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

/
William j. Byran on Monday demon
trated that he Is 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 soy continues to merit
some little attention.
What he did tell the workingmen on
this occaslon, 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 so, then the pro-
ducers have Increased their daily con-
sumption out of proportion to the in
crease in production; for nothing is
more clearly demonstrablc than that
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 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 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-worller 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 "A 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
D individual fortunes, measured from the
Z higher to the lower, Is increasing so
4 as to nccentuate more and more a
/ comparative poverty of the masses.
. That this IL true Indictment of the
3 ndustralism of the day cannot easily
I be denied. Appearances, at least, sup.
3 port 1t, and Mt no time In all our his
2 tory has this disparity grown so rapid
= ly as during the last four or five years
| of tho trust craze,
! Whether the trust AZ now formed
IL finally to stand or fall may be in
: doubt. But that, in the formation
: and setting adoat OF these water
! logged monsters, large new fortunes
have been created almost In day
l and great additions made to many old
: fortunes,-f from promoters and under
writer's commissions and proflts and
sales OF old plants at extravagant
= prices To- the new-cannot be doubted
y, We know, for example. rs 1t Is mat
:, ter Of certain public knowledge, that
y Mr. Carnegie now possesses n fortune
II approaching, II It does not exceed.
100000 600 In as substantial prop
~ critics as are known, while 10 years
, ago II is doubtful il he held actually
In hand one.sixth OF that enormous
D. sum. The newspapers We're telling the
,r otner day OF the European voyage OF
Ic several Pittsburg mllllonaires, MI
" made so by the steel trust deal-a
At voyage which in its extravngances
continuously rlyaled the excesses al
n Lucullus, being for some of them
II was stated, first visit abroad ,
first experience with great wealth
There has not been combination
= formed during the flve years whicl
t. has not established number of me-
#. In assured and splendid afuence, VIII
e. before had been deep in the doubtful
outcome of an individual business
ry Lawyers promoters, financiers an
on those who sold out to but did no
he enter tho combination, have profite
of enormously In most cases, ana LEI
on the combination to make good thes
70 amazing eXtravaganccs out OF the pul
ey lie, " 1t can, and out OF the resduar
ho investor, II It cannot. And this create
Capitalization of wealth we see renec
ed all around In too many cases I
nat be specified.
Ihe Here Is new cnuse for another dl
IRE turbing outburst Of popular dlsconten
Lhx and we shall doubtless hear from
'or more emphatlcally later on. And OF