Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-08-22
Lord Macaulay's Prophecy.

Ioio Macdulay, PIeuicteu many
things which have already happened
in this country, and much thatnever
should and that we trust never will
happen.
Macaulay's prophecy was made
before our trust era, before a few
men had, by new diabolical schemes,
absorbed so large a part Of the
wealth produced by the laboring
masses.
AS preface to Macaulay's words,
let us briefly analyze and illustrate
the immensity of the wealth &C
cumulated in few years by some Of
our very rich men.
According to the Hebrew text,
Adam was created 1000 years be-
fore the Christian era, and if he had
lived until today, Aug. 22d 1906, he
would be 1905 years, s months and
% days old. For the purposes Of
this illustration let Adams age be
increased to an even 5000 years, Of
500 days each. That would more
than make good all of theleap years.
The days of year, 365, multiplied
by 6,000 would make 100000, OF
Adams age in days if still alive.
Now let us suppose that Adam
had really lived until the present
time, and had worked every day Of
his life, Sundays and holidays in
Guided, from the date of the creation
until today, and had saved every
cent of his earnings, how mucl
would he have had to earn every da,
to be in Rockefeller's class? Rookie
Teller is reputed to be worth thou
SIND millions and Carnegie is known
to be worth more than five hundred
millions. The problem is an cas-,
one. Divided, 00O,OOO,OOO, the nun
Der of dollars Rockefeller is believed
to be worth, by 100000, the mum
; Der Of days since the creation, ant
the answer is l56. 81. In othe
/ words, Adam would have had t,
, elrn and save every day since tn,
beginning of the world, the sum o
S45662 to be worth rs much a.
Rockefeller, or S22S.3l every day-t,
have fortune equal to that of An
drew Carnegie.
1t requires no argument to demon
strate that this country's immensly
rich men never produced, or honest
ly acquired their great fortunes
The wealth which they call theirs
was produced by the country''
millions of workmen, and the laws
md conditions which permit the
few to take from the many such
large part of their earnings bode
evil Of the first magnitude. Not the
evil, we trust, which Macaulay pre-
dicted, but here is the prophecy o.
Great Britain's greatest historian:
"The day will come when in thu
state of New York a multitude o.
people, none of whom have had
more than half breakfast, or OK.
pect to have more than halfa dinner
will choose a legislature. Is it pos.
sible to doubt what sort of legis,
lature will be chosen? On one sidt
is statesman preaching patience
respect for vested rights, strict oh.
servance Of public faith. On the
other is a demagogue ranting about
the tyranny of capitalists and usur.
ers, and asking why anybody SHOULD
be permitted to drink champagne
and to ride in carriage when thou
sands OF honest folks are in want o1
nece ssaries. Which of the two
candidates is likely to be preferred
by a workingman who hears his
children cry for more bread?
Either some Caesar or Napoleon
j, will seize the reins Of government
3 with a strong hand, or your repub,
lie will be as fearfully plundered
and laid waste by the barbarians III
the twentieth century, as the Roman
Empire was in the fifth; with this
,, difference that the Huns and Van.
dals, who ravaged the Roman En-.
: pire, came from without, and thai
| your Huns and Nandals will have
been engineered within your owr
! country and by your own institu
, tons,
1t matters little w Ii at terms
/, Macaulay used to describe the con
ditions which he foresaw. The mar
who spoke for the hungry thousands
who heard their children crying fol
t bread, may or may not have been {
demagogue. Neither does it matt. ]
much whether the man who stood
for vested rights was statesman Oh
/ a robbers fence. 1t is the duty @.
every man who loves his country
} and who desires that it may exist
unimpaired for centuries to come, tt
do all in his power to check the
t greed and graft of the present, ant
NV Gu loinu accapa tha oon 6;t;ons