The Butler weekly times., 1897-06-24
Plutocracy.

to speak for those from whose pockets S
this vast sum is to be raised, from
whose labor and sweat day and night
this vast contribution is to be taken.
They have some right to be heard in
the councils of the nation when their
property is to be taken by an act of
Legislative rapine and distributed
among men who have paid no con
sideration for it.
What are we doing9 Building up
. vast and solid plutocracy in this
country Some body asked me the
other day how many millionaires
there are in the United States. You
could count them on the fingers OF
one hand before 1860. The policies
measures adopted by the Democratic
administrations before the war did
not permit the growth of such mon
sters in this country. Republican
policies have fostered and fattened
them. They now insolently refuse
to be taxed and insolently demand
that other people shall work out
their lives to pay them tribute.
read from a paper written by
Thomas G. Shearman, one of the
ablest lawyers in the United States
It was published and republished
again in the magazines. It was pub
lished in 1890. It has never been
questioned It has been sent broad
cast has been commented upon
everywhere, and never have 1 heard
one breadth Of contradiction or crit.
icism of the article 1 will read
what he says,and he gives the names
of some of them in his discussion
and they do not deny it:
There are 200 persons worth S2O,-
100000 esch-$4,O 900, 100000.
There are 400 persons worth S10,-
100000 each-$4,0 900, 100000.
There are 1000 persons worth So
100000 each-S5,0O 5,0O0.0OO,000.
There are 1000 persons worth S2,.
100000 each-$5, 600, 100000.
There are G,00O persons worth ST..
600. 900 each-$6, 600, 100000.
Twenty four billion dollars owned
by 5000 persons.
Then he puts $4,000 people who
own $500, 1000 each, making $780,.
100000
Thus these 24,6oo people owned
$31, 800, 100000, or more, at that
time, than one half of the national
wealth OF the United States.
Startling as are these figures, the
work OF creating and multiplying
millionaires still goes on, and today
the people are confronted with bill
proposing to levy 500 taxes and
5000 taxes and $500 taxes on a hun
dred dollars worth of the necessa-
ries of life-not to raise revenue and
pay the debts of the Government,
but to raise revenue for the private
pockets of favored class, and to an
amount estimated at nearly $4,000,
100000 year.
Now, Mr.. President, what Is all
this for-the building up of great
fortunes, this enormous fund Great
ing and multiplying millionaires?
Have We not been witnessing for the
last few years a thing that must be
humiliating to every lover of the in
stitutions of this country! Have we
not seen the daughters of the mil.
lionaires, endowed with money
wrung by legislation from the pock.
cts of the forgotten taxpayers of this
country. shipped to Europe like fat
ted heifers and peddled for titles.
What spectacle to see American
women exported and sold like so
many carcasses OF mutton or fresh
beef for titles forbidden by the Con.
stitution of their country to be worn
within it's jurisdicticn-titles to be
at deadly enmity with it's institu
tions. And yet we are constantly
beholding it.
OF what moment was it that the
Fathers of the Republic, bearing the
wounds and bloodstains of the Rev.
olution, fought to secure their liberty
and their posterity! OF what use was
it for them to declare that titles of no
bility should not be conferred in this
country! It was natural that they
should do so 1t was the democracy
OF a free government that they were
creating-a free, government
whose whole power cams from the
governed. It was q government OF
the governed, self government. .
free government; and there was no
place in our system for titles and
titled classes. And yet We sec as
soon as these people get this iuordi-
rate wealth their daughters are ship
ped over to Europe and put on
the market. hawked and peddlsd and
sold with American money to be-
come princesses and ducheeses and
marchionesses, and We are levyinp
,,nnn fhA vNoHnks -