Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-10-29
THE RICH AND THE POOR.
How Bryan Would Have Free Sill
yer Equalize Things.
But the Organic Scheme Is a Failure
That Would Result Only in Increas-
ing the Gulf Between
the Two.

Who is the rich man? How much
does a man have to own before he be-
comes rich man? In this day there is
so much talk about the two classes that
one would imagine that there is a clear,
dividing line, distinct as that which
separated Dives from Lazarus, but there
isn't. We look at the extremes alBl
marking the wide difference we forget
all about the great middle class, and
we cry out: THE rich are growing
richer and the poor are growing poor
err"
There is now heard the daily appeal
to those who are discontented or en-
vious that something must be done to
something must be of leveling pro-
cess. Something must be taken from
the multi-miliionaires ana added 10 lie
man who has little or nothing. Such
seems the most catchy theory of re-
form, and it is upon this theory that
the leader Of the free-silver cause APP
peals 20 the passion and greed OF men.
He pictures the rich as being against
the poor, and talks about the oppres-
know, those who are classed as cap
italists do not have their wealth in ready
money, but in properties. They could
get very little income from locking up
their wealth in vaults. That properties
exceed monies is evident from the off
cial reports, which show that the as
sessed valuation in the United States
per capita amounts to $407.1S, while ON
the same date the per capita of money
amounted to S22.s2. Now, Mr.. Bryan
proposes TO level up matters between
the rich and the poor by his free coin
age scheme which, he claims will send
prices up, probably double. He does
not explain how he will manage TO
double the price of what property the
rich man has. If he cannot do this, then
the rise in prices will send the property
OF the rich man up just as fast and just
as high as that of the poor man. The
millionaire will then be worth So, 0OO,-
600, and the fellow who has only $1,000
will be worth only $4,000. The differ
eDce between them now is $685. 900. I'm
der Bryan's doubling process there with
be difference of 81 1898, 900. There will
be a still greater difference between the
man who now is worth 100000 and
the man who has nothing. The poor
fellow who has nothing can double
nothing as many times as there are
ciphers to carry out the result, and he
viii be no better off when he has two
nothings than when he has simply one
nothing. Doubling the wealth of the
other fellow would make him worth
S100,000,000, and the poor fellow with
nothing would be that much further
away from him.
If all that these fellows hope for is to
make the rich poorer and the poor rich
er, they ought to get some other plan
The Bryanic scheme, and the appeal
which he makes in its behalf come in
strong contrast TO that presented by
Mckinley and his followers, who are adj
yonting methods by which the poor
may better their conditions and the idle
may have an opportunity to employ
their energies, not by taking from an
other, bnt by producing their own
wealth, and having it as their own after
they have produced it. The honest dol
lar for an honest days work, the OPEN
ing of the mills instead Of the minis,
come in as strong contrast as the
building upon rock foundation is To
that of . building upon balloon
Council Bluffs Nonpareil