, 1876-05-13
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
HAED TIMES.

10 IRE Efst0f o. 1Ae 1S79HHe.
CHICAGO, May l2.-As the subject OF "Hard
among the readers Of your enterprising journal,
which our hard times are attributed BY your
correspondents, would respectfully beg leave
to offer my view Of the situation.
The law OF supply and demand necessarily
controls all production and distribution. But
this Law Is also controlled by other powerful
and inexorable laws which most po-
s5'o tsa e ahszns ape e Il fs a@ s "a su
ply and demand we find that the sup
f,ly Is regulated by the demand. Nov, the de-
mand which encourages production emanates
from and Is only manifested BY those who have
70 obtain these means it is necessary to furnish
an equivalent either In labor or its results, but
this labor OF its result must be in demand, or
they will purchase nothing. Through the intro
duction Of labor-saying machinery, al the
men are supplied with far less labor than would
be required without this machinery. 1t is IN
supplying the wants Of mankind that We and
EMPLOYMENT But since the wants OF mankind
are limited, while the reduction OF the chances
for employment by Introduction Of labor-saF1n
machines Is not limited proportional1y, the only
way to preserve balance Is to reduce the hours
Of labor, and employ more laborers to do fhe
work. It our necessities increased IN exact pro-
portion to the vastly y-tncTeased means Of supply
ing these necessities through machinery, there
would then be employment for all. But there
Is no such equilibrium. It would be Impossible
and unnatural.
Furthermore, the !" competition system IN
tue tue labone @ men to I'D against one smother for
the reduced chances OF employment. In order
to underbid each other they are obliged to starve
all wants and educated tastes that are above tile
average standard Of life OF their feuow-woI6ers,
%t,a, IA ~ fE
BY the standard Of living OF the most ignorant
and selfish workers In each trade OF branch
Of employment, It is through this false economy
that production is kept down, and progress
hindered. The WORKING classes are r seven.tsnthhs th
competition system, they can obtain, even Whcn
iii are employed, no more than the bare necessf-
Ties Of life, naturally production TO supply me
wants and tastes Of higher standard OF living
is subject to the demand Of only the other three
tentbs. composed Of the middlemen and the EN-
rioyers, and the very selfshness which made
fhen wealthy, keeps most Of them from extraV-
agance, aud even from cultivated ana pleasant
life; SO that there is q still further drag on pro-
Satisfaction among the producing classes @ rs, Is,
strange to say, the result OF education: 80 long
AZ the working classes we're Ignorant ana e1-
slayed, as result OF living under despot1Ie ptIe
governments, they were accustomed 10 iooA
Upon their situation as perfectly natural and un-
ayoidable. But in q free country, where men
are taught their rights and duties, and whsre here
education creates desire for d truer and nooler
manhood, the resi- producers must and will de-
mand q larger share Of what they produce than
barely one-sixth, as shown by the latest United
States statistics. II supply and demand ere TO
reg1,Iate the wages the competition system,
th6u either aIl the paupeized labor Of the world,
including t the four hundred million Chinese,
must be soon educated up to the style OF life to
which our American worldngmen are aecqs-
toned aud their education demands or e,se IA ne
1;re ,sav to the only just and reasonable manner
" r. PHILLIP VAN PATTEE.
LUIGI MONTH.