Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-21
statement of the law of wages as currently

statement OF the law or wages as currently
accepted, and his travesty-for it is nothing
less-of the Malthusian doctrine. In the
first of these instances we think he has, no
doubt unconsciously, ascribed to whole
school views which it is extremely doubtful
whether any of them held or hold, while in
the second he has revived against Nautilus
those exploded charges and those extrava-
CANT imputaticns which the opponents of that
celebrated writer assailed him with on the
first appearance of his work, but which have
long since been abandoned by all who have
read the Essay on Population for themselves.
The possession of favorite theory is
wonderful clariier of the ideas, but it is by
no means so conducive to the attainment of
impartial conclusions. The man who has a
hobby is apt to ride it hard, and to suboI-
dinate everything else to it, whenever he can
do so. Whoever sets out to demonstrate the
truth of notion which has already obtained
complete possession of his mind, is tolerably
certain to succeed, at least to his own salts
faction and if his researches happen to be
in so imperfectly explored region as that of
political economy, he can take great liberties
with the opinions of his antagonists without
mourning much danger of being taken to task
by the public who read his argument. We
do not mean to say that Mr.. George has
done this with any view to the suppression
of facts which make against him, but we do
assert that no man who sets out with
preconceived theory, and who works
up to it from the beginning, can avoid be-
ing influenced most powerfully by such
matters as support his foregone con-
illusions. No doubt it will be said that
the question whether Mr.. George proceeded
untrammeled by previous theory or not, is
immaterial, the real question being whether
he has succeeded in proving his case. But
this is hot so. Any man can prove any case
if he is permitted to arrange the facts to suit
himself. The real question must therefore
always be, not, has he proved his case, but,
has ne so fairly and fully marshaled the facts
as to render his final demonstration a genu-
inc one? To answer this question it is obvi-
ously necessary to have gone largely over the
same ground traversed by the author. To
those who are compelled to rely upon him for
every representation of the views of his op-
ponents, his argument will probably appear
complete and conclusive That is as much
as to say that it viii so appear to the major
ity, as well of critics as of readers and this
we quite believe and expect. Nevertheless
we are convinced that the peculiar circum-
stances concerning the genesis of the book
which we have pointed out, ought to be con-
sidered by all who read it, and that without
knowledge of these circumstances it is very
unlikely to be rightly apprehended.
Before proceeding to consideration of the
authors final conclusions the which we have
said appear to US i'll warranted, it is de-
sirable to bestow some attention upon his
preliminary assumption, namely, that pow
erty increases pari passW with wealth. 1t is
evident that the demonstration of this posi-
ton ought to have preceded every other con
sideration, and yet, curiously enough, it is
simply taken for granted. We should be
strongly disposed to deny its soundness. We
do not believe that any such condition of
things can be proved. On the contrary, we
believe that the tendency of civilization is to-
wards the diminution of poverty and the
steady increase of comfort and enjoyment Of
life among the masses. The proportion of
very poor to the community is less now than
it ever has been. The standard of comfort
among the poor is higher now than it ever
has been. Of such restitution as was too
common to excite remark a century and a
half ago. the instances are now so rare as to
be phenomenal. The masses of workingmen
to-day enjoy material comforts and con-
veniences which were inaccessible to the rich a
few generations ago. They live better in all
ways. They not only earn higher wages but
the money with which they are paid possesses
larger purchasing power. Their condition
is immeasurably better than was that of the
common people even at the beginning of the
present century. If We regard the most
thickly populated countries of Europe the
same observations hold good. The enormous
increase of population which has taken place
during the last two hundred years is of itself
a convincing proof that life has been made
easier for the masses, for under more rigorous
conditions no such increase could have oc-
CURED.
A great disparity in wealth between the
poorest and the richest no doubt exists, and
this disparity has always existed, nor is there
any reason why it should ever cease to exist.
a similar disparity may be observed between
intelligences between physical Developments
between tempers and tendencies, and capaci-
ties of every kind. A similar disparity may
be traced in all the works of Nature. Who
looks for Equality in the universe will look in
vain, for every law of matter fouts the
theory. That the possessions of men should
be unequal is no more remarkable, and no
more unreasonable. and no more objection
able, than that the mental abilities of men
should be unequal, or that the:r bodies should
differ radically in respect to their muscular
strength. The accumulation of great wealth
need give no concern to the statesman, nor is
it matter with which the economist can
rightly deal. The only question of vital i'm
poIGduCc Is, WuebucI GuC vi b1c
masses is improving. II it is, and if it can be
shown, as we believe it can, that there is
greater happiness enjoyed by greater num-
Der to-day than at any previous period in the
history of the world, then it matters little or
nothing that individual aggregations of
wealth are on the increase, while it may not
be difficult to demonstrate that civilization is
stimulated by the possibility of attaining these
splendid prizes.
Passing by this consideration, which really
goes rather to the justification for writing
such book as Mr.. Georges, than to the
book as actually written. it is necessary to
say something of his theory of land tenure,
for upon this the whole argument hinges
We cannot but admire the skill with which
he has led up to his favorite hypothesis, and