The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-03-13

been ground down by the miiiionaires, but
the spirit Of honest patriotism will not
stand 10 forever. Hiss IL you viii. but IL
viii come. Not by revolution, l hope. but
come il within some manner-becauss
come IL must"
The above IL . fair illustration Of the
kind Of incendiary loose talk and denun-
citation Of '.miiiionaires" that Is uttered by
men who ought to know better. What
have the milIionaires done, what Is their
crime. is question fairly asked by Rev.
W. g. Sumner, Of Yale college. Prof Sum-
ner IL not a millionaire" but he Is
an honest, sturdy thinker and q learned
political economist, who votes. We believe.
the Democratic ticket. Prof. Summer
shows that the class of skilled and I'M
skilled manual laborers are better of to-
day in respect TO diet. clothing. lodgings.
furniture. fuel and lights. in respect 10 the
age that they can marry; the number Of
children they can provide for the start in
life they can give their children and their
chances of accommodating capital than they
have ever been At any former time. He
admits that there are some persons in our
time who have become rapidly and in
great degree rich, but he denies that large
aggregations of wealth in control Of indi-
viduais is social danger. We quote:
1.-The industrial organization needs to be
insured against conjunctures. which. II
neglected produce atcrisis and catastrophe;
and IL needs that they shall be anticipated
and guarded against as far as skill and fore
sight can do IL. The rewards of this func-
ton for the bankers and capitalists who
perform IL are very great. The captains OF
industry and the capitalists who operate
on the conjuncture. therefore. II they are
successful, win, in these days, great for
tunes In q short time. There are no earn
ings which are more legitimate or tor
which greater services are rendered to tho
whole industrial body. The popular notions
about this matter really assume that all
persons would be here just the same il
they had not existed. They are supposed
to have appropriated II out of the common
stock. This is so far from being true that,
on the contrary, their own wealth would
not he but for themselves: and, besides
that. millions more, many-iold greater
than their own, scattered in the hands of
thousands, would not exist but for them"
This is true. A captain OF industry. like
Commodore Vanderbilt. who organized
and combined our railway transportation
system into trunk lines, 50 that the wheat
grower OF the West could quickly and
cheaply market his product, and the man.
ufacturer Of the East could cheaply and
quickly send his finished goods to the
Western producer, was worth millions to
the mass Of the people of the United
States. Prot. Sumner has within the last
two years Travelled from end to end Of the
German empire, and he has reached the
conviction, looking at the matter from the
passengers standpoint, that. If the Ger
mans could find Vanderbilt. and put
their railroads in his hands for twenty
five years, letting him reorganize the sys-
tern and make SIS, 600. COO out OF IL for him.
self in that period, they would make an
excellent bargain.
Another illustration would be the fact
that the so-caIled trusts or combinations
have forced down the price of oil to the
working masses. Prof. Sumner fairly asks
wherein lies the social danger in the pos
session of large amounts of wealth by in
dividuals; what harm has ever been done
by the Rothschild fortunes in Europe or
by the great fortunes accumulated in
American Enormous good has certainly
been done by accumulations of capital in
| a few hands under close and direct man.
agement. permitting prompt and accurate
application. The assumption that great
accumulations are socially harmful and
ought 10 be broken down by taxation is
stou,y denied by Prof. Summer. On this
| point he says:
| Where is the rich man who Is Cypress.
| ing anybody III there was one. the
| newspapers would ring with II. The facts
| about the accumulation OF wealth do no,
| constitute a plutocracy. Wealth, in Itself
| considered. Is only power. like steam OF
electricity or knowledge. The question OF
| its good or Ill turns on the question how
/ II will be used. To prove any harm in
/ aGgregations of wealth IL must be shown
| that great wealth is, as a rule. in the ordi.
| nary course Of social affairs, put TO a
| mischieyoas use. This cannot be shown
beyond the very slightest degree. II at all. y
Prof. Summer scores the socialists, who
| pretending 10 dread plu:ocrsoy. political
system in which the ruling force is wealth
1 would substitute for our present principle
| of indiy.iualism. which governs best be-
| cause IL governs least, the stupid system
| of patsrnaiisn in government which col
lapsei in ancient Peru at the frs, prick Of
| the Sword OF riEarro. Al present in th,
| United States the power of capital Is social
and industrial and only in 8 small degres
| political. Ba, any attempt 10 transfer the
| industries Of the state 20 the government
| would. OF course. bring all the power Of
capital into the political arena and rreeip
i,ais the conflict Of democracy aud plu.
,ocrsey NJ once. On shis point Prof. sum
| ner says:
| Can any enc imagine that the m as.er
| fulness, the Overlooking disposition, ths
] greed Of gain and the rpth!essness IN
/ methods which are the faults Of tie master
| Of industry al his worst. would cease y her
/ be vas fancisonaTy of the state which
/ had relieved him OF risk snd endowed him
I With authority Can any one imagine
/ that politicians would no longer he cor
! fap;lv fond Of money. intriguing aad
/ crafty when they were charged, not oaiy
/ with patronage and government contracts
/ bni also with factories. stores. ships snt
/ railroads. Could we expect anything
/ except thst, when the politician and
! the master of Industry acre Iolned
Ia cue, Ne should have the vices
/ % bota unchecked hv the restraints o.
either la aay s9cialistRe state there vii
be one sst ST positions which Will offe'
! chances 81 ses.gh beyona the sildss
! dreams 81 aEagicr-Ytk., on the governing
/ committees Then there vii be rich Fasr
! whose wealth Viii indeed b. menace &
/ soc. Al Interests. aud instead OF industrial
! t~Ace there ~lll - such aar - no one ia,
g 2 . a.