The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-27

Do not misapprehend what is here
meant. by laborer. 1t not only includes
the employees in manufactures, mines
and shops, but also in the field. 1t
not only includes the tenant and
laborer on the farm, but every person
who devotes his time to labor of any
kind-all except the non-producers.
That is to say that in 1860, labor
owned seven out of sixteen dollars of
wealth in the United States, and in
1890 only seventeen out of every sixty
dollars in wealth. Again, in 1880 labor
owned SO 900, 100000 out of the $40, 000,-
100000 Of wealth in the nation, while
in 1890, after ten years of unexampled
national prosperity and production of
wealth, resulting in an addition of $780,
OO0,O0O000 to the nations wealth, labor
got for its share only $4,000 900, while
the parasites got all the rest, or 3d.
400 900, co.,
Figuring in the arithmetical pro-
gression of the increase of the national
wealth for the decade, we find that
While the net increase of wealth, above
consumption, for the year 1890, was
about S2,S00,000,000, labor got but $780,
OOO,O 900 of such increase, while what is
broadly and vaguely termed capital
absorbed the residue, or 1920, 900, 900.
This being the case, labor IS certainly
interested in the query, How were
these results produced?" See Ward s
Financial System, page 1856
Thus in thirty years, we see that the
economic condition of the people of
the United States has rapidly changed
in the direction of concentration of
wealth; and the middle and lower
classes are becoming pauperized and
enthralled under the yoke Of industrial
serfdom. In order to show more fully
the swiftness and apparent inevitable
ness of our national doom, [ adduce
the testimony OF high authority based
on the official statistics, as follows:
The wealth Of the United States
January, 1891, expressed in round num-
bers, was $62,0OOOOO,O 900. The -popuia-
ton of the country was e3 0Oo mn.
divided into families of five each and
we have 100000 families. Thomas @
Sherman, the eminent statistican
says that 100000 families" had al thai
time secured one-half of the wealth of
the country, $31, 000, 600, 600, an average
of $3.50 900 each. Again. he saws tbsf
fewer" than 100000 families had in
their possession three-fourths of the
wealth of the country, SAC, 500, 900. 900 an
average of $1S6,000 each. AS a result
If 100000 families have secured SAG. 400
600 600 there remains $500, 900 600 for
12,S5O,OOO families, which would give
an average of $1,225 each. Tabulated
lhC oAlOMlllS Is DIS IOll0WS.
% $4,000 families at $lS66oO each, $4,000.
z $4,000 families at $1,255 each, s15.5Co.
Total, 126OOOO7 families. s62. OOo, 600 ooo
Geo. K. Holmes, special census agent
on mortgage statistics, approaches
the concentration of wealth in the Po-
htical Science Quarterly. Instead Of
attempting to compute the property
holdings of the rich, he strives to as
certain how much of the national
wealth. the masses OF the people pos
sess- According to the estimate tabu-
lated by Mr.. Holmes, 81 per cent of
the families of the country own no
more than about % per cent of the
wealth, and per cent of the families
own II per cent of the wealth. And
MI Holmes believes his estimates do
not overstate the case against the
poor.
We are a buoyant, hopeful, enter
prising people; and withal we are fa-
tally confding and trustful of the
powers that be" Let no one sup
pose that we can work out" of the
dilemma. as above exhibited. so long
as the economic and political tenden-
cieS of the country remain what thew
are! No; under the present outlook we
are LOST financially: our doom is
sealed. We are sinking deeper and
deeper every yearl The only end that
we can reach under the present trend
is sheer industrial slavery. This is the
prospective doom of the republic.
What is the cause of this fatal econ
ognic tendency? 1t is found in those
avaricious and grasping tendencies of
human nature which are all confirmed
and developed by the Republican finan-
cial policy. Republicans may claim
that such an impeachment is unwar-
ranted by facts. have an answer
for all such. It is a clean exhibit of