The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-24
r,r INSECURITY OF Wealth

H. ~ their promoters, they nevertheless
..m.I t1 have checked tho activity OF tho
10, snl to have diminished for time.
~, volume OF transactions. The sales last
.,,.doy fell to less than 100000 shares. and
I.,- tote number for the 1vc full business
',,. OF las. week was but l,5Oo,ooo. or an
", n, 900 900 d day. 1t Is quito worth
w.. tor N. officials OF the Stock Exchange to
s,,ca,. the matter. and to inquire whether
Nv. IA GROUND for the widely prevalent belief
w, Tho efforts Ia tie up the city railroad COM
"a' ,rroceeded. not from any real dissats-
.,,In among motormen and conductors. but
tho Vaccinations Of bear" stock oper-
,hp paid money 70 tho leaders OF the
.h,.fu.akers FOR their services In interrupt
The business OF the companies.
uh...ver the truth may be in this respect,
,i.,,,,,. tho less q siguincant fact that the
,,man. who first became active In inter-
.,,o with tho ordinary operations OF the
.rrIad. we're not employees In permanent
,,u,,Ions and on fuil pay. but were either dis
n,-oad men or "trippcrs" waiting for vacan-
.os Ont Of this material. manipulated by pro-
ossi.nal asitaturs who had no personal inter
=, t., tho motter, was fashioned the senblance
Co., orgoniyation which arroGated to itself the
,nc.,on OF speaking for the whole body OF rail-
oad r,ployees and Of making demands which.
tsranted. would have Injured to tho bennht
Wv NJ, a very few individuals. leaving the
,.,. Axac,ly who're they wore before. Evil
iar,Iy, contractors and motormcn who were
,o,,irp full ray FOR full days work.
ma nothing TO gain by aiding the trip
,ers 10 secure an increase Ill thc'r
,rncarious earnings. ana that tney sa" u.
proved BY the violence employed 10 eompel
hem to strike Assuming new men. VINO
ave taken the place OF strikers Is uhiortu-
,a;ely too common. but never before nave ola
,auds who were contehtou WIN thelr si'ua-
ions suffered violence 10 so great an
,xtent as they did in this city last week,
merely because they remained at work. In
act, this so.caled strike has been vastly more
,ia struggle 10 MAKE men sltike against their
Wills than il has been 10 ehtort concessions
rom employers \ mere hand'ui OF rioters un-
icrtook. by abusive epithets' ana oy material
missiles to drive from their posts thousands
u men who asked Tor hothlnR out TO 20
allowed to 90 on aud earn their living by non
est labor and that the enort met win ms much
success az It I!d' is dIscourag'hs 10 lovers OF
personal liberty
More disquietins il tho sympathy which mas
seen manifested Tor the mlschlet makers by
largo number Of our citizens ana the encour-
igemcnt which was given them by certain OF
BUR newspapers. In some places the entire
population. Old and young seemeu 10 nave
turned out to oostrnct cars. harass motormen
md conductors ana peit them, as wei as the
Passengers with stones anu prlcKpats' Inc
act that hv these means. damage could be done
70 a great corporation was treated as sufl-
.ont incentive and sufficient qualification.
For successfully resisting the rioters and keep
Ing them within bounds the police have been
bitterly reviled. and one Of the ringIeaders
81 the mob has had the impotence to charge
them with brutality toward peaceiui strlk-
.rS As to the destruction wrought with dy-
oamitc nron the elevated railroad in Brooklyn.
/ was but the elimination OF series OF lesser
Irts ot violence. and may he ascribed to the
ZANE influences
Thanks 10 the small size OF the mob. and to
the consequent success OF the police in re-
PRESSING il. comparatively little injury was
done to life and property by this abortive at
tempt to make trouble for the street railroad
companies The companies have lost some
tens OF thousands OF dollars by decreased earn
inGS and extraordinary expenses. their loyal
EN- oyees have lost some thousands which
they would have earned II they had been al
lowed 10 work without interference. and
BROOKLYN shopi eepers. by the keepipp away
from their shops OF passengers who would have
come to buy OF them, have been deprived Of
much profitable trade. but the total amount is
Insignificant in comparison with what it might
have teen. had the consprators succeeded to
the full extent OF their purposes. Had the en-
tire local transportation service OF the city
been paayzed as they intended it should be,
the damage would have been reckoned by mil
lions OF dollars. instead OF thousands.
This possibility OF a vastly greater calamity
than that which has happened always hangs
over Us. and the contemplation OF It is not re-
assuring to the po5sessors of great wealth.
The popular notion Is that wealth consists OF
money. levels. clothing. furniture, pictures,
statues and other articles capable OF actual
sight and touch whereas, in rnct it is princi-
pjIy composed Of houses. factories, mines,
railroads steamships. telegraph lines and
similar combinations OF materials which are
worthless to their owners except as contriv-
aHres for earning money. The milionaires of
Oh hadlaud. cattle. slaves gold, silver. precious
s'ones and costly stuffs; the more modern
Were money lenders, shipowners and mer-
chants; but until tho beginning OF the pres
snt century. their entire number was small.
arf then aggregate possessions were Of little
value compared with the present aggregate