The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-02
AMERICA IND | | RUSSIA /.
Alike IN some ways
Over Ten Million Dollars a
Year Paid to Support Rela
tives of the Gear.
But One American millionaire
VIKINGS That Much in Two
Months From People.

VIKINGS That Much in Two
Months From People.
If what we read in the news
papers Is true," said a well-known
union man at headquarters the other
day, ''the conditions in Russia seem
almost ,unbearable. I clipped this
item from one of the papers, and
1t just shows how those oppressed
people over there are being robbed
by the Gear and his dukes" He
produced a clipping with the remark:
Nothing like that would go in this
country, I don't believe" 1t reads:
"The % nearest male relatives
Of the Gear each receive salary of
100000 year from the govern
ment. They own together about s.
600 square miles of land and 325
palaces. They employ about 10000
servants. The rest of the Russian
people work to pay the salaries OF
the % relatives"
1T looks bad" another man adj
mitted. But let's study few
figures" We did and discovered
that the total fleecings of the dukes
amounted to $1O,68O,000 a year.
Thereupon the second person took
from his pocket clipping from the
New York Press, leading capitalist
ic daily, in which it was announced
that the income of our esteemed fell
low-townsman, John D. Rockefeller,
had Reached $65,0O0,000 per year
the salary paid him just as In
voluntarily by the American people
for being in possession Of certain
great Industries as the Russian
people object to paying the stage
strutting grand dukes.
In other words, there is one in
dividual in this country who annual
ly receives over six times more
wealth than the % relatives Of the
Gear combined! Then there are the
houses of the Vanderbilts, Armours.
Goulds, Senator Clark, and num-
Der Of others either of which have
incomes in excess of the Russian
aggregation of dukes.
And talk about owning land! In
recent magazine article there is
description of land-grabbing that
makes the average Russian duke
look like a door-mat thief alongside
of the frenzied monopolists in Amer
lea. We are told that Henry Miller.
for example, owns 22,717 square
miles, or 14.539,200. acres Of land
on the Western coast. Further:
''That is a territory as large as tho
states of New Hampshire, Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut and Delaware.
It is three times as large as New
Jersey. It is twice as large as Bel
gums It is bigger than Switzer-
land, it Is much. larger than Den
mark, 1t is greater than all Greece. :"
There is one man who owns four
and one-half times more soil in this
''land OF the free and home OF the
brave" than % Russian dukes COM
bined, and there are any number
of individuals and syndicates, Am
erican and foreign, that have titles
to a greater amount Of land in this
country than the whole pack of dukes
in Russia.
AS for palaces, % American pluto
Gratis may not have quite the number
! as the % Russian dukes claim to
possess, but it is a fact that the form
er own mansions that make the Rus
sian residences of the nobility look
like tumble-down rock heaps In COM
parison. Carneige's palace in New
York would arouse the envy of any
king, as would the marble mansion
| of Schwab. It is the boast of a
Vanderbilt that there is no habtta-
ton in the old world that contains
the modern advantages of his North
Carolina summer home. Senator
Clark purchased a quarry outright
and brass manufacturing plant and
woodworking establishment in order
to retain the profits that would go
to middle men in the expenditure Of
millions on his new home in New
York. It it were not for the old
paintings, tapestries, rugs, ETC., that
are found in European palaces, and
which represent centuries of loot
ing and sacking in wars and oppres-
sion of art and industry, many Of
those so-called palaces would be no.
thing but abandoned ruins.
When it comes to servants, we are
all pretty much in the same boat
whether we will or not, we must.
0OA w CAO PAuCONA any do uAAA6OAIAy
and faithfully as the Russian peas
ants serve the mobiles that ride upon
their backs.
True, we may not be directly en-
ployed by Rockefeller or Morgan or
Armour, or even by Standard Oil,
the hog trust, iron and steel, rail-
| way, coal or other combines, but
we take our orders from those gents,
nevertheless. They manipulate the
markets and send prices skyward
pretty much to please themselves.
Result: We pay what the magnates
dictate. The purchasing power Of
the mechanics and laborers' dollar
is lessened and they must strike to
make even;" the unorganized work
ers who cannot strike are forced to
curtail expenditures and purchase
cheaper foods, clothing, ETC.; the
professional and middle class people,
xuh1 horo ouA houu onH an thu