Page:The fallacy of danger from great wealth.djvu/29

Rh Would they? We have seen above that substantially all wealth saved and invested is paid out in wages. The more money people save and invest, the greater is the amount paid out in wages. This does not depend on the benevolent disposition of the employer, but upon natural economic laws. Would this fund be increased if there was government "control"? Most certainly the contrary, for saving would be decreased if a man ceased to "control" what he saved. A direct effect of government "control," therefore, would be a decrease of wages.

It is a pertinent question how far our government can go in its "control" of railroads and other corporate industries without having as a direct result a decrease of the amount of saving and investment in railroads and such other industries and a consequent decrease in the amount paid out as wages. Indeed, it deserves consideration whether already as a result of government "control" there have not been much smaller investments in new railroads and as a direct result a much smaller sum available for wages in railroad building and operation. It is reported that in the year 1912 there were fewer miles of new railroads