New-York tribune., 1875-05-12
ADDRESS OF DAVID A. WELLS.
THE INFLUENCE OF TIrE PRODUCTION AID ACcUMU'
LArION oF CAPITAL ON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT.

IArIoN OF CAPITAL ON LOCAL DIV ELoPnENT.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN In welcoming y0u
this first meeting in the States OF the Northwest OF
the American Association the Promotion OF Social
Science the address which ancient custom ard reeog-
milton o, the fitness Of things require hOuld bc
made 10y the presiding Ocr such occasions propose
10 ask your attention to line ot thought bnch-
ing two agencies, which; perhaps, more ,tiia, tnan
and development Of society, namely. the production or
accumulation, and the distribution OF that "hien we
call capital, meaning thereby abundance of an tiosa
things which contribute TO oar welbeins comfort ana
My first proposition is that never before in the history
Of the world ha, uan, through the control whlen f .s
obtained the forces Of nature ana the use wcn '
has made such control been able 20 produce 80 fa1cn
with given amount OF personal sn%rl s,,noiad 0, in
the statement that in Great Britain aGna
coal and applied 10 tho performance of mechanical
work equivalent 10 the muscular powerOi al eist os
hundred millions OF men or To state thc case derrn,
the result attained 10 II tc same A. II tie acti n,.s ,
population O. Great Britain had been Increased tNeiyo
tol without rendering necessary any core pouhs m
crease in production for the support an suseaLes ..
this additional number Another Illustration 10 the same
er,ct c familiar and more recent ahordcdpy
TO construction ana ol'riion oI w - ~ in
ThGs a few years swift voyage nom Elsianu 70
Calcutta, via the Cape OF Good HOPE, was from 90
l3O DAYS. Now steamers by way ot tuc 'dial MAKE uo
voyage about 30 days. Here, uic.i, Is dhlnn-
ton or - cent ia the enormous sock ." poou5 con-
tilually required TO he held unused mYcFrg fsh OK
dcpreclat0n loss Of interest on capital. and Increased
coss Ot insurance" TO meet the repui'ln NO o nisn
transit Add 20 Wnich the fact that the improvements
on marine enable these vessels Ia work with one
cargo tLan they could seven eight wears ago. And
construction Of the telegraph between En2iand
ana India enables dealers AID consumers also 10 regulate
their supplies without carrying excessive stocks Oh eo
mOdes, keeps prices steady and dscoiaes spreuIa,,
uOn, and have in this single department. of trade ana
saving and release OF eahIal ana loor ZOE
otneI purposes and employ nehs mat amounts ALMOST "
WHAT l. yct TO be plshed in the way OF increasing
the pr0wftion of product 10 manual labor, time alone
can show but there II evidence at present to ilidce
sr So in this direction 4 writer me L9,don Ec0ao-
mist IN lS73 evidently conycrsant with his SUBJECT,
claimed tnat the Industry Of the popu!au"n OF ,hSs
Br tain at that time, taking man Tor man. vas ns
twice ~ productive WIS In 1850; ami Go not thnk
any tie industrial experience oi the nite9
states a. whole since 1850, anu hoy l,vl n~adsnou ~
that average gain 10 he power VI prOcinh uurhs
tat me and III spite oI the Wlr, has not D en- ea5 ti
from - to 20 per c'nt An" II tis sI'l'liiO sno 1nd
seem 10 any gcated IL Is well 10 call 10 ulind
is mainly within tlc Last 10 years that thc very
grrat improvements ~ machinery adaPted % dgfculIo
nave come into general use ih0t whereas IT," years
ago. men ON the cAt pans OF o% nne fro., e,r,y
grain with tho cradle anu sthIe, ton,us TO-, 49, 20
morn 10 dewy in the hottest period Gi me year, t3
work may be done now almost es matter Ol iccIe
alton the director OF uerhanlcai reaper uh't'ts M % 1.
field behind pair 0 hores, Win gloves On his hds
and an umbrella his head and III tis 'tylc Hllshhs
the work in one-enih oi lhe ,'he whioh tw"h,y @ no
wOud formerly have required, anu IN Il lnahh,l bi''n
Manufacture OF boots and shoes three men now WIN
the ana OF lnaculm y .i pi p4IcT no ~ d , IN s8o f,
We have 10000 mere miles Of railroads now than N'
then had assist III che work or exchange ana 90
tryution that send Olf teit grams now ior l'
than haif what t actually cost 10 do tbe wofk III l'"
and inay. taxing the Pennsylvania Central Railroad -
type, that send our freight at an average o."
