Litchfield enquirer., 1880-11-25

THE UNITED STATES AND POLITICAL Econ
oMY.-In the most democratic cantons Of
Switzerland, life has been for centuries calm
and TRANQUIL enough. It is to the Immense
prizes that nature offers, rather than TO the
equality of the conditions of the race, that the
ardor of the competitors in the United States
is to be ascribed. If democratic institutions
be compared with monarchic or aristccratic,
!. abundant proof will, it istrue be found of the
superior tendency of the first to diffuse mate
rial prosperity throughout the mass of the
8 people. Switzerland is, In al Its physical con-
ditiOns the antithesis to America; nature has
done almost nothing for it's inhabitants beyond
the immense service, indeed, OF interposing
barriers between them and the armies of
Emperors and Kings; no road in it leads to
great fortunes. Yet. were the conditions OF
{ all the countries of Europe as prosperous as
] that of Switzerland, it may well be that
science of political economy would never have
arisen, because no urgent economic problems
would have pressed for solution Switzer-
land, however, has provided only for its own
people, The grand achievement of America
is to have provided for all corners, and to
have not only rescued from restitution no
small part of the population of Europe, but
placed them in such afiuence that they can
endure tariffs which make them buy the pro-
duce of their old countrymen at twice its
natural cost. This, however. is an achieve
ment not Of political institutions but of ma
ture. The maintenance of the American pol.
ity with its equality is, moreover, in great
measure due to physical causes. The ocean
has kept it aloof from the wars of the Old
World, and the confguration of the continent
has maintained single Government. Had it
been broken up into rival States by deserts
and mountain chains, instead of being united
by rich plains and noble rivers, It might have
been a battle field. Thrones and military and
aristocratic orders might have been founded
Latin empire in Mexico would certainly
have arised; national debts, war taxes, and
impoverishment would have followed. That
the emergence of these phenomena would
have given stimulus to economic inquiry
we have proof, not only 10 European history,
but in the awakening of the American mind
itself to the study of political economy since
the civil war, with the burdens and difficult
ties it entaled TIE inhabitants of the New
World have been the more disposed to leave
the production of science and literature to the
Old, that they get their fruits at less than their
cost of production by importation; and the
absence of law of International copyright
has in turn been the more unfavorahle to
American authorship that the rate of remu-
neration in other occupations has been sohigh.
The Pennsy lvanian manufacturer complains
that he cannot compete with the cheap labor
of England, though freight is added to the
prime cost of every pound of English produce
imported; yet he is content thai, the American
author should compete with English books for
which neither producer nor carrier has been
paid. A single copy of Mills principles Of
Political Economy" or Bastiat's "Harmonies
Economques" is all the American publisher
need buy. No wonder if American econo-
mIsts should be content to take their political
economy for the NEST part ready made from
Mill and Bastiat.-T E. CEts Leslie, in Fort
7ziQitttv Re0ieao. f@sT