The New York herald., 1877-09-05
SOCIAL SCIENCE.
MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIAL SCIENCE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ADDRESS OF HON.
DAVID A.. WELLS.


AssocIATIoN-oFENIyG ADDRESS OF HON.
DAVID A. WELLS.
SARATOGA N.Y., Sept 1. 1871
Hon. David A. Wells, President OF the American
Social Science Association, opened the session here
this evening with address rhc Relation OF Eco
nomc Laws TO Public and Private Morality" He said
that this subject had not heretofore received the
ton 1t mertcd No economic author had ever written
on II. For eighteen centuries controversies this
subject had been on abstract rcasonngs not going 10
experience. Taking up the early social condition
OF Europe, ho said II was controlled by a
spirit o antagonism between and man,
nation and nrtion-ialse economic laws, that
what one man gained others lost-so each State
sought to impose polls and restrictions, not only
trade between nations but also OF ces derived from
imports on TRADE, anu each trade and occupation
fenced in by unions and guilds mysteries.
No could be allowed to follow trade except he
a freeman OF the town or city.
GUILDS DEyocScsp.
He stgmatized internal tho system by which free.
men IN trades surrounded themselves In France the
right TO follow an occupation became an heirloom, to
be transmitted by will or marriage. So restricted did
things become under this system that single crafts
man could make even so small n thing as Il bucket,
but four separate tradesmcn must be employed he
said, strange as 1t may seem, the United Statcs In
ernai Revenue law in force In 1865 almost bad
1t refcrred 20 tho Commissioner TO know If
a who bought materials for house and used some
in repairing a carriage should not pay taxes a
manufacturer.
He read the edic, Of Tursot the great French Minis.
ter, against guilds There, he said. II had come to
DO considered that right labor royal right
which he denounced as u hcrcsy TO be rejected The
right to labor s inherent IN man and inacnable Tho
relations of labor and capital under the rules abro
gated by Turgot, wero crude and imperfect BY them
capital was destroyed and accumulation prevented.
Under the condition OF affairs prevailing from the
thirteenth to tho eighteenth century production
impeded and capital could not accumulate All busl-
ness was disarrangod
LABOR RESISTING PROGRESS.
That barbnrsm did not return due to the fact
that labor Is upconquerable. Yet labor through
its representatives,, did ITS best to prevent and hinder
advancenont This is illustrated by the difficulties
overcome by James Watt first as nn apprentice and
then AS journeyuan IN England and Scotland. ho
was only able TO work in tho precincts OF collegs
an operative for It. Ho never could have succeeded II
tho trade laws could have prevented. Every patton
sought to monopoze trade and preven. other nations
from sharing therein Wars were declared and car
ried on 10 break down trade rivals.
KSGLIsH RESTRICTIONS on TRADE
II is only through study oil English trade laws that
the true Cause Oi the American Revolution can be
iound Restrictions ON tradc were tho main causes.
Ots argument against wrts Of assistance was against
system which authorized the searching OF houses Tor
Contraband goods. Ho compared these ante Revolu-
tonary writs with those is.ued IN Now York city
goods searched for private papers to lind evidence OF
illegal trade. Such ialsc economic laws made poo.
pie a nation OF law breakers John Hancock was the
very prince OF contraband traders, and the day
which the battle OF Lexington was fought was set
down as the time whom argument was To have been
had on some OF his acts as cont raband trader. All
felt that tho government their enemy. Fully half
the commerce OF tic world before tho Revolution
contraband brigaudage. IN Europe numerous large
and influential boues Of men lived by breaking tho
laws OF trade Had II not been for trade illegally car
RED on commerce would have ceased. With tho ab-
cl In nd kVai
morality Increased
TEACHING Forbidden
Even such matters teaching the dcaf and dumb
were hcuged IN by law England, which prevented
Gallaudct from learning bow TO instruct them, aud he
had to go TO France for Knowledge to enable him TO
set up bis institution here. There Is no such great
cause OF danger TO our institutions as that arising
from public and private immortality. Since 1864 the
taint VI corruption has entered everywhere.
DEMoRALzlNG TAXATION.
In that year fully $50 600, 900 taken from the
pockets OF the people by corrupt legislation The
on whskey was put up step py step uuti it reached
1000 per on its cost. When tho reduced
t. ny to sx
ether laws enacted scem,ngy to encourage i'm.
morality by giving premiums on DIVISIONS Usury
laws wcrc particularly denounced Nc Wells was
attentvely listened 10 by large audience, who show
deeper interest In tho meetings Of tho association
this year than they did last year here.
READ PArEIs.
Among those who arrived to-day to attend the
I. NJ. Logan, OF Virginia; W. H. Trenholm OF South
Carolina; General Jonn 4. Townsend and Edward T.
Potter. OF New York; Professor W. J: Wells, OF De
troit; DR.. John B. ChapIn, OF the Willard Asylum
New York; Professor Carlton Hunt, OF Louisiana ana
Professor Hammond OF Iowa, VINO VIII all read papers
or make addresses dnring tho week.
MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE,
The other members who arrived are:-J. V. /.
Pruyn, DR.. Charles s. Hoyt, DEC. X. Lowell, OF the
New York State Board OF Charities; Professor Chaco
aud Thomas Coggcshall, ol Rhode Island; Henry W.
Lord Of tho Michigan Board of Charities; Leroy
Parker Of the Michigan Board of Hcaltn Andrew +.
Eimoro and DR.. Tiiton, Of tho Wisconsin Board oil
Charities, Charles r. Donncly, OF Mussach usctts
all oI whom will take part the conference charl-
ties. at which Dr. Prwyn VIII preside instead OF
Governor Robinson.
Rev. W. IL. Cnanning, Of England; David Dudley
Field, Joseph /. Pope, Robert Treat Paine and Dr. D.
f. Lincoln, Of Boston; Rufus King, OF Cincinnati;
Henry Hitchcock, Of ST. LOUIS Professor Horsord, OF
Harvard; Professor +. A. Walker OF Yale; Carroll d..
Wright and Dr.. Estes Rowe, Of Nassach usetts, anu
many other members have aso arrived