The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-09-07
WHO OWNS AMERICAN"


There are not very many people
living now who can remember The
time when it was not asserted, anc
somewhat generally believed, thai
America was controlled by Wal
street. Politicians talked themselves
hoarse, and are still doing it, about
designing men of great wealth crush
ing the great body of common people
under their heel 1t is probably
true that the men of wealth in Ameri-
ca have at times an undue adVant-
age. but they do not exercise the in
fluence, we are inclined to think, with
which many people credit them.
A recent issue of "The Nation s
Business has the following to say
on the subject:
when the elder Morgan died he
owned but one share of stock in the
Steel corporation. Yet there are
thousands of persons who still be-
Iieve that ]. P Morgan absolutely
controlled it.
1--WE have recently learned how
comparatively small an interest John
ID. Rockefeller has in the Standard
Oil company. Yet, to many persons,
John d. Rockefeller personifies alb
solute dictatorship of that great COM
pany with all its affiliations-indeed,
of the entire oil trade with all its
ramifications.
"There are about 110,663,5O2 per-
sons in the United States-say TO-
100000 families. The latest estimate
of our gross wealth is about $780,
OOO,OOO,OOO; and our income is placed
at about $66,8OO, 100000.
lover 10 and a half million homes
are owned in the United States. OF
these, 6,522119 are owned free of in
cumbrance.
There are 6,44S,366 farms owned
in our country, of which 3,925,095 are
run by the owners; the balance, ex-
cept 6S,525, being managed by ten
ants. These farms have value OF
$77,924, 10O,33S, and are mortgaged
for only $4,OO3, 767,192.
"No one can seriously pretend that
either the home-owners or the farm
ers are or can be controlled by any
trust, whether from wall Street
or any other place. Machinery to
reach and control them does not
exist"
IA p "a
PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN
A Chicago mother shoots her 49,
year-old son in order, she says, to
save him from a threatened career of
crime. The boy wouldn't work, and
he was associated with other boys of
wild habits. He scorned the idea of
employment at a moderate wage, say
ing he wanted an engineering job.
The incident is a reminder of the
desperate situation that exists in
many an American home today, says
the Yakima Republic. Boys and
girls disinclined to labor; bad COM
pany; crime or the constant pros
pect of it; parents distracted, uncer-
tain as to what they should or can
do. There was the 16-year-old Kan
sas City boy who was arrested in an
attempt to rob his own home.
Who is to blame? What should be
done? In too many cases, it is an
invidious task to lecture parents; en-
tirely useless to remind children of |
their duty of obedience and industry. |
But if it is too late for helpful ac-
ton in many cases, it is not too late !
for the warning in others. There is !
no novel or startling diagnosis of the |
condition to be given; no hitherto I'M
heard Of remedy to be offered. There
is only a plain call to unceasing dill .
igence on the part of those charged |
with the heavy responsibility of +
bringing up boys and girls and pre-
pairing them for useful lives.
Parents who regard the RESPONSE
bility lightly proceed at enormous
risk. They can assume an Indifferent !
attitude and declare, "That could !
never happen to my boy or girl"
Maybe not; but maybe so. There can
be no guarantee of the outcome.
Juvenile and divorce court records,
the testimony of welfare workers and
evidence from other sources all point
to parental neglect and irresponsi-
bility as the source of youthful de-
linquency, broken homes, domestic
The lesson ought to be
plain.