The Democratic advocate., 1908-08-28
THE TAINTED DOLLAR
NO PREJUDICE In AMERICA AGAINST
HONEST WEALTH
1t Is Money UNANIMOUSLY Acquired
Which Is Under the Ban
By Judge VIM. Gaynor. of New York.

There Is no prejudice in this coun-
try against honestly acquired wealth
however large. There is no hatred
of the poor for those who possess
honest wealth. 1t is wealth acquired
infamously which is under the ban OF
the splendid intelligence and integrity
of the people of this country.
No one will dispute that justice re-
quires that the total product of in
dustry should be fairly divided among
those who produce it. The prime OBJ
ject of government is to promote this
distributive justice to all. Without
this object being fulfilled there can be
no true prosperity.
Prosperity is the highest produc-
tion which a community is capable of,
consistent with the physical and men,
tai welfare of it's members, accompan-
led by just distribution of the total
product among the producers. This
does not mean share and share alike,
but according to the productive ca
pacity, physical or mental, or both,
of each.
If, then, certain individuals in a
short lifetime become possessed of
so much property that they can make
abnormal gifts to charity; if one man
can get so much out of the division
of the total product of industry while
others are getting so little that he
can give away, for instance, the vast
sum of $32,OOOOOO in one gift without
feeling it or missing it, SO colossal is
his wealth, any more than you would
miss IS, we may make a fatal mis-
take If we ascribe such condition to
prosperity.
Rather let us pause and inquire
whether such colossal fortunes could
be acquired in state OF prosperity
which rests on just division OF the
product of industry.
If we find the public highways of the
country, the railroads of the country,
being used to allow few to acquire
such fortunes at the expense OF their
fellow men by having their freights
carried at a rate lower than others
have to pay, and so much lower that
they are enabled to undersell and
destroy their rivals in business and
thereby create monopolies in them
selves, our condition is not only not
one of prosperity, but it is dang
erous to the perpetuity OF our free
government.
ABOUT 1871 L went tuTOuSu Iuc Oll
regions of Pennsylvania after COM
pleting my studies. There l saw a
wilderness of derricks spread out over
the country over engines pumping oil
from wells. Hundreds of people own
ed such wells and were producing
oil. In about five years all of these
wells had passed into the ownership
or control of one man or set OF men.
All the other producers there had
failed and Joined those unfortunates
who fall by the wayside in the strug-
gle for existence.
And why and how? We're this one
man and his few companions able to
dig wells or pump oil or refine it any
better than the hundreds of others
Not at ALL Then how did they ruin
and drive every one out but them
selves? Why, they went to the few
powerful individuals who controlled
the railroads, the public highways,
and conspired with them, and got
them to carry their oil to market for,
say, 81 a barrel, while every one else
was charged 81 and more barrel.
This unholy fund enabled them to
destroy their rivals, poor unfortunates
destroyed by the neglect of their gov
ernment to enforce the laws of these
highways, they and their wives and
children were ruined. Just think OF
a debate being got up even by minist-
ers whether money thus acquired is
tainted!