The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1878-12-11
SHOULD We SPEND MORE,


was arranged to meet an immense demand
for unproducfive consumption. RI our peo-
Pile could then have said to tbemselves, {. Now
that this great waste Of The war is Mt an end.
We can enjoy much more Of tbe crrfoyts and
Injuries Of life than before indeed. we must
% 50 u we would keep our machinery emf
ployed and our people busy '--if they could
have said this, and could have acted accord-
ingls, all would have gone on smoothly. Bnt
IL fact they, or those Of them who ~ their
wealth had the power to act according ID
their own desire, did say, Ii cffect, 1--WE
have got rid Of this sad waste of the war Ne
have been getting rich in spite Of the waste
but now our possibilities. Of enriching our
selves are Gar better than before; we will not
SIT down just yet to enjoy ourselves. but win
postpone for awhile our days Of enjoyment
and of ease, in order that wc may first add a
little to our wealth." The failure of this at
tempt of our rich men to become richer lies
before us to-day. Their factories had been
very profitable, and they sought to increase
their profits by building more factories. Their
railroads had returned them large dividends,
and they sought more dividends of the same
kind by more railroads of the same kind. But
it never occurred to them that unless new
unproductive consumption arose, to take the
place of that which had ceased with the war,
even tie former amount of productive con-
sumption would be too great to supply the
wants of the people, and that, for the prohta-
BILE support of their new factories and new
railroads, a still firther increase of unpro--
ductive consumption would be NODDED. They
contributed, as has been said, but little them
selves TO this needed increase of unproductive
consumption, and as the poor found but little
opportunity or possibility Of contributing to
it, that increase was Lever brought about;
and it soon began to be perceived that pro-
ductive consumption was overdone, and that
its profit was for the time ruined and lost
Factories of all kind produced immense stocks
of goods, which could not he disposed of;
their owners competed with each other and
sold their goods at less than cost, and finally
in many cases shut up their factories and dis
charged their hands. Then we began to have
an actually diminished unprodactiye consump-
ton where we had needed and increased one.
The rich having lost their income, felt that
they must economic the poor having lost
their employment, were forced to do so. This
universal economy increased by its reaction,
the original trouble and thus went on from
bad to worse, until It seemed that we were on
road that led without any turning, straight
to destruction. To-day, however, we are hop
ing, as, indeed we have hoped before, that we
perceive signs of a change. The nations Of
Europe by their wars and preparations for
war, have been indulging In an Increased a.
mount Of unprodnctive consumption, and
have been calling upon us to supply the ma
terials for It. The farmers of the West and
some of the manufacturers of the East have
begun to feel again that they may increase
their expenditures for daily comforts and dali
" luxuries and as their demand for such
things increases. we may hope that the ma
clineiy of production will get once more in
profitable motion, and, by employing those
n ,v IN, mplnyed, will call forth still further
demands for articles of daily consumption
As daily consumption increases, the labor OF
all men will gradually be brought into action,
aud we shall have once more a busy and hap
by people, all at work, and all enjoying the
fruit of their labor; and not, as we have seen
them within the past few years, ons-half idle,
while the other half were engaged in futile
attempt to save aud lay up for the future
more than the constitution Of human affairs
allowed them to accumulate with any profit
either TO themselves or to Others. Atlantic
Monthly.