dered as our important industries,
and a pretty good share of our legislation and public agitation concerns
itself with the welfare of these industries and with the men who are
employed in them. But certain questions will naturally arise in the
curious mind. Just what proportion of our total working population are
employed in these industries; and of that number how many are reaping
the profits of the monopoly? What are the remaining occupations of our
people, and are the workers in them doing any thing to destroy
competition? To the investigation of these matters we will devote the
present chapter.

The United States Census Bureau classes the gainful occupations of the
people in four great divisions: (1) Agriculture. (2) Professional and
Personal Service. (3) Trade and Transportation. (4) Manufacturing,
Mining, and Mechanical Industries. The monopolies which we have studied
in the preceding chapters are all included in the last two classes. The
total number of persons engaged in trade and transportation in the
country in 1880 is given as 1,810,256, and the total engaged in
manufacturing, mechanical, and mining operations is 3,837,112, or a
total of 5,647,368 in all these occupations among which we have found
monopolies to exist. Of course the great proportion of the persons
included in the above number have no direct interest in the profits of
the industries in whose operation they aid. It is, indeed, argued that
the manufacturer, miner, or merchant who is making enormous profits,
pays, therefore, larger and more generous wages; but it is urged on the
other side that while this is true in isolated cases, the general rule
holds good that the price of labor is governed by the law of supply and
demand; and that, as already pointed out, monopoly among producers means
a monopoly among purchasers of labor. Let us now, however, leave out
this indirect benefit which may, or may not, accrue to the workmen in
these various occupations, and find as nearly as we can the number which
are, or can possibly be, directly benefited by the operation of
monopolies. Let us deduct from the total of 5,647,368, such classes of
persons as it is evident cannot have a direct share in the results of a
monopoly and are not engaged as skilled workmen in a trade which has
been organized to control competition.

We may certainly deduct the following items from the total:

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