The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-08-02
STRIKE AT THE POLLS
A CHICAGO PREACHER POINTS
OUT LABOR'S DUTY.
Only When the Common People Control
the Government Will the Arrogance of
Capital BE eckcd-IrreguIarity In the
DistributlOn Of Wealth.
Let WOrkinymen Awake!

Distribution Of Wealth.
Let WOrking men Awake!
The Rev. J. +. Brushingham, a
prominent: Methodist minister of Chi
cago in Il sermon on the Sunday fol-
lowing the recent labor disturbance
spoke on the industrial question. He
stated that the wage-earning problem
was q profound one and not easily
solved bv boycotts or strikes. He pre-
scented carefully arranged statistics
showing the irreSularity in the dis
tribution of wealth, and the evident
disadvantages under which the work
ingman lal,ors. In the future, the
speaker said, the Government would
be arravcd upon the side OF justice for
the worker, rather than compelled to
aid corporations and milliOnuires, as in
the present fight In such event, the
Government, he said, would insist up
on arbitration or investigation of cause
for arbitration. In city where
the public press seems to be
always on the side of tie capt al
ist it is refreshing to know that at
least one minister of the gospel has
the courage to speak the truth. MIR.
Brushin.lam said:
The recent industrial commotion only brings
to the s,'rtac" indications that the wage earn
ing problem in America is Il profound one, one
not to he solved by the strike or the boycott of
day, but by the patient peaceful ana patriot
&c efforts OF IN enlightened citizenship.
one week ago today "a pan OF gloomy for
boiling seemed to have settled down over Chi
cagO and the country. We may tonight thank
God that the dark clouds have passed away
and that the Government 1T Washington still
al AN nd VAT nj IsIfN nu1r SV IN
certain stubborn facts and tendencies of this
republic. our national wealth has been in
crra>nS rapidly. Has the workllgman been
securing his propOrtionate share Of the i'll
crease:
From 1870 to 1890 our wealth Increased at the
rate OF f.NNun per hour. night and day except
SUNDAY, or say SauU,On for every
week day, durin; the last twenty years
T TN, WYE with y OF the un,si STAT; ~,
unWD, or an increase of iuS per cent. How
has the workineman Jared IN this notable in
''Th" average yearly expense of u working
mans family III Massachusetts are estimated
at r7,.': HIS average yearly earnings are
$685. This leaves about $3.50 for his wife and
children I" earn before he is enabled to make
both ends meet.
wv. need not be socialists to discover the
great irrrgularity in the distribution of wealth.
About sh,U U.tMtW III national wealth; r.
:tnrU.tDJ families. They possess the wealth
OF this great nation i'll the following proper
tons:
Aggregate Average
Families. wealth. wealth.
Below 5000 ,AN,tNO XS.UU.UU.OtD 80
$3.50 10 1000. l.a.,.trU y',nU.tAD,tD 1000
s:h.uu aud over. Ea,oD ;u.Uo0N.Wo "MuO
lin other words /. per cent. oi the families
possess seveH-tiEhth, of the wealth i'll Amer
lea. while ~ per cent have only eighth OF
the national wealth. That Is. per cent. pos
sc>> rs much as tn: remaining ~ per cent. put
together.
Thomas q. Sherman Of the Forum gives Il
list OF seventy names OF persons III the United
States representing an aggregate wealth OF
.lD III ora n
1t would he easy. he says. for any especially
we'll informed person to make up a list OF i"'
persons averaging. 10 Oo.WU each i'll addition
to ten eragins slutnp.Mh
No such list OF concentrated wealth could
bt given i'll any other country IN the world.
This IL astounding is dangerous. In fact.
1t shows u condition bordering on the danger
line at national peril Persia persisted when |
per cent. ri the people owned the land. The
power OF Egypt melted away when : per cent.
OF her reope owned ninety-seven one hun
drsdth> OF the wealth. The same holds good OF
tl.AN men possessed the then civilized world.
Prof. Parsons Estimates that ii the present
rate of concentration continues, i'll 1910 per
cent OF our people will own ninetyive one
hln,!r"uth> OF the wealth in America.
$50 conservative 4 man as Daniel Webster
and so patriotic II man ~ Henry Ward I'eecher
feared this tendency toward concentration
Abraham Lincoln feared 1t more than the civil
war, Mr.. Bcerher said that five or ten men
controlling 1000 miles Ut railroad would have
their hands ON the throat nf commerce. and ii
they wanted Il man III the Executive Chair to
sympathizc with them aud 10 do their bidding
II would be within the power OF their five
pockets to put him there
Men are found working in >weatshOps for
81 cents Il week and GARD while Mr.. Wander
bits cook gets slhhO y year. When Andrew
CurnrG. was making S:u.uNHU he employed
women t. shovel coke and Goa! INTO his f,,r
narcs because they could he had cheaper than
men.
Let the worlinglnen arouse themselves
Not in the WAY OF strikes or hrTcottS. unless
II he a boycott against tie crogsery. \ peace
full str lie Is lawful. hut it Is not rXpedlent
Let them do their striking III the polls. This
vote of \ day latrrcr. honestly ana lnteliigen II
~ ptllrd. counts Tor much rs that pt Il
multi millionaire stand together 1T the DOL,
then the time will come when the | nitet
States Government will De arrayru upon III.
side OF justice and fair play for the work kim.
man rather than being compelled tn bolster III
monopol>tic corporations anu mlllionariSyl
as i'll the present fight Then the Government
will insist upon knowing whether \ million
Ai,e has yihing to arhitrate.