The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-01
The wealthy Few.

In the current number Of the illustrated
American Congressman De Almond Of
Missouri has an article in which he I'M
dertakes TO show that there is something
radically wrong with our government, be-
cause a few thousand persons possess
more than half of all the wealth of a
mighty nation of 100000 of people"
This is an old subject which has been
discussed 50 much that it has ceased to
be- especially interesting. Congress
man De Almond doesn't present 1t in a
new light. nor does he give expression to
any, new thought in regard to it.
The tendency Of his article, however,
will be to create discomfort among those
who have not been so fortunate as to ac-
emulate wealth or a competency We
do not suppose that he had that object in
view. He may have thought he had dis
covered something new and felt that 1t
was his duty to make his discovery
known
Careful observers who have given this
question of great fortunes in this country
very candid consideration have reached
the conclusion that they do not indicate
anything radically wrong with our gov
eminent or that they threaten the de-
struction of the republic. AS a matter Of
fact If what Carroll D. Wright
the chief of the labor bureau,
says is correct, the rich are not
growing richer and the poor poor
er in this country. While the number of
rich men is much greater than it was a
half century ago and the number of great
fortunes Is very much larger, the material
condition of poor people has improved
very much within that time. The average
of the wages of laborers is higher and
skilled workmen are better paid. Accord
ing to Mr.. Wright the betterment in the
material condition of the masses has
about kept abreast of the increase in the
fortunes of the rich.
Sensational newspapers have done much
to mislead the public in the matter of
great fortunes. The great fortunes are
not nearly 50 great as the sensational
newspapers have represented them to be.
1t Is worthy of notice that, as a rule, the
inventory of dead mans estate shows it
to be much less than 1t had been repre-
scented to be during his life time. For in
stance, the wealth Of Mr.. Pullman, who
died a few days ago, was said, before his
death, to be anywhere from $1,000, 600 to
$50UO,OOO. 1t turns out that his estate
amounts to less than 100000.
In only two or three families is wealth
held together and permitted to accumu-
late from generation to generation. Mr.
Pullman's wealth is given to his wife and
children, and the most of IT may pass
into other hands within the life of an
other generation. Very few of the great
fortunes which exist to-day will be held
together very long after the death of the
present possessors of them. Most of the
great fortunes which are regarded by
Congressman De Almond, and the men of
his way of thinking as a menace to the
republic, have been accumulated by those
who now possess them, and they will be
broken up and spent probably within a
reasonable time after their possessors are
dead. Surely there is no danger to the
republic to be apprehended as long as
great fortunes are scattered about as fast
as they are accumulated and the material
condition of the thrifty poor becomes bet
ter in proportion as the wealth of the
country Increases