The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-10-26
SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

Ii is a too common practice with the
on-pruducing classes 70 assert that the
" Law Of Supply and Demand regulates
alike the price Of labor and its products
While it is not our purpose to deny this
proposition; we propose To show that is
operations have been partial, and its bene-
hts withheld from the grea, mass Of our in
dustrial or producing classes.
From the days Of Adam Smith whom we
believe was one of the frs. political econo-
mists TO illustrate the operation If this law>
every economist, AMI political essayist has
subsequently endeavorcd t. conS;ruc this
lava natural law. in itself t. the inter
esis Of the non-producing classes. and give
ing them the benefits Of all advantages to
be derived from its operations.
The great mass Of our people the toll
ing millions have been ~ these writers
considered to have no right t. make an
application Of this Law to themselves, but
to he the here objects upon which il WIS
10 operate.
For instance, Mathews, a French como
mist, makes the following impious PROPOSE
ton Whenever the worAing-peop!e
= become too numerous, thu nation should
=" 60 to war, SO that their numbers should
4 lie reduced Again, he
says 4 1t is better that one-half Of the
= laborers should starve to death, IN order
that the other half should live. Very
humane indeed And oar English and
American theorists, though not 50 radical
hold similar views. Many of them in their
efforts to solve tie labor problem, have
fallen into the erroneous idea Of erecting
alms-houscs, asyluns. jails and peniten-
tiarys FIR unemployed labor We a. not
hesitate Up assert that these false theories
arisJ from narrow and contracted view
VI the law " supply and demand, which
confines its operations 10 the products IF
Labor, and excludes labor from lN benefit
1.-THE law Of supply and demand be a
natural law. which 1t Is claimed to be It's
operations should be alike effective and ~
applicable to labor. A. to the products If
labor Therefore Is 4 natural Law We
claim that il il applicable alike u labor ami
the products NJ labor ana NY further
claim that the possrssor " labor has an
equal rights "a apply this law to his COM
modify rs the merchant or manufacturer
has u his accumulated products
But the law of supply and Demand,
like many other laws Of nature. IS succep-
table To the innovations of modern civili-
zation, and 70 day We iind it l. 81 burthcn-
yd with superhcialitigs, that the natural
IAN, nf which W. hear 50 much, is held in
ab.yance and consequently that We are
working entirely on superficial structure.
Let MS illustrate nature when left to her
self Is an unerrlng monitor and regulator.
She supplies both producer and consumer,
and between them establishes an oqulpoise.
But science and civilization follow, and by
an artificial medium, destroys the eluihb-
rum The cuVidity and ambition u our
poor human nature, has led to the estab-
lishmcnt Of institutions which throw
mother nature into the shade. and created
an artificial - Law IF supply and demand
which Is entirely under their control. For
instance, A. T. ami {. md they have
bought or manufactured more goods
that they can dispose " in the
local market. These parties :.nd they have a
superabundance, and they have more sup
ply than demand. What application do
they make 81 the law d. they reduce
the prices Of these commodities No
They dispense with the laborer, or produc-
er, for a time, and ship their surplus com
modities to San Jaciuto or a market. and
thus sustain their local prices. and then re-
employ labor at cheaper rate. We can
find another illustration ia our Govern
meEt navy yards and work shops. Upon
the eve Of an important election, thousands
Of men are employed i'll them not because
there is a legitimate demand, but simply
To assist the ambition or designs of those in
power. When the election Is over those
men are discharged, thereby creating an
artificial demand for, and supply of Labor
thus perverting the law Of supply and de-
mand from its legitimate purposes, and
making it subservient to the interests q
the buyers Of labor.