The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-03-29

try, the trust, the monopolies and
concentrated wealth so amazed him
that he exclaimed: 81 see the shad-
OwS of new structure of sOclety-
an aristocracv of riches" Fifty
years ago there were no fortunes
here, and in the fact but few fortunes
that could be called large and i'll
those days there was comparatively
little poverty; now we have many
gigantic fortunes and a vast number
ranging from 100000 To SlO,-
100000. In the past, wealth being
equally distributed there was but
little class distinction, but there
was Il far greater number of what
might be called fortunes, and a
noticeable exemption from that pau
pcrism which has become chronic of
late years.
Thcprobate courts record OF the
various states discloseS the fact that
millionaires are becoming more mu-
mcrous while the smaller property
owners are gradually sinking into
the multitude of people possessing
nothing. In valuable article by
fltwccd Pomcrov on the "Conccn-
traton of Wealth." some interesting
! figures anG diagrams aregivcnprov-
inc from probate records Che exact
extent to which small fortunes have
been crowded out or merged into
enormous ones. These records are
valuable, because they are official,
but while they prove the extent to
which wealth is concentrated, they
do not disclose the misery which
that wealth is causing. For that,
we must look to the condition about
us, and in SO doing, It is not neces-
sary to be philosopher in order to
see the havoc which concentrated
wealth has wrought in recent years.
Every day, it has been declared, Am
erica is over four million dollars
richer at night than in the morning.
Who receives this wealth? Surely
not those who toll else they would
not suffer so. They receive Il little
of it. The national wealth, great as
it is, slips through their fingers TO be
collected in the vast reservoirs of the
moncvcd aristocracy. They work,
but it is the work of those who labor
to produce, but who receive none of
that which is produced. 1t is this
condition that causes so many To de-
clare that the present distribution
of wealth does not conform to the
principles of justice. And how can
it be otherwise when all wealth
passes through the hands of the pro-
duccrs and stops only when it
reaches those who possess most"
Thus wealth is becoming with H.
moi Il power for general good, but
power given To the few To control
many-a power placing upon the
MISSES yoke little better than
slavery Itself.
The rich becoming further and
further removed from the poor, are
also bccoming conscious of being in
a measure the proprictors OF the
poor. The poor have knowledge
of this fact, and thcstrikcs, boycotts
and general discomfort are but the
expression of this knowledge.
In no county in the world does
wealth, individual and corporate,
exert such an influence as in the
United States and as consequence,
human life is becoming lamentably
cheap. Capital is becoming sacred
and human life profane. Laws are
being made not for the good of
humanity, D"t Tor the sake oi prop
orty. One instance may be men
toned here: In the spring of 1896,
a bill was before Congress TO re-
move all criminal cases from the
jurisdiction of the Supreme Court Of
the United States. 1t was argued
by those in favor of the bill that
much OF the time of the Supreme
Court was consumed listening TO
criminal cases cases involving life
and liberty which high priced cor
poration lawyers, whose cases in
volved millions of millions of dol
lars, were required to waitin Wash
ington until the criminal cases were
Continued On Fourth Pare