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wealth in the hands of a few has al ways been, and must inevitably be, to glut the markets. Suppose there wae an island of one million peo ple and in that island wealth was pretty evenly distributed among the people. Suppose you were trading with those people, furnish ing manufactured goods for raw material. You would know that there was so many people in that country that wealth was pretty evenly distributed among them that upon the whole they needed so many hats, pairs of shoes, so many suits of clothes, etc. Under these conditions, you could safely load your ships with just so many hats, shoes, and suits of clothes, with reasonable confidence of sell ing them because the people need these things and have the money to buy them because of an equita ble distribution of wealth. Let us suppose that you have sold out your cargo and have returned home for another cargo, purposing to re turn about the time the hats, shoes, and clothes, you have sold them, are worn out. You return with your cargo, as you step ashore and see that the people need shoes, hats, and clothes, as much a3 they did on your first voyage, you are counting on quick sales and speedy return home. But when you begin to sell you find that you cannot dispose of more than three-fourths of your cargo. You want to know what is the cause of this. You will talk with those people and say: "There are just as many people here now, as there was when I was here be fore, if not more you say vou want my goods why don't you buy them?" the people answer: What you say is true. There are just as many people here and more. We want your goods just as badly now as then. But a remarkable revolu tion has taken place among us since you were here. When you where here the first time, wealth among us was pretty evenly divided. But now it is all different. We have lost our property. The wealth of this islane is concentrated in the hands of a few people. We are their tenants now, and work for a pittance a day. We want your clothing, but can't pay for it." There is a glut in that market! And what is the cause? Over-production? No! No! Concentration of wealth in the hands of a few people, leading to under consumption! And now the wage-worker, so fortunate as to be at work, is be tween the devil and the deep sea. Agonize and strive, form labor unions and strike as much as he 2 THE LABOR WORLD pleases, if the devil does not get him the deep sea will. The manu facturer pure and simple may be his friend, but he cannot help the wage worker nor himself. The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few has killed the market alike for agriculturist, miner and manufacturer. This is the Devil. The markets cannot expand be cause the earnings of the people go into the pockets of the million aire, who does not buy millions of shoes, coats, hats, etc., and what he does not spend on necessities and luxuries goes into the banker's box. And there it stays because it can not be used profitably in channels of trade, because to the extent that he is a millionaire he has killed trade! So the man who is in en forced idleness has only one chance to get employment, namely, to offer to work for less wages! This constitutes the deep sea of falling wages to the wage worker. Be tween the millionaire on the one hand and the unemployed on the other hand, he is between the up per and the nether millstones, and his wages are sure to be ground to the starvation point. Any condition or state of circum stances that throws men out of em ployment lowers wages the unem ployed always lower wages. As the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few necessarily reduces the demands of the market, caus ing to shrink as wealth concen trates, so the shrinking market necessarily throws people out of work, causing enforced idleness so the unemployed necessarily have to lower wages or starve, or beg or steal. They lower wages. It is impossible to lower wages when there are no unemployed. With an army of unemployed in the country there is no power to stop falling wages until the starvation point is reached. We find ourselves today in the midst of wild social unrest and business disaster caused by falling wages in every factory and falling prices in every market caused by the enforced idleness of millions caused by a glutted market caused by the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. Naked in sight of cotton fields that can more than clothe the world, but dooms the man who raises it and the woman who weaves it into cloth to go in rags. Shivering in sight of coal fields that can warm the world. Hungry in the sight of wheat fields of the west that can feed the world. In the midst of peace, the peop 1 find themselves in greater distress than in times of war. In the midst of plenty they find themselves in famine. All these things are caused by the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. This is the inevitable effect upon a country when its laws manufact ure millionaires. But I would not say that all millionaires are more selfish than other men. They are no more sel fish than men who want to be mill ionaires. try to be millionaires and fail of their purpose. But I will say this to a man who has made his millions or inherited them, the time has come to stop. The peo ple now clearly see that million aires make paupers that paupers make the wealth that makes the millionaires. The people are now demanding that which is rightfully their own. They toil patiently in the cotton fields of the south, bearing its burn ing sun. They reap the grain fields of thewest, enduring its biting winds. They brave the storm and the ^ea in the rigging of a thousand sails. They heave the pick in the dark ness of the mine to make ou#r cheer ful fires. They tunnel the moun tains and trestle the marsh for us to glide smoothly over in Pull man cars. They quarry the stones and build the proud palaces of the city. The result is they manufact ure millionaires and make them selves paupers. The people are learning that this is sorry book keeping!—Twentieth Century. Is This Good Security? The Climax Building & Loan Association has the following described security offered for a loan of $2,000. A business lot with all pub lic improvements made and paid for, taxes paid, worth at present valuations at least $2,500, on which is a building insured for $3,500, and worth at least $4,000. Total security $6,500. Several agents for eastern loaners offer the amount at 6 per cent interest charging the borrower 3 per cent commis sion. This mortgage will be bought if enough shares and certifi cates of deposit are issued in the next ten days. CHAN. SMITH, Sec.'y. Office No. 2, First ave. west.