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

tFrom the Springfield Republican.)
William ]. Byran on Monday demon
trated that he is a factor still to be
rcckoned 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
greater production of wealth, and the
men who produce 1t have less to show
for IT," If this is 80, then the pro-
ducers have Increased their daily con
sumption out of proportion to the in
crease in production; for nothing is
more clearly demonstrable than that
wages in their purchasing power have
been increasing materially for several
decades back, and that the fruits of
tho average days labor, as actually
gathered In by the workers, are larger
than ever before, and growing larger.
| ~ 'uElhot Nv AiuN, thNl'lplVb thtt tht
poor are growing poorer; but whether
| the poor have less to show for their
labor in material savings may be
quite another question. The disposl'
ton of person whose income has
been increased to expand his expendi
ture out of proportion to the Increase
IL well known, and may in II 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 IL most decidedly; but
If the wageworker has less to show
of material saving for the larger pro-
duction, he must have more to show
in larger and more tolerable eXis-
tcnce and II 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, but 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 is true indictment of tho
; industralsm of the day cannot easily
be denied. Appearances, ut least, sup
port IT, and Mt no time In all our his
tory has this disparity grown so rapid
ly ms during the last four or five years
of the trust craze.
Whether the trust as now formed
Is finally to stand or fall may be in
doubt. But that In the formation
and setting afioat 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
sales of old plants at extrayagant
. prices to tho new-cannot be doubted
: We know, for example, us it Is mat
ter of certain public knowledge, that
=, Mr., Carnegie now possesses fortune
, approaching, II 1t does not exceed
$500, 100000 In as substantial prop
n critics as are known, while 10 years
ago II liz doubtful II he held actually
In hand one-sixth OF that enormous
J, sum, The newspapers were telling the
IF otncr day OF the European voyage OF
@ several Pittsburg mlllionaires, al
V made so by the steel trust deals
t voyage which in its extravaganza,
continuously rlyaled the excesses o
n Lucullus, being for some OF them
II was stated, n first visit abroad,
first experience with great wealth
There has not been combination
= formed during the five years whic
l. has not established number of me
T. In assured and splendid a6uencc, VIII
,. before had been deep In the doubtful
outcome of an individual busines.
y Lawyers, promoters, financiers an
n those who sold out to hut did no
le enter the combination, have profile
,f enormously In most cases, and lef
N the combination TO make good thes
o. amazing extravagnnces out of the pul
y lie, II II can, and out OF the rcsiduar
10 investor, n II cannot. And this create
Capitalization of wealth we see rehec
cd MI around In too many cases I
Mt be specified.
ne Here Is new cause for another dl
re turbing outhurst of popular dsconten
TX and we shall doubtless hear from
or more emphatlcally later on. And on