, 1862-04-19
Money and Brains,

It is very commonly supposed that there is a
surplus of labor and deficiency of capital in this
country and elsewhere, yet nothing could be more
wide of the truth There can be no such thing
as surplus labor, though it is possible to crowd
700 many people within limited area as, for
Instance, into city, whose trade is temporarily
if not generally insufficient to support them.4 If
the population OF this country double, treble.
quadruple, ten-fold its present aggregate, it might
be worse for the poor, because of the increased
price Of land, but not because Of any natural and
necessary dearth of employment resulting from
increased density of population For every thou
SAND added to the population of State or coun-
try involves increase of consumption as well as of
production implies eaters and wearers as well as
growers and makers. The child born to-day is
necessarily consumer before it becomes a pro-
ducer of wealth usually is the freshly landed
immigrant. A large and rapid influx of popula-
ton involves largely increased requirement, not
only of food and clothes bet of houses, imple-
ments, fuel and arabic SOL. And, in fact, employ
ment is almost uniformly more deficient in com-
muu,y wnose c;e;9, PC; 9 * < Stnuonary c. dimin-
ishing than in one whose inhabitants are rapidly
increasing. a1
The common notion that mere capital-ihat is,
larger proportion Of wealth to population-is
the true and necessary basis of meioration in the
employment and recompense of labor, though it
Is propounded as an axiom by many writer's on
political economy, is at best inaccurate. A sud-
den and large increase of wealth in a community
may improve the condition of its laboring poor,
bat does not necessarily secure that result. 1t
may increase the cost Of living more than the
wages of labor. and thus prove positive bane to
the great humber. Undoubtedly, the immigra-
ton of thousand unattended millionaires into
this country would give employment to a consid-
erahle number of builders furnishers, gardeners,
domestic servants, &C., &c. but if they were Only
millionaire is. if they were simply rich
people, who came hther to spend their money
and enjoy liie-their immigration would be a
questionable benefit to the country and its labor
ing class. ' a.l .ar.'.t III, XXX
For the real need of this as of most countries
is rot so much money as brains-that is, the ca
pacity united with the disposition to organize and
give efficiency to labor, thus utilizing productive
capacity and benefcialy creating wealth Eli
/ " hilney, BY his invention of the cotton gin, ad-
ded more 10 the wealth Of our planting States
than alltke rich men who ever settled thin their
limits. Fitch and Fulton by making steam nav
igaton practicable have added more to the real
wealth of This country than all the capitalists who
ever settled in it. Watt Arkwright, and ther
British compeers in invention, who, by their steam
engine, spnningjenny, Sc, made England the
worlds workshop through her temporarily unri-
vailed cheapness of production, were the real con-
querers of Napoleon, though the glory was as
cribed to- Nelson and Wellington. 3H .f
In every community there is fuctuating resi-
dun of unemployed labor-that is, of unused ca
paci'y for the production of wealth; and he is a
tivity tie means whereby this residum is sensibly
reduced. IT, for example, one should appear who
would show us how to make the inmates of each
alms-house earn their own subsistence, including
tile rent Of the premises occupied and cultivated
by them, he would be everywhere hailed as So
cial deliverer, Yet this has been done in spe-
cal localities and for term Of years; what we
need is the genius able to render the achievement
universal and unfailng And if one should come
forward and offer guarantees that he would If the
field we're conceded to HIM, give food, shelter and
cloth ing to all who were able and willing to give
him, however transently, labor in return, he
would deserve and receive the warmest acclama-
tions, because he would save millions of dollars
now squandered in .wemeant but undeserved
alms-giving, while he would rescue crowds from
/ that career of idle and useless mendicity which,
lthoughit was perhaps begun in absolute need,
ia apt to be prolonged from sheer lazintss and
moral degradation, and thus to endin. depravity
and or me. -e i- .<>s.tf.H 81 H
Yes, the great want of the age is not money
but brains-the genips requisite to- blend labor
with capital, keep both fully employed, and rem
der esoh in The bigbes. degree effective sDd bene-