The sun., 1901-08-08
Are the Wealthy to Blame for
AHfhe Woes Ofhe WOrkingn1an? ?

to work six and one-half hours day in
order to produce t.t'se articles alone.
Who consumes this product! Mr..
Rockefeller and Mr.. Carnegie cannot eat
or wear very much more than the aver
agr workingman, and if all this is com
Sumed by what are called the wealthy
classes, who are few i'll number, WAS
turned over to the lahoring people the
difference would not bc percrptiblc.
OF the Is per cent. of labor that goes
10 the construction and maintenance of
buildings, railroads, mills etc, the people
have the same use that they would ger
If it ii the people ;lS Il SucialiStic body or
individually owned This entire property.
They could neither eat it nor wear it.
They could only use it as il is new used
and maintained.
1t is this 10 per cent. that goes 10 the
crear N of the wealth pf the country.
and il must he admitted that Il large por-
tion uf this as well as the land has fallen
into the hands of a comparatively few
people. But these owners cannot CON
stlnr this wealth. They may take out Il
large annual profit but This profit except
the Snall amount that they and thr
personal attendants are able to eat ana
wear, must 90 into improvements aud
other constructions for the use of The
people Wealth cannot exist in the air.
it must be Il tangible reality.
From these figures il is perfectly an.
parent hat there is 10 way that tn,
people can have more to cat, drink and
Wear except by doing more work.
TOO MUCH AND TOO LIl'rLE.
The distribution among dnfrr"nt CLASSES
Of consumers is very unequal frhr man
who receives ST per day may and usually
does consume what lie earns. The man
who receives 81 per day is stintc,l. not
because Of the little that the mlliunoircS
are eating aud drinking. Int because auA
rrill millions of other workers are rccriv-
Ing and consuming two or three times
rs much of the product as he is getting
Carnegie and Rockcfcllcr have hut littI,,
to do with it. These mlllionaircs cXcrut
rs to the product which they consume or
convert into expensive yachts. palaces.
etc. arr and must BE- mere trustees for
huShanding and managing the wealth
which the people use and which derives
it, entire value from the fact that thoy
do use it.
The wages Of great many people uie
To" low hecallSe the wages of others urr
10" hlgh and many are pushed ont III
'IlI'llN Hl''ll nv ln' SlGHeHlt' NllltI T.
made hy the stronger classes to holp
themselves to II larger share aFliS met
t"r uf wages is altogether relative. II
some .il,' getting less than their share Of
tn" annual product, it is because others
art getting more
The entire labor contest rs il il carried
on, though apparently and ostcnSihly n
contest hctwccn capital ana labor il In
fact only u contest between different
CLASSES Of wage earners for larger share
Of tile product, and Il most destructive
contest il is. intcrrupting The steady
cnnrS" Of industry. preventing the ON.
pi"yInrnt of labor, oppressive to the
weaker members Of the social body. do
Structivc TO the small capitalist and ono
OF III" principal agencies in the ccntrali2a.
ilon of wealth.
The gross inequalities in wealth nov.
existing and ever increasing believe 10
h" most detrimental 10 the being Of
Ia" people and destructive to the national
life" hut not for the reasons most com
mUnly assigned