“Now, these changes prove that altho’ at wan pariod in the lives ov the wealthy b’ys they do increase in wealth, but yez’ll foind in toime that noine-tinths ov thim grow poorer as they grow older, which is not the case with the whiskey yez are afther drinking, thin, for that is improvin’ the whoile. And yez’ll be after observin’, too, that ther ranks ov the wealthy b’ys are bein’ containualy recruited from the ranks ov the workin’ min ov the counthry, be jabers. ’Tis for these raisons, me b’ys, acquoired by long exparience an’ observation, that divil a bit are ther rich gitting richer or ther poor poorer, at all, at all. Oh, yis, ’tis thrue enough thet it saims to be the case thet the gould ov the counthry is being gobbled up by a few ov the b’ys, but divil a bit is it thrue in fact, for to make money yez must use the saime, an’ for that raison ’tis ividint that the circulation ov money is constant an’ aiqual, an’ all ov yez hav aiqual opportunities for usin’ that saime, begorra!”
Mike was now asked if he didn’t think that it would be better for the country in general, or for the working classes in particular, if this co-operative plan that we have heard so much about lately should be adopted:
Mike answered:
“No, indade, thin, it would not, and for the raisins, me b’ys, that if yez will only investigate ther incentives—that is the ground wurruk ov all human action—yez will be afther foindin’ that all depinds upon our future ixpictations. Now, me by’s, what is it that kape ther lot ov yez er thrampin’ around among ther hills and the mountains from Arizoni to Alasky, thin, but ther containual ixpictation of sthrikin’ er rich mine? An’, indade, thin, is it not thrue ov all other human affairs, begorra? What, thin, me b’ys, becomes ov all ixpictations when yez hav all jined with the co-operative union, be jabers? Indade, thin, yez can hav none at all, for yez are all shure of a livin’ an’ nothin’ more to ixpict, an’ all ov yez are livin’ upon an aquality. Yis, indade, thin, jist ask the workin’ min ov the counthry if they wud be contint to live in such a style, whin they wud all be afther bein’ shure ov er livin’, shure enough, but wid no ixpictations that aither thimselves or ther children wud iver be inythin’ higher than workin’ min. An’, be jabers, thin, they wud be afther sayin’ to yez: ‘Give us poverty, thin, an’ hard wurruk, but divil a bit shall yez be afther deprivin’ us ov ther containual ixpictations we hav that our b’ys may be in ther future able to live like gintlemin widout ther necessity ov labor, at all, at all.’ An’, faith, thin, do yez moind ther lad who was afther robbin’ ther melon patch, but accidentilly got among ther punkins, an’ whin tould thet the owner ov ther melons wud give him all he wanted for the askin’, said he: ‘Indade, thin, its meself, thin, who had rather ait a grane punkin that I could stale than to ate a foine melon presented to me.’
“Tis thrue enough,” continued Mike, “that the poor saims to be continually incrasing in numbers in all ther large cities ov ther country, begorra! but ther raisons fur this are that the inducements are greater there, an’ to the minds ov the b’ys the prospects ov gittin’ money much quicker an’ aisier saim more encouraging to thim, do yez moind; but in me own opinion ’twould be better for ther most ov thim to come out into ther counthry an’ try to make an honest living from ther sile; that would aqualize ther labor ov ther counthry, begorra, an’ tind to solve ther labor problem, begob!”
Mike was now asked the question, what method could be adopted that would have the effect to bring all classes more upon an equality? “None at all,” Mike answered, “Divil a bit is it necessary to do that saim for I tell yez, me b’ys, that poverty, which saims to the most ov yez to be a curse put upon man for his sins, is in fact ther base an’ foundation ov all human enterprise, industry, and prosperity; now was it not poverty, with a desire to escape from it, that brought thousands ov yez old pioneers here to dig an’ thramp about among ther mountains for gould? indade, thin, it was, for if yez hadn’t been poor, divil a bit would one ov yez come at all, at all. An’ indade, thin, was it not in consequence ov this same poverty (that many ov the b’ys all over ther counthry are howling and cursing about,) that has been ther mains ov ilivating ther whole counthry to such high conditions ov development, shure, and it is thin, an’ ther prosperous condition ov ther counthry to day with its great commarcial enterprises, its railroads runnin’ in all directions from ther Atlantic to ther Pacific Oceans, an’ with its mariads ov growing towns and cities springing into existence among ther desert places, where but a few years since was a vast wilderness occupied only by ther buffalo droves, and savage Indians; all ov these wonderful changes, me b’ys, are only ther effects ov poverty, be jabers. It must be plain to yez, thin, that poverty is a necessity, an’ ther incintive to escape from it is ther bottom of ther whole business, begorra!”
“Yes, that may all be very true” remarked another, “but when we take a view of life around us and witness the great amount of misery and suffering in all of our large cities, while a great portion of the more fortunate are rolling in wealth, don’t you think that it would be just and right to adopt some policy that would prevent such extreme conditions of great wealth of a few and the poverty of the many?”
“Faith thin” says Mike “an’ ’tis this same idea upon which is founded all ov thim isms that are after creating so much excitement among ther workingmen ov ther counthry, begorra; it makes thim discontinted with their conditions for ther raisons that ther laiders ov socialism, ov Georgeism, anti-povertyism, nationalism an’ ther rest ov thim, are all the toime taiching the b’ys that ther only raisons why they are so poor is because others ov thim are so wealthy, begorra, and if their ideas in relation to human affairs can only be carried out by previnting them b’ys from incraising their wealth who are, owing to their good habits and suparior abilities, the best able to do so, be jabers, will in their opinion give ther poor b’ys a better opportunity to incraise their wealth whether they are capable ov doing so or not; now, me b’ys, is this a raisonable view ov the situation, for aint you b’ys who are jest afther putting in your toime thramping ’round among the mountains for a rich mine, begorra, more loikely to foind it than ther b’ys who are all ther whoile contint to hang around in the cities, thin, huntin’ for an aisy job, and who are containually howling for yez to prisint thim with an interest in yez mine, be jabers. Yis, m’ b’ys, observation is afther taichin’ us ther fact that as a gineral rule thim b’ys who are industrious thin, an’ who are afther acquiring good habits only, are ther b’ys who are prosperous and, faith thin, in me own opinion they desarve it, too.
“Now for these raisons, me b’ys, it is in me own opinion all darmed nonsinse to talk about anti-poverty an’ an aiquality of conditions, for we don’t want thim at all, at all.”
Yank next related his experience at the Bay. When he was down last spring an acquaintance persuaded him to attend a reunion of the Old Hangtown residents, or rather the old-timers of Eldorado County. Yank explained that the residents of Tuolumne, Nevada and Eldorado Counties hold what they call a reunion every year, generally about May 1. They have them in Oakland at one of the numerous parks; generally; but sometimes at other localities. He said that the one he attended was in Badger’s Park, and there were as many as 1,500 people there. But among all that crowd there was only one old Forty-niner whom he knew before, although it was said that there were several others around on the ground somewhere.