The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1870-10-21
NOPHISMS
OF THE -
PROTECTECD.1.EgEG.
BY THE LATE
N. FREDERICK BAST1AT,
Member of the Institute Of France.
ss CHAPTER I.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

7 ...sas.. CHAPTER I.
ABUNDANeE-scARC1rY.
Which is the best for man or fol
society, abundance or scarcity .-
How, it may be exclaimed, car
such question be asked? Has i,
ever been pretended, is it possible tc
maintain, that scarcity can be the
basis of mans happiness? -:
Yes; this has been maintained,
this is daily maintained; and l dc
not hesitate to say that the scarcit,
theory is by far the most popular OF
the day. 1t furnishes the subject oi
discussions, in conversations, jour
mails, books, courts Of justice and
extraordinary as it may appear, it is
certain that political economy will
have fulfilled its task and its pr &C tic.
al mission. when it shall have rem
dered common and irrefutable the
simple proposition that "in abund-
ance consist mans riches.''
Do We not hear it said every day,
"Foreign nations are inundating US
with their productions -? Then We
fear abundance.
HAS not Mr. do Saint Cricq said,
Production is superabundant ~
Then he fears abundance.
Do we not see workmen DESTROY
ing and breaking maehinery? They
are frightened by the excess of pro-
duction; in other words, they fear
abundance. 3d.
Has not Mr.. Bugeaud said, lie,
bread be dear and the agricultural-
ist will be rich ~? Now bread can
only be dear because it - scarce
Then Mr.. Busvaud lauded scarcity
Has not Mr.. d'Argout produced
the fruitfulness Of the sugar culture
as an argument against it? Has he
not said, The beet cannot have a
permanent and extended cultivation,
because a few acres given UP to it
in each department, would furnish
sufficient for tie consumption of all
France -? Then, in his opinion,
good consists in stcrility and scarci-
ty, evil in fertility and abundance.
"La P.esss, - "Ls Commerce, -
and the majority Of other journals,
are. every day, publishing articles
whose aim is to prove to the cham
bers and to government that a wise
policy should seek to raise prices by
tariffs and do We not daily see these
powers obeying these injunctions of
the press?> Now, tariffs can only
raise prices by diminishing the quau-
tity OF goods offered for sale, Then.
here We see newspapers, the lcgisla.
ture. the ministry, all guided by the
scarcity theory. and I was correct in
my statement. that this theory Is by
far the most popular. ~''@'.*
How then has it happened, that
in the eyes at once of laborers, edi.
tors aud statesman, abundance should
appear alarming. and scarcity advaa-
tageous 1t is my intention to en-
deavor to show the origin Of this de
lusion.
A man becomes rich, in proportion
to the profitablcness Of his labor /;
that is to say, in proportion as he
sells his productions at = high price.
Tho price Of his productions is high
in proportion to their scarcity. 1t
is plain then that, as far as regards
him ut least, scarcity enriches him.
Applying successively this mode OF
reasoning to each class Of laborers
individually, the scarcity theory is
dcduced from it. Ts put this theory
into practice, and in order to favor
feach class Of labor, an artificial scar
Lefty is forcedipl every kind Of Pre-.
luction, by prohibition, restriction,
suppression of machinery, and other
analogous measures.
# In the same manner it is observed
that when an article is abundant it
brings small price. The gains OF
the producer are. of course, less II
this is tho case with all. produce. all
producers arc then poor. Abund.
ance then ruins society. q And as
any strong conviction will always
seek to force itself into practice, We
see, IN many countries, the laws Ain
ing to prevent abundance. i. ~
! This sophism stated in general
form, would produce but slight i'm.
preston. But when applied to any
particular order Of facts, to any par
ticular article Of industry, to any
one class OF labor, il is extremely J
specious, because it is a syllogisu
which is not false, but incomplete
And what is true in a syllogism al
ways necessarily presents itselfto ths
mind, while the incomplete, which il
y negative quality, an unknown val
ue. is easily forgotten in tho calcula
tien. 70 ssFl~f Htsssts3 tF
Man produces in order to consume
He is at once producer aud consumer
The argument given above, consid
ers him only udcr the FIRST point .
view. Let US look at him in the sec
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