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

William J. Byran on Monday demon
tratcd that he is Il factor still to be
rcckoncd with in politics by drawing
together two immense audiences ut
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 workngmen on
this occnsion, 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 demohstrable than that
wages in their purchasing power have
been increasing materially for several
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 a person whose income has
been increased to expand his expendi-
ture out of proportion to the increase
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
If the wage-worler 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, but that the disparity In
individual fortunes, measured from the
higher to the lower, Is increasing so
rs to accentuate more and more a
comparative poverty OF the masses.
That this Is n true indictment of the
industriallsm 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 AZ now formed
Is finally TO stand or fall may be in
doubt. But that, In the formation
and setting atoat 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 profits and
sales of old plants at extravagant
prices to tho new-cannot be doubted
We know, for example, as 1t is mat,
ter Of certain public knowledge, that
Mr.. Carnegie now possesses n fortune
approaching, II it does not exceed,
S3OOO0O 900 In as substantial prop
. critics ns are known, while 10 years
ago 1t Is doubtful II he held actually
In hand one-siXth OF that enormous
sum, The newspapers We're telling the
r otncr day of the European voyage of
, several Pittsburg millionaires, all
, made so by the steel trust deal-a
I voyage which IN its extravaganccs
continuously riyaled the cxcesses of
Lucullus, being for some OF them,
ii was stated, a first visit abroad, Il
first experience with great wealth
There has not been combination
: formed during the fiye years which
has not established number of mel
In assured and splendid afucnce, who
Z. before had been deep in the doubtful
outcome of an individual business
Y Lawyers, promoters, fnanciers ana
n those who sold ont to but did moi
@ enter the combination, have prohted
f enormously In most cases, and left
n the combination TO make good thes,
J. amazing extravagances out of the pub
y lie, II 1t can, and out OF the rcsiduar,
o investor, II II cannot. And this greater
Capitalization OF wealth we see reflect
ed all around In too many cases I,
1t be specified.
'e Here Is new cause for another dis
'e turbing outburst OF popular discomfort
x and we. shall doubtless hear from
'r more emphatlcally later on. And on