If we now regard one million families of the wealthy group of one of the tables[[83]] as the employers |THE RATES OF INCOMES.| of the 38,837,849 propertyless and the propertied poor, the daily injustice of the million families will be expressed in their daily incomes from every individual as follows:
| Obtaining daily from each individual worker: | |||
| 1c. | they | derive | $ 388,378.48 |
| 2c. | „ | „ | 776,756.96 |
| 3c. | „ | „ | 1,165,135.44 |
| 4c. | „ | „ | 1,553,513.92 |
| 5c. | „ | „ | 1,941,892.40 |
| 6c. | „ | „ | 2,330,270.88 |
| 7c. | „ | „ | 2,718,649.36 |
| 8c. | „ | „ | 3,107,027.84 |
| 9c. | „ | „ | 3,495,406.32 |
| 10c. | „ | „ | 3,883,784.80 |
| 11c. | „ | „ | 4,272,163.28 |
| 12c. | „ | „ | 4,660,541.76 |
| 15c. | „ | „ | 5,825,677.20 |
| 20c. | „ | „ | 7,767,569.60 |
So that, if only 20c is obtained from each of the propertyless and the propertied poor in any employment whatever, then every one of the million families on the average gets daily more than $7 of the unjust income. And that is simply because the resourceless people cannot apply their energy anywhere without oppression. But, if the principle of dividogenesure allows these families to squeeze out of every one’s energy daily 25c, then the daily dividend of these families will amount to $9,709,462.25, which is nearly $10 to each family among the million. And this is one way how the rich are growing richer and the poor are growing poorer. While the next chapter will show another way of getting rich and the poor.
No one ought to suppose, however, that the million families, variously employing the above number of the absolutely dependent people, obtain equal shares of the |THE LOSSES AND PROFITS ARE UNEQUAL.| unearned profits from the workers in the United States. Nor ought one to suppose that these workers lose equal amounts of energy in favor of the owners of capital, means of transportation, or distribution of products, in favor of landlords and houselords, etc. No, some of the workers lose more than others, just as some of the families get much more than others. The net profits of the different monopolies, p. [101], as represented by the census agent, illustrate these differences in the gains of several families connected with the monopolies.
But, notwithstanding the differences in the detailed gains and losses, there cannot be any doubt or discrepancy in the general fact, that if “the natural” and other[[84]] “monopolies” shall continue to earn billions of dollars worth of wealth every year, all the nation will soon be absolutely enslaved by a very few families of the wealthiest type. The economic slavery of the nation then will grow harder and harder upon the people absolutely dependent on the principle of dividogenesure.
For if each one of the 38,837,849 individuals now daily loses, on the average, 25c worth of wealth produced by his energy, the continual |DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS.| increase of these dependents must bring about a continual increase in the rates of the daily incomes in favor of the wealthy few—at the rates shown on p. [104], which shall then go higher up. The concentration of wealth will go on, and from the standpoint of dividogenesure, these rates will indicate a continual increase or decrease in the unjust concentration of wealth in a few hands.
No one must suppose, however, that by the rates of dividogenesure we mean only the underrated wages and salaries. No, we mean here the losses of the people in all stages of productive and distributive activity and the final gains of those that unjustly profit by this general activity of the people. And I view the nation as a whole with its future.
If the situation be left, as it is at present, many possibilities can unmistakably be predicted for the nation’s future.
When the nation is rapidly growing into the economic slaves of a few favorites of dividogenesure, there is no use to think about the freedom and political power of |POSSIBLE FUTURE.| the enslaved people, because such thinking or talking will only be a general mock-flattery against the helpless by the ignorant or dishonest men who may also be slaves over the slaves. And this modern dependence of the people will certainly be to their own harm. The tens of millions of families together shall neither be able to support the public schools, colleges, churches, nor any other public institutions without the means of the wealthy few. Then it will be that the very teachers, professors, ministers and every one else in the public service will also be in bondage. Then it will be that they shall be bound to educate the people by so shaping their nervous system as to bear even greater economic slavery than any savages could tolerate. Then it will be that they shall be unable to teach any truth valuable for the well-being of the people even if they know it perfectly well.[[85]] And then it will be that every one shall feel his impotency and littleness in attempting to throw off the heavy yoke of the few rich families.
Besides, we may see here a type of the Venetian Republic with all its inherent miseries, on a large scale; while the people shall continue to groan even as the Venetians did |VENETIAN REPUBLIC.| under a few prosperous families. But the American groaning and misery may undoubtedly be even greater than theirs, because they were oppressed and labored as beasts of burden, but they were never compelled to work on a par with the modern mechanical forces. And as the misery of the American Republic will be greater, the oppression heavier, and the economic and other forms of slavery will be more degrading, it will be necessary to have a greater Napoleon Bonaparte in order to liberate the future Americans from their oligarchic plutocracy than the one who spoke to the Venetians: “I am your liberator; I am not your enemy; I am your friend; don’t be afraid,” and so on.