Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-16

danger to be feared from great aggre-
cations of wealth. Our trouble has
arisen in part at least because we have
been, as a people, what Matthew Ar
mold said of the people OF Chicago,
TOO beastly prosperous" 1t is no
fault of our laws, or of our humanity.
or of our civilization that some are
physicallv stronger than others; that
some have better memory than others,
or are better lawyers, or doctors, or
or cooks, than others. The
more favorable the condition the
greater will be the separations. Rob
ert j." would make scarcely better
time in deep mud than the veriest dray
horse; but improve the track, and his
special speed endowments will become
and, the better the track,
the more apparent.
To Find the EVIL.
Let us discover, if we can, the actual
evil, for it certainly exists. Existing,
we OUGHT to be able to find it. Is the
mere possession of wealth objected to,
or is it the improper use thereof? 1t
cost $4,000 to develop a certain gold
mine; during the progress of which
scarcen a penny was realized, and no
one knew when, if ever, it would pay.
Was any one harmed by the eNpendi-
ture? The outlay was wholly by those
who had the money, and the enterprise
was voluntary. The money was ex-
pended for labor; and the wages, when
earned, We're spent for the necessaries
of life, and thereby men and women
were supported, children clothed and
fed, and those who produced the grain,
and the vegetables, and the meat, and
the cotton, and the wool, and the man
ufactured fabrics were afforded a
market and were given employment.
The loss rested solely upon those who
believed that later on they would real
ize something from their investment,
and their hopes were not in vain. The
next few wears witnessed yield from
that mine of as many miilions. 10
whom did this. wealth belong? 70
those who had assumed no risk, or to
those whose courage, enterprise and
hope had led to the development of a
wealth-producing plant? Who was
damaged or made poorer by the en-
terprise? At whose hearth was the
fire extinguished by reason of this
outlay? Whose children suffered thru
tle ulSut, dAu WIZ Wos SolhPSISo "
sit at empty tables? Evidently, no
one. 1 say that wealth itself is not
harmful to this country, and the evil
which we all recognize and would
each gladly remedv lies not at its door.
There are persons residing in this
state today who, in making their first
Journey westward, bought a ticket at
New York for Albany, then hired pas
sage by carriage and the ,transporta-
ton OF their goods by dray thru the
city, purchased another ticket and
came to Buffalo, there to repeat the
process, and again at Cleveland, sthen.
at Toledo, and ended their journey by
rail at Chicago. Lest there should be.
combinations between the, roads and
the transfer of cars from one track to
another, rather than transfer offreight
from one car, the roads We're built of diff
ferent gauge. As late as 1877 the tar
if on bushel of wheat from points
on the Missouri river TO Liverpool
was 611h cents; but at4that time it
went into warehouse atIsChicago,
changed hands, was reshipped, went
into warehouse at New York, ,and per-
haps .. intervening pointsy ,ands was
SGNCldl llillSS AldlSllSu Stf1Q SSNSldl SOai-
missions paid. A certains railway com
pany now practically buys, all the
wheat offered at its stations; and by
reason of combinations with othe,
roads, and steamship lines, lays !, it
down at Liverpool without the inter
position of a. single middleman or
commission, and the freight rate on
a bushel of wheat from. Missouri river
points to Liverpool is 80 cents. am
not so much as suggesting that it
ought not TO be less. / am only try
ing to show that the mere fact of COM
binations is not necessarily harmful to
the western producer. AT the same
time I am not unmindful of the fact
that the warehousemens of Chicago Bit
terly complain, and the commission
merchant files his protest, and the Ia
borer who operated the elevator and
made the transfer and reshipment is
thrown out of employment. We may
prefer to return to the olden time, and
transfer and reship, and pay commits
sions again and again, butI doubt if we
ever shall.
NIiddlemen. ..53
Many will remember that during the
rios there was a vigorous demand
made to eliminate. middlemen, as they
were termed by speakers on the stump.
It was then contended that one store
could handle all classes of goods, and
enough to supply every need in town
of ordinary size. 1t was urged that
one factory was enough TO make har-
vest machines;s and that all in eN,
cess of one constituted Il burden upon
the consumer, in that they increased
the price by the amount of wages paid
for travelling statesmen and rent charg-
ed. etc.. etc. 1t was said that the one
store should buy directly from the
manufacturer, and that the jobber
should be eliminated. 1t has taken
years to bring this about; but the
prayer seems to have been, in meas
ure, heard. The department store
(Which it is not my purpose or province
or within my power to defend) is here
and it handles all classes of goods
and buys of the manufacturer, ano
frequently consumes the entire out
put of the factory, and the iobber and
the travelling man are eliminated. My
only contention is that the conditions
existing in the '70s We're not wholly
bad. but had their corresponding ad
vantages; and that conditions then 81
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