Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-09-06
THE GREAT QUESTION.
(From the Springfield Republican.

(From the Springfield RepubIican)
William J. Byran on Monday demon
| tratcd that he IL factor still to be
| reckoncd with in politics by drawing
| together two immense audiences at
Kansas City and calling out cheers
wherever he appeared. Accordingly
what he has TO say continues to merit
| some little attention.
What he did tell the workingmen on
this occasion, for one thing, was that
each decade of our history shows
grenter production of wealth, and the
men who produce 1t have less to show
for It," II this Is so, then the pro-
ducers have Increased their daily con
sumption out of proportion to the in
crease in production; for nothing Is
wages in their purchasing power have
been increasing materially for several
| decades back, and that the fruits of
the average days labor, as actually
gathered In by the workers, are larger
than ever before, and growing larger.
1t cannot be true, therefore, that the
poor are growing poorer; but whether
the poor have less to show for their
| labor in material savings may be
quite another question. The disposi-
ton Of person whose income has
been increased to expand his expendi-
ture out of proportion to the increase
Is well known, and may in n way have
been manifested all along the line of
wage labor to an extent to establish
the truth Of the Bryan assertion,
though we doubt 1t most decidedly; but
II the wage.worker has less to show
Of material saving for the larger pro-
duction, he must have, more to show
in larger and more tolerable exis-
tence and n better education for his
children.
We may, however, talk along this
line forever, without once touching
the point OF the popular discomfort,
which is not that the poor are grow
ing poorer, hut that the disparity in
individual fortunes, measured from the
higher to the lower, Is increasing so
as to accentuate more and more a
comparative poverty of the masses.
, That this IL true Indictment of the
; industrialsm Of the day cannot easily
be denied. Appearances, ut least, sup.
port II, and ut no time in all our his
tory has this disparity grown so rapid
ly as during the last four or five years
of the trust craze.
Whether the trust as now formed
s finally to stand or fall may be in
doubt. But that, In the formation
and setting ahoat of these water-
logged monsters, large new fortunes
have been created almost in day
and great additions made to many old
fortunes, - from promoters and under
writer's commissions and prohts and
sales OF old plants mt extravagant
prices to tho new--cannot be doubted,
We know, for example, as 1t Is n mat
ter OF certain public knowledge that
Mr., Carnegie now possesses n fortune
approaching, II II does not exceed,
5000, 100000 In as substantial prop
critics MS are known, while 10 years
ago II liz doubtful IL he held actually
In hand one-sixth OF that enormous
sum. The newspapers We're telling the
, otner day of the European voyage of
, several Pittsburg millionaires, all
: made so by the steel trust deal-a
/ voyage which in its extravaganccs
continuously riyaled the excesses of
n I.ucullus. hcing for some of them
IL was stated, n first visit abroad. Il
first experience with great wealth
There has not been combination
: formed during the FIVE years whicl
has not established n number of mel
: in assured and splendid afuence, whc
. before had been deep In the doubtful
outcome of an individual business
Y Lawyers, promoters, financers anC
n those who sold ont to hut did no
c enter the combination, have profiteC
4 enormously IN most cases, ana lef
II the combination TO make good thes,
D. amazing extravagances out of the pub
y lie, II II can, and out OF the rcsiduar,
70 investor, II II cannot. And this create
Capitalization OF wealth we see reflect
ed all around IN too many cases I,
Vt he specified.
Ie Here Is new cause for another dis
'e turblng outhurst Of popular discomfort
x and we shall doubtless hear from
'r more emphatlcally later on. And on