The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-03-11
les on statistics and economics. DR..

| Wilhelm I'ohmrrt.
The conditions prevailing in Ger
many in this respect. if his statement
of facts be true, and which. Judging
from other authorities. may DC fairly
accepted as being correct. would only
90 TO prove the gain which is being
| accomplished in Germany. rs COM
pared with he rctrogrcsslon i'm this
respect which is taking place in Amer
lea. lie says of men who report their
income among the second class Of tax
payers in Dresden, Lcipsic, Hamburg
and BraunSchweig. the average in
crease in income in these five cities be-
tween the years 1SS4-o2 was a frac-
ton less than 60 per cent.
| In regard TO the third class whose
| income was computed from 1900 to
$500 marks (S2SS. 90 to 100000, which
class include chiefly foremen, tcchni-
cal workers. smaller merchants,
agents. travelling men and the like, all
the cities mentioned show that this
class Of tax payers has also increased
to notable degree during the period
under consideration.
Tn conclusion the writer says "It is
impossible to draw any other deduc-
ton than this, that during these eight
years the class Of citizens with an
income Of $500 marks ($GOOOO), which
class includes four-fifths Of all the
Taxpayers Of Germany, has been stead
| lily and constantly increasing in
wealth. Working men Jim factories
and men in similar social station OF
life are constantly getting into high
or group :; :: :: :: :: These data show
that the middle classes in Germany
are not being eliminated from our
modern society. but rather that they
are being more firmly established than
ever
This remarkable increase can only
be explained on the ground that the
middle classes have been increasing
in wealth. and that the poor, instead
of getting poorer have become richer
and this is largely ascribed to the
increase Of wages for skilled works
men and artisans"
1t is evident from these figures that
the conditions in Germany under
competitive trade. have operated TO
the genraI advancement Of the people
at large, that the operation of trusts
have NOT fastened their fangs on these
people to the extent they have OBJ
tanned in the United States.
In other words it would appear that
in Germany under its present system
Of government that a truer demo-
critic system prevails.
1t may be interesting to state that
in the year 1896 the Socialists vote in
Germany figured up to one million,
and that since that time it has been
fast multiplying, as shown by the vote
of 1898, when over two millions votes
were cast by the Socialist party.
The story of Socialism is amplified
by the oft prevailing conditions Of So
cicty in all ages, where the large ac-
emulation of wealth in the hands of
a comparative few has brought about
unnatural sympathies between human
beings, the master and the slave; but
in the past centuries these abuses
have only been corrected by bloody
wars.
Today the idea of the Socialist is to
relieve human distress not with the
sword, but with kindly education; to
re-establish the common rights be-
tween mankind after the order of the
Masters teachings do unto others as
it would be done unto you
In this brief treatise I have hardly
covered my text, and, with my scant
knowledge Of German usages, I feel
that I have barely outlined the ideas
of the system of German Socialism,
but only to instance some of its great
benefits.