New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-08-14

In them. Perhaps you don't yet quite understand
what 10 meant by cost. We shall want some mer-
chants after all, and will pay them just what they
are eq1itaby entitled 10. Do yOU want more
What then once more, is cost Cost 10 labor,
or more strictly the painfuness Of labor, and the
price OF every thing should be according % its cost
That is what | am saying just now At any rate
But, how 10 that Labor has price IL 10 true, bot
then there is property OF all sorts things objects
who are owned articles Of commerce Of ali sorts
who have price too. Do yO0 mean TO say that
the true measure Ct the price Of side sad
die OF silver spoon is labor Yes, that is
precisely what | DO mean. The only basis Of
yendl0e property 10 iab,r aud toe N ssfure Of
The property il the tuouut oflsbor which there
y ~ TO speak laid up 10 the article owned -
The article Il the prodac! Of labor AID is therefore
the representative Of labor. Pucc II that Enicl 10
given either for labor directly, or Tor property,
wbchiB the product @! abor-that H. for labor indi
recty, and il should therefore be precise eqQivs
ent for that labor. The only proper ground d DIT
ference between the price n she SADDLE aud the
price Of a house is TIE difference 10 tie amour: Of
iunsn labor which mas been bestowed upon the
orc and upon Tue otter. IL follows then, hat the
mode Of arriving at the legitimate price Of any az.
tce Whstevef is 10 reduce il FIRST b labor. For
example: il &c take house TO pieces, We trace II
back 10 trees gro wing in the woods % clay, and
sand and lime, and iron, &c lying ia the earth
All that makes it house and entities It TO pace,
ss properly is tie human labor that thee is 10 IT,
That house over the way is, then, 50 many hours
Of labor at BRICK making, so many hours Of crPsn'
ters work, 90 many Of lime burning. so many Of
iron work, al cutting, so many NJ glass blowing
so many at baUling, so many at planning drAugnt'
iug, &c sc, &c. The whole house is nothing out
human labor dried, preserved, laid away.
But you say, is not that assuming something that
is Lot true Does il not assume that the tees in
the wood, the sand, clay, &c belong TO nobody,
whereas they are really owned inssmuch ss they
belong TO land which is owned. This leads as 20 a
whole branch OF the beet, which viii call natu.
raj wealth" and which needs distinct discussion.
Eorthe present, must simply affirm, that there is
no legitimate ownership Of land except 10 conside-
rstion Of and measured by the human labor which
IL bestowed upon it-lsnd Itself being natural
wealth ihe the cir and water The case is not
therefore altered by this consideration.
Everything whatsoever therefore u which price
can be legi'imstey attached, 10 7edGcabe % so
many hours Of human labor. am aware that
tbs proposition, made so carly in the discussion,
sud before the question Of natural wealth is dis
posed Of is liable TO the charge in some respects Of
begging the question, and the same may De saidof
Gome others Of my Statements. The fact is am
more solicitous in the first place to get the ideas
Into the head OF the reader as IDEAS, than TO prove
them as trUtus The proof or denomination will
come fast enough siterwsrd by comparing the re-
suite C the true ind the false principle. We do
10: gather grapes from thOrnS figs from thistles.
Beside objections Will be dissipated as fast as they
are examined. lave great faith 10 the appetency
Of the human mind for cfsential truth when il is
discovered And simply laid before Il think that
many Of the propositions | shall have occasion to
make will prove themselves when stated rs thst
two and two make cur, though | do not intend to
leave them at that ! TN merely inditng
newspaper article ard I'm not accountable 10 the
critics or the order in which choose to get out my
IDEAS
Assuming then for the time being that labor is
the sum total Of everything 70 which price can be
eeitimately attached, which is true, let US assume
fer a moment in order TO simplify the frat ANALYSIS,
what il not true namely, that all labor is equally
repugnaut or painful, or dsagreeable, which Is, In
other " rds that one hour Of labor costs iust as
much 20 the person who performs II ss any othsr
hour Of labor. IL will then be seen that according
10 the principle. "COsT Is THE LlMiI OF PRICE
We have an exact mathematical means OF deter.
mining the equitable price Of all labor and oil every
niece Of property or article Of commerce whatever
More properly speaking We may and shAllhsve the
n ans Of doing so. At the present there is ode-
finite knowledge generally dliiased aud no certain
means Of obtaining knowledge OF the number OF
hours Of labor which are bestowed upon the p'o
ducton Of the various articles Of human consump.
tion BY the operation Of the cash prucipls all
motive to conceal this knowledge will be removed,
in ways which will be shown hereafter the know
ledge being desirable Ril then DE freely open 70
the public Every article will then carry along
ito price as accurately as the diathnger points to
ihe hour.
Assuming what has been assumed above, one
hour of labor is the exact equivalent OF another
hour Of labor the world over. Hence, If We know
The amount Of LABOR in any article, we knox By an
undertaking standard upon what terms it should DO
EXCHANGED for smother article or for labor We
have only to count the hours Of labor in eacn, and
to make u2 tie deficit by adding the proper nun
her Of hours in some other form. We have there
fore cot to this granting tho various premises all
| Of which shall be reexanined hereafter that We
have for the first time 10 the world even as thing
/ conceived OF, definite, apprecable, Mathematical
measure Of h0HcNy--oi lair dealing, oi eqnty 10
property transactions.
We have however, taken into the premises one
element y hi.h iG contessediy erroneous, namely,
the equality Of labor in that particular which makes
the batis Of pricethat Is in It's painiuness OF re-
/ p1enGncc. Let Us now exclude this element and
! 4 an we find that we have got on as far as this
/ only w e have q mathematical measure oil price,
aud an undertaking guase Of honesty, Prorided We
can devise any method Il measuring the restiV G
repUensnce Of different kinds of labor og each lDdl-
v.dual Oar attention ia therefore directed de-
fuitely to that point and 20 that point only IN order
/ 10 discover the means Of bringing commercial cX.
changes to The standard Of scientific accuracy
discovery which will b. the install alton OF practlcs Al
Christianity in the place OF tina; civilized canniba'
/ ism which now exits.
To that point We will turn our attention in "a.
! ether article.
! / repeat that it has lot yet been sufficiently
shown that value has nothing whatever to do lie
/ ultimately with price, and that cost alone is 70 be
/ taken into the account. Some will complete the
argument for themselves others will require more
/ extended proofs. | am anxious however, 10 the
hfst place. 70 Grrive at conclusion IN order that
| the reader may see what | am driving at after
i'll IL.