The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1906-01-04
JANUARY 4, 1906

get the major part of it the masses are left des-
titute Permit me TO illustrate. 1t is said that
Rockefeller is worth S500,00O,O00. There is Sl0O,
900 100000 of wealth. Two hundred RoekeIeliers
would absorb it all, leaving the other 80,O0O,0OO
of people to care for this and take what the
200 saw fit to give them. His statement that:
"Where monaires are the most numerous you
find the least paupers, is extremely vague
freely admit we have less paupers than Africa
where they have no millionaires. How does
England compare with France-England has the
most millionares. Or Germany with SWltzer
land. Come nearer home. Do we have less des-
ttution per 10000 now with our host OF million
aires than had fifty years ago when there
was not one in the United States?
do not care to recaptulate what stated in
my last. The agricultural wealth had increased
agricultural wealth has increased as much
more in the last six years, but he viii also nnd
all other wealth has done vastly better. l
asked what | thought was a fair question. In
what that ether fifty million dollars OF wealth
consists and he tells me that it consists OF homes.
Mr.. Gordon are you sure OF what you say! DO
the occupants own what you call homes? Is a
tenant at will ever at home? | would not be
if / was. Our city lots is an other item and
right here is what | was coming at. In 1890
the real estate, other than farms, was worth
twice what the farms were. To make this SO
very valuable the income must be high also.
Where does this income come from? Why rental,
to be sure, and right here is where your great
struggling underclass ground between the
upper and neither milestone it seems to me.
Again he says, look af@fhe statistics of the saw
ings bank depositors | have Savings bank de-
posits evidence of wealth. They are
wealth to the depositor and poverty to the bank.
To even this the bank loans this money and
that creditor Is impoverished to that amount,
but he may invest in farm, factory home
any other thing and here you find your wealth.
A debt is wealth to the creditor and poverty to
the debtor
The same rule applies to your insurance
policies They wealth to the holder, but pow
erty to the company. The same applies to your
stakeholder in railroads, banks and factories. I
absolutely deny that you count the stock and
railroads, bank or factory, and / have counted all
of these in my $44,000,000 900 of wealth and I
wanted to know in what the $4,000 100000 con-
sisted. Mr. Gordon | asked you for bread You
have given me stone. Concluding Mr. Gordon
| will turn to your own state and give you a few
statistics. 1t there has been wealth debt and
taxation statistical review issued since 1890 am
unable to find 1t. Joe Cannon in a speech at Falls
City said: "a tree shall be known by its fruits"
For thirty years prior to 1890 we were cultiyat-
ing this tree and here are it's fruits So far
as your state is concerned in 1860 the farms in
your state worth 1923 900 900 After thirty
years they were worth 1927 900 000-a big in
crease, But how is this in 1880 the total per
capita wealth was 5000 In 1890 it was s799,
net loss of $210. Take the entire North Atlantic
states in 1870. They had 81 243 per capitas
Twenty years later they had only 81 232 apiece
Who last this?
GEORGE WATKINS