The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-07-19
WHO SHALL FL THE PRICE OF
LABOR?

neither a llh. -Atltu Owl himself. or
whether he should oan enough else - sup
Ply hi- natural wants. are both questions
concerning lis natural and inalienable
rights Man. then, has natural ana IN
ahrrau.e rights, and among these we hold
that -l. right Of the working man 70 set a
plIo- rp-u hls labor IS one Of the most sa-
cred 1t a.L FIR IL whom does that labor
belong II ID belonged to the capitalist
vr,up.uvgr, he would not ask 70 hire it,
b, could command g. Il belongs 10 the
p.ssassar Of it. Il J. not commodity
which csu ne odd Il i a quality insepa-
rah.s from and belonging to man. the pos
SCISSOR NJ It. tie can not sell il, even if he
desired t. 10 50. tie can only hire II out
IL a gwen price, ana for limited period
Nov let rs see If be has a right to nix the
prise az which he Will hire his labor out at
lu thg first place he has right 10 live !;
ana ia the second place he has a right to
possess that which viii enable him 70 live
comfortably and hold respectable posi-
zion 10 society. who knows better than he
what IL costs him IL live He therefore
hires his labor ont for an equivalent that
will enable HIM e. hive and if he is honest
70 himself, the yearly cost Of his living viii
regulate the price AT which he viii hire ut
his labor Arguing from the theory that
man has right e. dispose Of his property
At whatever price he ,an get for ii, We NAV
say the working man has the same right To
hS d price upon his labor as the merchant
has upon his goods But. say the oppo-
nrnts 4 this principle, the price of labor
must We regulated wv the Law of supply
ana demand Exactly -. When thu Law
exercises It's legitimate functions Bnt those
Who argue from hat standpoint must not
forget the fact that they deny the working
man the right to apply the principles II
tins Law % his condition. Another fact
must be borne IN mind, and that is, since
that Law was conceived and became an Is
tablished fact, there has been complete
revolution in the industrial world Science
and the inventive brain Of man have IN
creased the productive facilities OF the great
manufacturing centres a thousand fold
This wonderful increase in the manufac-
turing facilities of the world has been Ia
ken advantage Of by the wealthy, and
turned q weapon against the poor, 81
II uf I. ..V attr.r,lt- M "A
gwen {" rhe world b. Adam Smith in his
Wealth n Nations, j. not applicable to
the present state Of society The law Of
supply and demand. AS 1t is applied BY the
manufacturing capitalist 70 the regulation
Il wages and prices, means nothing more
nor less than the great fact Of tie poverty
of the poor. and comparative independence
II the wealthy Whenever the supply of
work fails the masses are compelled, by the
fact y their poverty, to demand employ
ment immediately Starving men will hire
tor wages Al starvation prices On the
other hand. when trade is active, and there
IL a great demand iot workmen, enough OF
the labor 81 Europe and Asia is at once
imported by the wealth employers to keep
down wages-in other words, to regulate
the laws Of supply III the interest of capt.
tai. II there were no people on the earth
poor enough to be imported, or none rich
enough u import them, the operation of
this law would be absolutely independent
OF wealth and poverty. As it is, however,
wealth Is the master and poverty is the
slave of the great law Of supply and de
mand, and instead of saying that that law
regulates wages, it viii be more inte.lgible
and nore easily comprehended to say that
wages is regulated BY the wealth Of the
wealthy and the poverty Of the poor. The
rich mans wealth is his strong city, and
the distinction Of the poor is their poverty.
The law Of supply and demand is said to
regulate the price Of commodities but
the demand is limited by the great fact Of
the poverty Of the consumers. There
never was a market so ,verstocked with
goods that it would have taken day 60
empty it, if all the people had been able
to pay for all they ought to have Thus
it will be seen that it is the poverty of the |
masses that is the real cause Of low wages.
That low wages leads TO crime and pauper-
ism no one will deny. 1t is then the high
est duty Of the state to obviate such re-
suit.
The surest way to do this ia to ignore the