands, there are
estates here now that must make bllllonalres
inside of forty years more. Mr.. Shearman
declares that seventy per cent. of the
wealth of this country is held by 200, 600 out
of %, 900, 900 of our population. That Is
three-tenths of one per cent. of our popula-
ton control seventy per cent Of all the
property.
divided as Yellowstone man out of $500
men receives $40 of every 800, leaving $50
for the other 299 men, which would give
them about ten cents a piece. One man out
of 800 getting $40 and the other 299 men get
ting ten cents each. This is the proportion
of the division of this increase of wealth as
it has been and now is in this country.
Mr.. Shearman SAYS that the annuaIi income
of the richest 100 Americans is at least
$1,500, 900 each. Now if 100 workmen could
earn 81, 900 a year each it would take them
1900 years to earn as much as the annual
income of these 100 rich Americans, and if a
workman could earn 81, 900 per day he would
have to work 547 years and never take a day
off to earn as much as some Americans are
worth.
THE PovERY OF THE POOR.
sThe question is not what is the condition
of the wage Garner today compared with
QIUY or one hundred years ago. DuG Ju6
question is as to the Just distribution of this
enormous wealth. The facts which cannot
be disputed nor denied, are these, that less
than one-halt of one per cent. of the popula-
ton of this country are controlling seventy
five per cent. of its wealth, while n~inety-nine
per cent. of the people have but a bare
substance. OF curse the condition OF this
nipety-nine per cent. represents all grades
from comfortable houses to the most object
poverty.
1T is nc doubt true that the wage Garner,
as a rule, can live more comfortably today
than he could fifty years ago, but the de-
mands of respectable living are greater, so
that he is only just above the starving point.
Blu what can be said in estimation of this
condition IN the face of such revelations as
are made by DR.. Booth in his Darkest En-
glandg What can be said IN commentator
of existing economic conditions when 100000
of our people are rolling in wealth they
know not how to spend. piling it up into bill
lions for their children. while women are
compelled to make twelve shirts for seventy
five cents and furnish their own thread, and
finish off an elegant cloak for four cents,
and children working twelve hours a day for
one dollar per week.
SIN Boston, we are told that women were
found making shop overcoats for four cents
a piece and knee pants for sixteen cents a
dozen pair, while the millionaire wome are
telling how cheaply they can purchase these
things at the great emporiums of trade. and
st the same time paying S25 to 500 for a
lap dog, SO a pound for Hamburg grapes
and giving dinners to their friends at a cost
of $50 to 800 a cover.
'These are things that we see, but we also
see many great public improvements such
as submarine cables, making communication
between the ends of the earth a question Of
but moments. Great railroads betting the
continent, out flowing as a submerged river
for thousands of miles from the fountains to
the sea, and thousands of syndicates OF capi-
tai, pushing as many gigantic enterprises al |
supplementing each other in making up the
wonderful civilization of this age.
We see enormous manufacturing plants
where millions find investmentsand thous-
andss employment. We see the concentration
and combination of capital into enormous
corporate companies that are enabled to COM
.nland the resources of the world and the
markets of the same. We see many fine
avenues in many beautiful cities lined with
rich and costly homes where all the COM
forts and luxury that wealth can command
are employed.
Discomfort.
"But again we see a widespread and
deep seated popular discomfort to say moth
ing of the wide spread poverty, squalor
and wretchedness. This is not a discomfort.
or the few but the many. It is not local but
general, not temporary but continual, not
diving out but growing-a discomfort that is
breeding a Goddess Socialism, Anarchy,
a spirit of hatred and murder. There is nc
di ;puting the fact that our wealth is not
Justly distributed, and that the farmer, me-
chanic and all laborers and wage earners do