Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-12-28
Why the WORLD MUST WORK.
All the Accumulated Wealth Of TIM
Would Not SUFFICE for Three
YeAr4 Of 1dlenesS.

All the Accumulated Wealth Of Time
Would Not suffiee for Three
Years Of idieness.
In a speech delivered in the city Of
New York Speaker Cannon said: I'VE
nave made remarkable progress In the
accumulation of wealth. But, ~ I'd
ward Atkinson said-and l have taken
pains to verify his figures myself
If all the wealth and capital accumu.
lated in the world in the last 5000
years could be converted into food and
clothing and the whole world cease to
labor at the end Of three years there
would not be one cent OF that accum'
ulation remaining"
This is q striking statement Of the
fact which economists have emphasiz'
ed for many years, that we consume
all but q small percentage OF the
wealth We produce from year to year
and would not be far from extreme
want if we should cease to reproduce.
We the people of all the world-must
work and keep on working or we
must cease to live.
Only the comparatively small mum
Der who live where the earth spon
taneously produces food the year
round and where there is no need OF
, artificial protection against cold and
storm can live without work and few
Of us would change places with them
if We could. They have only the bare
necessities of existence, while nearly
ali of us have or can obtain besides
necessaries hundreds Of things which
We enjoy but which are not absolute
ly necessary.
Those who propose to revolutionize
the world, peaceably Or otherwise, be
, cause they command less OF the &C
| cumulated wealth OF the world than
| they would like do not realize how
near we would all be to want and ev
en- determination if there should be ar
equal division of all that is available
for the supply of recurring wants.
Mr. Atkinsons statement, striking
as it was, exaggerated the length OF
time the wealth so available woui,
hold out if men should stop work
His estimate was based upon the sup
! position that all accumulated wealth
could be converted into food and cloth
/ ing.
But that is impossible, as he, o
course, knew. A very large part o
what has been accumulated and is il
| fact wealth under existing conditions
is not convertible into food and cloth
ing. This is true Of structures ant
tools and machinery Of every kind
Neither these things nor land woul'
De wealth at all if men should ceas'
to work, except as they afford She
ter and field for aimless locomc
ton.
The truth is more startling even thai
Mr.. A-kinson's statement. II all tn
accommodations needed to sustain lif
were made equally available to all &C
colding to their needs and all SHOULD
cease TO work not solitary membe
of the human family outside the limit
ed areas of Spontaneous production
could survive for two years.
When we realize that this is tru
We may more readily grasp the trut
that We differ from savages, who hav
almost no wealth and are continual
, on the verge Of starvation only be
cause some of our forefathers and Q
ourselves have by industry. capacity
foresight and self-denial accumulate
, useful things and made them higl
:, ~ servicable in augementing the SUI
!. ply of useful things.
In material sense the men VIII
have possessed and exercised the qua
tiles enumerated have been the grea
est benefactors OF the human race