Affectation! Affectation! It is the nauseating17 disease of the day! If a thinking man, a sincere philanthropist, takes into consideration the condition of the working classes and endeavors to lay bare their necessities, scarcely has his work made an impression before it is greedily seized upon by the crowd of reformers, who turn, twist, examine, quote, exaggerate it, until it becomes ridiculous; and then, as sole compensation, you are overwhelmed with such big words as: [96] Organization, Association; you are flattered and fawned18 upon until you become ashamed of publicly defending the cause of the working man; for how can it be possible to introduce sensible ideas in the midst of these sickening affectations?
But we must put aside this cowardly indifference19, which the affectation that provokes it is not enough to justify20.
Working men, your situation is singular! You are robbed, as I will presently prove to you. But no: I retract21 the word; we must avoid an expression which is violent; perhaps, indeed, incorrect; inasmuch as this spoliation, wrapped in the sophisms which disguise it, is practised, we must believe, without the intention of the spoiler, and with the consent of the spoiled. But it is nevertheless true that you are deprived of the just remuneration of your labor11, while no one thinks of causing justice to be rendered to you. If you could be consoled by the noisy appeals of your champions to philanthropy, to powerless charity, to degrading almsgiving, or if the high-sounding words of Voice of the People, Rights of Labor, &c., would relieve you—these indeed you can have in abundance. But justice, simple justice—this nobody thinks of rendering22 you. For would it not be just that after a long day's labor, when you have received your wages, you should be permitted to exchange them for the largest possible sum of comforts you can obtain voluntarily from any man upon the face of the earth?
I too, perhaps, may some day speak to you of the Voice of the People, the Rights of Labor, &c., and may perhaps be able to show you what you have to expect [97] from the chimeras23 by which you allow yourselves to be led astray.
In the meantime let us examine if injustice24 is not done to you by the legislative25 limitation of the number of persons from whom you are allowed to buy those things which you need; as iron, coal, cotton and woollen cloths, &c.; thus artificially fixing (so to express myself) the price which these articles must bear.
Is it true that protection, which avowedly26 raises prices, and thus injures you, proportionably raises the rate of wages?
On what does the rate of wages depend?
One of your own class has energetically said: "When two workmen run after a boss, wages fall; when two bosses run after a workman, wages rise."
Allow me, in similar laconic27 phrase, to employ a more scientific, though perhaps a less striking expression: "The rate of wages depends upon the proportion which the supply of labor bears to the demand."
On what depends the demand for labor?
On the quantity of disposable capital seeking investment. And the law which says, "Such or such an article shall be limited to home production and no longer imported from foreign countries," can it in any degree increase this capital? Not in the least. This law may withdraw it from one course, and transfer it to another; but cannot increase it one penny. Then it cannot increase the demand for labor.
While we point with pride to some prosperous manufacture, can we answer, whence comes the capital with which it is founded and maintained? Has it fallen from the moon? or rather is it not drawn29 either from [98] agriculture, or stock-breeding, or commerce? We here see why, since the reign28 of protective tariffs30, if we see more workmen in our mines and our manufacturing towns, we find also fewer vessels31 in our ports, fewer graziers and fewer laborers32 in our fields and upon our hill-sides.
I could speak at great length upon this subject, but prefer illustrating33 my thought by an example.
A countryman had twenty acres of land, with a capital of $10,000. He divided his land into four parts, and adopted for it the following changes of crops: 1st, maize34; 2d, wheat; 3d, clover; and 4th, rye. As he needed for himself and family but a small portion of the grain, meat, and dairy produce of the farm, he sold the surplus and bought iron, coal, cloths, etc. The whole of his capital was yearly distributed in wages and payments of accounts to the workingmen of the neighborhood. This capital was, from his sales, again returned to him, and even increased from year to year. Our countryman, being fully2 convinced that idle capital produces nothing, caused to circulate among the working classes this annual increase, which he devoted35 to the inclosing and clearing of lands, or to improvements in his farming utensils36 and his buildings. He deposited some sums in reserve in the hands of a neighboring banker, who on his part did not leave these idle in his strong-box, but lent them to various tradesmen, so that the whole came to be usefully employed in the payment of wages.
