The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-05-26

high tariff walls, and eVer-lafger
armies aand navies create a growing
menace of war. A second world war
is inevitable. Wars on smaller
scale are going on today in period
which the spokesman of Imperialism
call the era of world peace" Ameri-
can Imperialism is conducting war
of determination against Nicaragua,
is participating in interventions in
China, and is an active accomplice
of the capitalist conspiracy against
the Soviet Russia.
Two main antagonisms lead today
towards a world conflagration. One
is the chief capitalist antagonism be-
tween British and American Imperi-
alism, which has taken the place of
the pre-war British German rivalry.
The other one is the general capt.
talist conspiracy against the Union
of Socialist Soviet Republics.
Although British Imperialism is to-
day the most reactionary force in
world politics, American Imperialism
is the leading power and represents
the most dangerous, most aggressive
force Of world capitalism. There is
an ever-clearer disqualification of the
two poles; on the one hand, the coun-
ter-revolutiOnary pole to defend cap
italism against the growing revolt of
the colonial peoples and the working
masses of the capitalist countries un-
der the leadership of the United
States; on the other hand, the revo-
lutionary pole under the leadership
Of Soviet Russia, around which all
the oppressed peoples of the colonies
and all the expoited workers of the
world rally.
Wealth and Poverty
The United States is in the richest
country in the world. "Uncle Shy
lock" is the creditor of all countries.
The world owes the United States
today not less than 231a billion dol
lars. The number of millionaires is
growing fast. In 1919 there were
only 65 incomes over a million; in
1926 there were already 228. In 1919
there were only 189 incomes between
100000 and $1,000,000; in 1926 the
number was already 465.
In his 1925 address to Congress
President Coolidge said: "The wealth
of our country is not public wealth
but private wealth. 1t does not be-
long to the Government; it belongs
to the people" The prodigious wealth
of the country is private wealth, but
the people" who own it are not the
workers and exploited farmers. They
are the few millionaires. The country
is growing richer, but the share of
the millions of working people in the
wealth of the country is decreasing
and the share of the few powerful
millionaires is increasing with amaz-
ing speed. One per cent of all re-
cipients of any income in this coun-
try receive not less than 20 per cent
of the whole national income and get
not less than 86.2 per cent of all
corporate dividends. One per cent of
the population possesses today not
less than SO per cent of all wealth;
10 per cent own Ga per cent; and the
poorest rs per cent possess only 31a
per cent. The overwhelming major
ity Of the people" to whom Presi-
dent Coolidge refers are born poor
and die poor. The Federal Trade
Commission states that about one per
cent of the estimated number Of de-
cedents owned about SO per cent of
the estimated wealth, and more than
80 per cent was owned by about 10
per cent of the decedents."
The accumulated wealth is not dis
tributed equally. Hand in hand with
the growing fortunes Of the few mil
lionaires goes the growing explOita-
ton and poverty of the unskiIled
workers, Negroes, and exploited far
mers. Even President Coolidge was
forced to admit in his Hammond de-
dication speech that there is a 'cOn-
siderable class of unskilled workers
who have not come into full partici-
patton in the wealth of the nation"
The share of the wage-earners in
the national income has decreased
The manufacturing wage-earners re-
ceived only 40.1 per cent of the
value product" in 1925 as against
44.8 per cent in 1921. The wages of
the shamelessly exploited four mil
lion agricultural workers amounted
in 1920 to 2.3 per cent of the ma
tional income and in 1926 to only
Ia per cent. The characterization"
of wealth is only a capitalist myth.
Bankers and industrial magnates own
the big corporations. The workers do
not possess more than one per cent
Of all stocks and bonds. "High Amer
lean wages" is today the most pop
ular publicity stunt of American and
international capitalism but high
wages embrace only a thin aristo-
cratic stratum of the working class.
The overwhelming majority of wage
earners is not able to earn even suf-
ficient to fulfill the most elementary
needs of decent life. In the middle
&c :.