Daily Arizona silver belt. (Globe, Gila County, Ariz.) 1906-1929, 1908-10-21
Peoples Forum
REPUBLICAN PROSPERITY

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cit is to the credit of Metropolitan
party and its policy that we have
millionaires and that more and more of
them are springing up every year under
republican administration"
This quotation is taken from the re-
publican column in the Silver Belt of
Oct. 90.
There are few, but comparatively
few of the millionaires of this country
that have become such through lucky
mining. In all such cases it may be
commendable but cannot be attributed
to republican rule. The great majority,
however, do owe their success to repub-
lean rule, to republican laws, that by
discrimination makes it possible for the
favored class to enforce contributions
from those not so happily favored.
There are but very few men, if any,
who can by their labor or any leg IT,
mate business accumulate million dol
lars in one short life time.
A large proportion of millionaires of
Nuuulif nave oDNdihtu CHbi
nous wealth through an unjust tariff
which compelled the community at
large to contribute a portion of their
earnings, without remuneration, to the
class engaged in manufacturing under
the pretcxt of protection of labor. This
tax on community amounts to about
s27 on an average, to every family in
the United States or n total sum of
$432 100000 per annum. All of which
goes to making millionaires. Now the
effect of making one millionaire is to
reduce 200 families that have $1,000
each to poverty. This republicans call
prosperity"
Let us give one illustration: In 1860
the timber of Wisconsin was worth SO
to So per acre. There were numerous
saw mills along the shores of the Great
Lakes, making lumber TO be shipped out
to supply the wants of adjacent prairie
countries of Illinois, Iowa, etc. In 1852
the Sabn syndicate was formed and
bought up all the available timber and
closed the independent saw mills, then
applied to congress for protection
against Canadian lumber Congress re.
spondcd with tariff on lumber of
81 per 900 feet. Those lands produced
say 10000 feet of lumber to the acre.
Add 81 per 1000 feet on account OF
tariff and it made the land worth $23
to $25 per acre and made quite few
millions for the syndicate people
That was prosperity" but not for
the consumers. They had to contribute
from their earnings So per 1000 feet
for the lumber they used to make a
few milionaires.
During the decade between 1880 and
1890 the little manufacturing state OF
! Massachusetts Increased her wealth
S56S, 000, 900. During the same period
it required nine of the greatest agri
cultural states of the union to inc
their wealth 1858, 100000, this differ
ence in favor of Massachusetts,, not
withstanding the fact that the nine
were new states rapidly increasing in
population. This was prosperity to
| few in Massachusetts, who obtained
their millions by an unjust assessment
provided for by republican laws called
protective tariff. but that great wealth
did not go to the laborng people OF
Massachusetts. They were as poor IL
1890 as they were N 1880, but it made
a great many millionaires of manu-
facturers and enabled them to contrib
ute literally to carry elections for thu
grand old party.
There are other ways adopted by thu
republican party, but We cannot ash
more space at this time.
| HONEST VOTER.