The countryman died, and his son, become master of the inheritance, said to himself: "It must be confessed that my father has, all his life, allowed himself to be [99] duped. He bought iron, and thus paid tribute to England, while our own land could, by an effort, be made to produce iron as well as England. He bought coal, cloths, and oranges, thus paying tribute to New Brunswick, France, and Sicily, very unnecessarily; for coal may be found, doeskins may be made, and oranges may be forced to grow, within our own territory. He paid tribute to the foreign miner and the weaver37; our own servants could very well mine our iron and get up native doeskins almost as good as the French article. He did all he could to ruin himself, and gave to strangers what ought to have been kept for the benefit of his own household."
Full of this reasoning, our headstrong fellow determined38 to change the routine of his crops. He divided his farm into twenty parts. On one he dug for coal; on another he erected39 a cloth factory; on a third he put a hot-house and cultivated the orange; he devoted the fourth to vines, the fifth to wheat, &c., &c. Thus he succeeded in rendering himself independent, and furnished all his family supplies from his own farm. He no longer received anything from the general circulation; neither, it is true, did he cast anything into it. Was he the richer for this course? No; for his mine did not yield coal as cheaply as he could buy it in the market, nor was the climate favorable to the orange. In short, the family supply of these articles was very inferior to what it had been during the time when the father had obtained them and others by exchange of produce.
With regard to the demand for labor, it certainly was no greater than formerly40. There were, to be sure, five times as many fields to cultivate, but they were five times smaller. If coal [100] was mined, there was also less wheat; and because there were no more oranges bought, neither was there any more rye sold. Besides, the farmer could not spend in wages more than his capital, and his capital, instead of increasing, was now constantly diminishing. A great part of it was necessarily devoted to numerous buildings and utensils, indispensable to a person who determines to undertake everything. In short, the supply of labor continued the same, but the means of paying became less.
The result is precisely41 similar when a nation isolates42 itself by the prohibitive system. Its number of industrial pursuits is certainly multiplied, but their importance is diminished. In proportion to their number, they become less productive, for the same capital and the same skill are obliged to meet a greater number of difficulties. The fixed43 capital absorbs a greater part of the circulating capital; that is to say, a greater part of the funds destined44 to the payment of wages. What remains45, ramifies itself in vain; the quantity cannot be augmented46. It is like the water of a deep pond, which, distributed among a multitude of small reservoirs, appears to be more abundant, because it covers a greater quantity of soil, and presents a larger surface to the sun, while we hardly perceive that, precisely on this account, it absorbs, evaporates, and loses itself the quicker.
Capital and labor being given, the result is, a sum of production, always the less great in proportion as obstacles are numerous. There can be no doubt that international barriers, by forcing capital and labor to struggle against greater difficulties of soil and climate, must cause the general production to be less, or, in [101] other words, diminish the portion of comforts which would thence result to mankind. If, then, there be a general diminution47 of comforts, how, working men, can it be possible that your portion should be increased? Under such a supposition it would be necessary to believe that the rich, those who made the law, have so arranged matters, that not only they subject themselves to their own proportion of the general diminution, but taking the whole of it upon themselves, that they submit also to a further loss in order to increase your gains. Is this credible48? Is this possible? It is, indeed, a most suspicious act of generosity49; and if you act wisely you will reject it.
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1
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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portfolios
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| n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 )；（保险）业务量；（公司或机构提供的）系列产品；纸夹 | |
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sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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tirades
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| 激烈的长篇指责或演说( tirade的名词复数 ) | |
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groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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needy
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| adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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laboring
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| n.劳动，操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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lucrative
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| adj.赚钱的，可获利的 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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nauseating
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| adj.令人恶心的，使人厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的现在分词 ) | |
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fawned
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| v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的过去式和过去分词 )；巴结；讨好 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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retract
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| vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消 | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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chimeras
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| n.（由几种动物的各部分构成的）假想的怪兽( chimera的名词复数 )；不可能实现的想法；幻想；妄想 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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legislative
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| n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的 | |
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avowedly
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| adv.公然地 | |
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laconic
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| adj.简洁的；精练的 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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tariffs
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| 关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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illustrating
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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weaver
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| n.织布工；编织者 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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39
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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isolates
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| v.使隔离( isolate的第三人称单数 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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diminution
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| n.减少；变小 | |
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credible
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| adj.可信任的，可靠的 | |
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49
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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