500 of "a cent per per mile. ~ compared with "
charge oil ilJC on the same road for the sAe scfNo 81
1s6l. ., d, .. .
may be mere also noted tnhJ ihe aball"nleht "a ~
quantities Of costly machinery III most branches Oi sta
manufactures. and irs replacement by new, - I'i"--
iclly rendered matter OF absolute ccohouIcu ne''-
sit order produce more perfectly ana cn'aly antAS
the same avoid the obstruction OF biieh grA'r
amon' Of capital by industrial rivalry, thus -trAls"
illus;rIiing economic principle 70 WHICH it"iloh w.
think trst called by my Trend Mr. AtAh-0n ~ DpHou,
that the absolute destruction ~ nat he on' nte Nsln
often marks greater step in the progress ot elviil""h
than any groao Increase IN material acc ccumuauon-1s
breaking up aud destruction OF The Old uichlnery AMI
ir replacement by IN the cases referred To being ths
sole conditions under which dnlnut"n "i the c,I OF
production could DC elected and tEe aD1aiAce Oh pro-
duct be made greater , ...,... -.
forward TO- period which call nlilnnal, wnch ~
10 characterized IN particular by an absence vi Ndns
~ all those thin that minister To our mltr1a colos
aud napppc>s but when tuat period arrives, u II ever
dcs one OF rwo tins must take pace,lthcr man must
So lar chance his be able TO eAlr ID cOuiOft.
Witbolt supply of al those objects when are 'hl,hd
"r,rp tGe General terms, food, clothing shelter ami
hXnrcs-or thc forces OF nature must be 80 nuch
further subOrdratcd and brought under our 'phuoi as y"
d aII our work fug S Instead Of now dong only part,
and thus become every respect our soie ministers id
fu wnen that time then all m2teYial wealth a..
We ordinarily undcrsInd Il, must disappear; 10. thdt
only l. wealth which has eXcnangciDe kan,; ana lnit
only has exchang"aOe value Nhich y d'sfed pt Ns
can ne ther value desire that which IKE the ar, "a
AT times given al IN excess OF any possible Use or
But fancfn may be this speculation is ncyerthe-
less most interesting ami sgs'stVe c 'uh-i'"e tn1k
al of true material prosrrss IL cohsiany ~ @ LIS
sllnc direction; inamcch US the great result oi rfeiy
discovery Ia ecouOuiic processes - 10
eliminate discharge yalue-mahlhy nose thlhSs o'ap
wh,cu we're bclOle dear, and bringing WITHIN he r'dcn
and r,ioymenc ~ the few Tuus, IN ll7o Ihon's
Ie"st was accounted eXIravagsnt because he h.d ns
Vr.y, lar cloth WIS scarce that Shakespeare maK"s
Fa>a-- shirts cost him four slihngs an en- put nova.
dave poor not 10 be able To aloid carpet
Tor tLcir r,ror amt umiu% allowances for me pnr'ht-
iEg power OF money 40 d'Acltht epociis' FIH.i, a
snlnn would now give Lin near iOrty times 'he siie
fIihi.t this wonderful and combined increase in
rrpSs
human Industry and enterprise has been also attended
with gtueial in tbe STANDARD Oi COMFORT Iciaui'
anI ncut c, here available 10 TIE inlses Is SUI
nccy proved by not only 'he most supeIncal nbstrya-
non. bui also by "a great variety statistics Thus Tor
cX:iic TIE british cOnIYercal reports indicate that
ius a5iity Of the population Of Russia and Ot Germany
consume cotton mas nj least doubled snGe 1871 ana
ilat IN wcn TIC increase been tOurOlG, aud N Par
asuiy nyciOid And not merely has the CONSUMPTION Ot
cotton ciuth Increased n near anu nmotc regions, Dhs
tie ratio OF absorption among the working CLASSES 0r
Europe OF articles which generation ago ~ere To tnem
.dAuIlts has also Dccn most fdpd anu Aole-tIo
r;ib increase having been most marked III the yearly
PER cGPfL consumption Of meats tea, susa coH,e cocVs
wines ana seeis Dut sfdliIynS as tHcse e.iaehc'so ot
increasing abundance certainly are the cry ~ the poor
ana tie dihcullrs ol earnnS nVng OF ot getting Oh IA
world, m not less patent than they have always
been WAr the dlsConlou with the inequalities Of scy-
eral conditions aie certainty more ni, suiAh9y
manifested than i.,1 at any former pell'd' .ocii 40
paradox IS TO pIesuppo>e hnl understanding oi tno
whole domain social science or OF tue Laws ana Pie.
conprehcnsiyeuess OF knowledge which, II Is safe 10
aiilrin, have been attained By 20 nan. But the
thereby the rch tue well to,io. and most Intelligent
classes, nave for considerable ume iOupd out ono
tlhGg VI importance and are beg1nnln5 to hhd out
another thing OF even greater slgllncahce Ire Hing
men hare tOul,d out IL, that IL Is not for tho
interest OF any portion OF society, Regarded sim
ply from the point Of view Of lndi' ldual selfish
ncss. aud not IN accordance with the religion
OF rst and humanity allow the devl 10 take any
wherv, or " any III tie hindermcst and me M.'g
phieh Mey beginning 70 dnd oa IS that the hnsr
most " 40 la me struggle for tle xeqtremens
retention Of property tr niasses are D,conf iAs
their power and Influence, and are oecr-
mued OF themselves that they Will not tney can hep
H. be- captured by tits devil OF civihzatlon ana X
Obliged 10 succlmb him, Ike the C0niinunisis OK
Paris sndrayor 10 draw down With them the whole face
of sety into one vortex VI destruction. Out