The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-10-20


"The Laborer," sent a copy to the dis
tinguished statesman and philosopher. j.
Stuart Mill. Last Monday Mr. Dealtry
received The following acknowledgement,
which we are kindly permitted to pub
lish: ~E
BLAcKHEATH PARK KENT, Aug. 81.
DEAR SIR Il thank you for your book,
which only now have had time to read.
The circumstances under which it was
written and printed do great honor to
your energy. The same want of time
which delayed reading it, puts it Oh of
my power to review it, as you request,
or to do more than give brief indica-
ton on thee points on which | agree or
differ with your opinions.
You have shown real disccrnment by
the clearness with which you have seen
and stated truth, which, obvious as it
appears TO those who see it, most people
do not see yet namely, that one of the
principal reasons why the labor and pro-
ductiVe resources of civilized populations
go no further then they do in beneftting
the mass of the people is the quantity OF
human labor expended in doing or making
things which are useless, or worse, things
which are not objects of rational desire.
You have seen through the superficial
appearances which make shallow people
fancy that the purchases made by the
rich for unproductlve consumption bene
fit the poor by giving them employment
/ hold.with you that in & good state of
society all persons capable of working
should work at something useful. at least
until they have earned right to repose.
But think your conception of useful
ness is too narrow, since you seem to con
slider no labor useful, but that, which is
employed, directly or indirectly, in pro-
ducing the necessaries of life. IS
think you wrong in your condemna-
ton Of the payment: of interest AS it is
for the advantage of the community that
the people should not consume all they
produce ; but should economic in their
personal consumption to add to the funds
employed in raising useful products, it is
desreable that, out of the produce raised
by means of their savings, they should
receive some remuneration for their alb
stlneLce.
Your condemnation of commerce is
also mistake, in my opinion. You
look upon commerce as an exchange of
the necessaries of life for useful Injuries :;
but it is often an exchange of useless
luXuries for necessaries of one kind
or another. In any case it is a means
of receiving commodities at greatly
diminished cost Of labor and abstinence :;
and whether the commodity is a
necessary, convenience, or luxury,
the saving of labor is at least good one
You consider a paper currency resting
ON convertibility into gold to be liable to
dangerous fluctuations; but you do not
appear to see that paper currency, net
convertible at all, but lent by the state
TO all who ask for it and can give good
security, would be a thousand times more
dlsasterously fuctuatlng, as an inconver-
table currency has always proved itself
10 be When tried.
but what surprises ME most is your
nostlllty to (fre) insurance 1t would be
desirable that your state should take in
sotance business into its own hands, but
pnt!l it does there is no employment of
capital that conduces more to the best
INTERESTS of mankind than when it is en-
Pi0oyed in enabling people to provide
beforehand against the unforseen acct
uehts Of life-a provision which most
people have not the means of making
with certainty. It Is a mode of taxing
the fortunate for the relief of the unfor-
tunate; with this advantage, that those
who pay the tax are greatly benefited by
relief from anxiety about the future.
l am, dear sir, yours very sincerely,
J. S. MILL.