New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-08-31

49,. ~. :. thu cultivation Of Deerer md poorer
opes-thss q society becomes more nunef0us' me
mean, Of feeding ito members gradually dlmmnn' ana
thei, condition necessarily deterorstes For Whatever
be the circumstances relating man to the soil, tnst
relation il 10 intimate peasve and essential to ma
existence. 20 eoverss and qualities all his other reiA
.ion, that IL, consequences are inevitable Science
ART. invention. industry may modify them but
the ORIGINAL relation be really one OF sucn
hostility or At best of such deIusve smiy the Ricar
DO theory .sserts the fatal effect must appear netvtn'
standing every possible postponement II in the order
n n,u,s the hest land 10 the first to be cultivated.
and If succeeding and widening generations must con-
stanly resort TO lard Of inferior prodoct'e po"e"'
the inference is irresistible and the Pohtcai Econo-
ns,s have not drawn it in coors 700 oacs ana
II IL that all society lie, and indeed ought 70 De-
scene of war betseen the monoposs who have c'n'rol
Of the original wealth Of nature, and OF tne accumu
lated capital derived from its possession ana tne
unfortunate majority Of men, born strangers al .ne
banquet of nature" whose lot is poverty servtude'
honse,. sscontent and final extinction By pestence,
., ul ere they become too numerous and troublesome
by more violent means
7, s .soui,hirc to see how widely and in what var
Gus rsmifcstions this pesinH phosopn! nus so' P0'
session Of the public mind. We meet with IL every
where and under all disguses religious, politica ana
literary Democrat and Tory, reveutonst and retro
Grade. the visorary man Of progress and the stohd
conservative alike talk TO ysu Of population, the
inherent hostility Of capital and labor the corraPtne
influence Of peace and prosperity the growing evils and
dangers Of Society and thousand other notions Snlcn
have their root only the doctrine Of Ricardo and 10
the idea that there is principle OF evil, conflict ana
DEGRADATION a. the foundation OF mans reatlonsnlp
with the soil. The rich grow richer and the poor
ro.rer the condition of the cutvstor becomes worse
a. POPULATION increases; the labor Of the laborer s
harder and his wages smaller the invention oil ne"
machine INJURIES the poor hand-worknsn; such are
the msxims-sl deduced from the dismal theory Of
political economy and either not confirmed By facts 81
ALL or else By superficial and imperfect view OF them
which are daily put forth BY public and private per-
sons. They all assume that nature is hostile to man;
that the planet s accursed his abode and that the
culture Of the earth instead OF being the mark OF his
power and the pledge of better future, is but the
sign of endless vice. degradation and disgrace.
Against these souess deductions Of Political Econo-
NV the socalistswere the first offer intelligent pro-
test They attacked them in long series Of eloquent
and powerful criticisms Starting, though often su-
consciously from the profoundest religious sentiment,
full of faith 10 the benefcence Of the Divine Providence,
convinced that there must be unity and harmony in all
the spheres and kingdoms Of nature. they made very
effective upon this pseudo science which, without
pang Of sympathy regret, had consigned the human
family to life finternecne hostility during the period
of its abode on earth and had allotted oppression suf
ferns disease and death the inevitable fate OF the
telling myriads Of men. There few things in liters
ture which more warmly enlist feeling and rouse indg
nation than these writings Of the Socialists Of France,
Germany England and America in which the Econe-
msts are srragned at the bar Of and of
the human heart. What denuncistioas are provoked
by the cold nhumanty Of Nautilus Of Ricardo, OF Say
what burning and uenchant scon is poured on the
contradictory and untenabe specuatons Of those who.
without taking into account the social affections and
aspirations, presume to reason scientifically upon So
cety, s development and it's essential laws, from the
ground Of material interest and competitive antago
nism alone.
But while the Socialists thus deny all validity Po
itical Economy. and by their attacks rreparsbe in
jury 20 ts scientific pretensons, they have still allowed
ito philosophy Of the relation Of man to the soil to
pass unquestioned and have in most if not in al cases
admitted the existence Of principle Of deterioration
in Society Indeed this admission is sf the chief
grounds Oh which they contend for the adoption Of their
various systems Society is becoming worse, they tell
US its present node Of organization is false to the
nature Of man, necessarily producing injurious results,
which will grow more and more perncious In truth,
We are assured that organized it is founded 90
the conflict Of interests on warfare necessarily waged
by individuals against each ether and against the social
body Of which they members, and this warfare in
stead Of relaxing, steadily becomes heener and more
embttered. The remedy 10 to abandon the present
organization, and to adopt . new one more consistent
with human nature and common sense. aud more
economical and harmonious in its working. How
this old Organization came TO be thus antagoniatc
to mans welfare, and how it 10 that it grows worse
and worse hey do not explain. On tina. head they
leave the theory Of Ricardo and his followers IN
impsaehed. simply proposing to &c, over lie con-
sequences By IN arrangement which, if the
theory be true, will emily cause them 20 fall
on all the members Of the community together, in
stead Of falling on the majority for the special benefit
Of the few At the time these consequences will
be modified by the economies Of association and the
general advance Of scientific discovery bu, STILL after
ALL supposine that the thes Is true, and that the best
parts Of the earth already occupied, the additional
population, which to b expected cannot be 90 well
Of % the first csmes and thus the principle Of social
deterioration will inevitably continue in force. And it.
in the order Of nature and in time Of peace population
ncreases faster than subsistence how is the community
ever to get power 70 asssae IN improved system Of
orgslifsrion' Moreover, il must be admitted that
sefinterest and practical iustce Are After all tha