The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1898-12-29
ARE WE PROSPECTING?
Deductions of Thoughtful Conservative ManLarge Pro-
fits of Observation-Disclosures of Eighteen to Fifty Millions
by Certain Trusts Elk Secretary Days Prosper
ity-l5,ooo People Fed on Christmas Day by
Chicago Phiianthropic Society-Slaves OF
Old Boosted Of Their Masters Riches

=
observation will! hardly warrapt Ghat
conclusion. So when You ask the
question, Has prosperity returned to
the country the answer you will get
viii depend on who Ia answering the
question II Il IL one Of the bankers
10 New York who Is receiving 100 OF
100 per cent annual dividends on his
stock, he will answer you, Yesl II #
Is member of corporation that has
declared els, 1000, 900 or ESQ, 900, 600
dividends, his opinion will be that the
country Is prosperous Aud | should
say that Mr. Day, with $500, 900 for
three months work, will feel prosper
ons, and thus answer you. No, one
Of them has caused a singh blade Of
grass to grow where ihere was none
before---,hey produce nothing! They
are money changers, handle that which
Is produced By others, and the Office
holder who Is paid from taxation.
They are prosperousl Ask the pro-
duccrs, the business men, the titmers,
the manufacturers, the tradesmen, the
bone aud sinew of the country, who
plow the grounl aud SOW aud reap our
harvests; those who make that which
we wear and that which adorns car
homes; who quarry the stones ;hai
pave our streets; the acturs who make
our people laugh, or iusiill great les
sons on their minds; the ministers.
lawyers, doctors and others, II prosper.
i,y has rcturned--and thu answer Is
dis0ouraging."
"But," | asked, "will not lhr-
men who are making so much money
spend !, with the peoplcF"
"Ah! there Is the rub" he replied.
Their actual necessities are few.
only 1.-THE OF their ipcdme is needed
to supply their actual wants. The
purchasing power Of these enormous
dividends is very great. Each dollar
thereof viii buy double rs much Of
most anything AS 1t would when YOU
aud were young men. Mr.. Days
800, 600 Is q princoly fortune When
you consider what Il will buy. The
dividends Of 100 aud $50 per cent of
the New York banks aud of the trusts
aud corporations amount to hundreds
Of millions of dollars, and what II
means, fear, is that all the property
Of the nation will soon pass into their
ppssession--that is, they vii! hold the
title 10 our vast domain. The people,
those who are useful, who produce and
adoru the earth, will not know what 1t
Is TO own n home, and viii! b. heseccL-
ing the more favored for an emporium.
ity TO make a bare liying--and next Il
little later, they will crave the crumbs
that fall from the tables of rich men,
as 1900 of them did the other day.
No, the money Of the favored class
will not go back among the people.
but to the mortgages Of their class, 10
buying morigaged real estate and bank-
Eupt stocks OF merchants and manu-
faeturcrs. Next Christmas It will
mean 80, 900 instead Of 1000 to be-
fed by this humane society"
alt is, however, q patent fact, =" /
said, "that there are not 50 many idle
people as few years ago, when the
unemployed rolled across the country
like great inundatiou, aud does II not
Indicate a more prosperous time nov
as compared with that pcTiod?"
give years ago" he replied, there
was more independence Of character.
Hence the protests against the gravila-
ton Of events, bearing them to a lower
level, were more pronounced aud de-
hant. The strain was on and some
one touched the button---thc inunda-
tiou came. but not so now. The in
dependence of character refer 10 Is
measnrably lowered. As people APP
prolch a degraded state they bear their
burdens more meckly. They accept
employment they would have sputn,i
five years ago. In the wi ter of 49,
'9t yon could not have persuaded TO-
900 people, OF near that numh'r, to
have accepted an aims dinner 1T the
Wayeriy Theater. hut with III ir spir-
its broken and pride gone, they take
what they can get 10 the way OF meual
employment or crumbs from the table
Of Dives, and go off to their wretched
tencments. They have ceased, in a
measure, to protest. This Is the way
they have acted In other nations as they
came down to the level Of Spain.
"Then your conclusions ars---"
"That there can be no such thing a.
prosperity when mora than 30 per cent
OF our families In the large cities are
tenants" he replied.
''Bnt will not tho fact that the peo-
pie think The country Is prosperous,
though IL may not be 30, aid In roster
Ing prosperity" ] asked him.
"is will aid them 10 deceive them
selves while sinking TO the l.vel Of Ea-
rope. The slaves OF old boosted Of
the riches OF their mastersl" And
then he turned to bis desk and walked
ont of his nffsre gpvw-rx