The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-08

5000 persons, a number that grows
smaller each year as the policies OF
Capitalization Of wealth and power are
permitted to triumph at the polls.
Our national wealth is appraised at
less than $4,000. 100000. In fact, but
little more than SOS, OOO, 100000 of prop
erty is owned by persons in the United
States. And when the distribution Of
this wealth is understood, the rate per
capita loses the significance with which
campaign orators invest it. Two hun
dred persons in the United States are
each worth $40, 100000 or upwards; 400
are worth from ten to twenty millions;
1000 are worth So. O0O, 600, 1000 are worth
$500 600, 5000 are worth $1,000, 600, and
5000 are worth $780, 900 each. In other
words, 200 persons have an aggregate
of $4,000. 0OO, 600; 400 have a total Of
$4,000 0O0, 600; 1000 have $1,000, 00O 600;
1000 have the same; 5000 have S6,oOO,-
100000, and 1900 have $3.50, 10000.
These are the most accurate statistics
ever gathered, and all other lists cor
roborate this one. 1t Will be seen that
"a, 500 persons own SCI, 5000 900 of the
total of S65, OOO, 100000, leaving $SS.50O,-
100000 to be divided among 10000. 600 of
people. All this talk about wealth per
capita is meaningless. If this wealth
were distributed equally, if there were
ways and means to make it bear its
just proportion of government expenses
even, there would be some hope that
when prosperity shines it might shine
on. The whole American system Of
taxation, of late years, national and To-
cal, is heavier drain upon the poor.
ten times over, than it is upon the rich;
and every innovation is a triumph of
plutocratic genius which apparently
finds favor with the poor, although 1t
adds to the burden and fastens 1t
little more securely upon the backs OF
the masses. Tariff determinations have
always favored the luXuries as against
the necessities of life; excise taxes and
taxes on personal properly invariably
reach the limit upon the poor and those
in moderate circumstances, while it IS
a notorious fact that the millionaire
families of the great cities evade their
Just proportion of taxation every year.
These methods of supporting the gov
eminent are constantly abused, and
every means by which it is proposed to
reach large incomes, inheritances and
combinations Of capital in restraint of
trade, is howled down by the Sages of
Wall street and the statesmen Of the
Republican party. In addition to other
forms of taxation, the burden of which
rests upon the masses, instead of the
rich corporations at which they were
ostensibly directed, are the war taxes.
They were declared to be, and from
their nature ought to be, temporary.
They are still collected, and so long as
the administration can find an insur-
rection peg to hang an excuse on these
taxes will. be continued and more gold
bonds win be issued little later.
It is certain, and more people than
Russell Sage have acknowledged it,
that few thousand millionaires have
it in their power to cause a panic or to
end panic. They can expand or con-
tract the money in circulation at Will.
Il each of these 24,6OO millionaires
should expend $4,000 year it would
leave a surplus aggregate annual in
come of a billion and half. 1t would
hire $500, 600 men for 800 days at 81 per
day This is only an Illustration of
what wealth might do in theory. But
there is one thing it could be made TO
do that would be practical and just.
1t should be made to bear its fair pro-
portion of government expenses Tax
alton should be levied to reach the in
comes and the inheritanees Of the mil
Honaires who control the financial af-
fairs of the nation. There is danger in
the Capitalization and the encourage
ment of power like that referred to by
Russell Sage. Some day the barons will
feel secure and refuse to humor the
people any further with occasional
CLEANS of prosperity. They viii adopt
the Vanderbilt motto. Then the spots
upon the sun of our republic" will al
most cover its surface and obscure its
light. 1t was a pretty wise Frenchman
who said: Monarch es are destroyed
by poverty and republics by wealth"
When the consent of the governed is no
longer sought and the wishes of the
people are no longer respected it VIII
be a dark day for this republic.
CONFERENCE CROWDS.