Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-09-07
} THE GREAT QUESTION.
tFrom the Springfield Republican

(From the Springfield Republican,
William J. Byran on Monday demon
trated that he is a factor still to be
reckoned 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," II this is so, then the pro-
ducers have increased their daily CON
sumption ont 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
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-
! tion of person whose income has
been increased to expand his cxpendi-
Is well known, and may in a 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
IL 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 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
| comparative poverty of the masses.
. That this Is true indictment of the
! industrlalism of tho day cannot easily
be denied. Appearances, at least, sup
port 1t, and at no time In all our his
tory has this disparity grown SO rapid
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 atioat 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 at extravagant
; prices TO tho new--cannot be doubted
=, We know. for example, rs 1t is a mat,
ter of certain public knowledge, that
, Mr.. Carnegie now possesses fortune
, approaching, II It does not exceed,
3O0,O0O,O0O In as substantial prop
critics rs are known, while 10 years
hSo ~ 10 toupNiui IL hN hulu uIluuily
In hand one-sixth of that enormous
}. sum. The newspapers We're telling the
II otner day of the European voyage of
@ several Pittsburg mlllionaires, all
v made so by the steel trust deal-a
It voyage which In its extravagances
continuously rivaled the excesses OF
Lucullus, being for some of them
II was stated, n first visit abroad, 4
1rst experience with great wealth
There has not been combination
= formed during the ive years whicl
l. has not established n number of mel
T. in assured and splendid ahuence, VIII,
before had been deep in the doubtful
outcome Of nm individual business
y Lawyers, promoters financiers an,
n those who sold ont to hut did no
le enter tho combination, have profite,
IF enormously In most cases, ana lef
N the combination to make good thes
o. amazing extravagances out of the pub
y lie, II 1t can, and out OF the resduar
10 investor " II cannot. And this create
Capitalization of wealth we see reflect
cd all around In too many cases I
at be specified.
ne Here Is new cause for another dis
re tUrblng outbnrst OF popular discomfort
TX and We shall doubtless hear from
OF more emphatIcally later on. And on