Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-02-16

setting down the surplus for the year 1850
as 48 1-3 per cent. of the total product
of the United States. Mr.. Edward Atkln-
son, however, after careful study of the re-
turns, expresses the profound conviction that
in O normal year, under normal conditions,
not exceeding ten per cent. can be set aside
as rent, profit savings and that nine
tenths constitute the share of the laborer,
which by subdivision becomes expressed in
terms of personal wages. Half of that ten
per cent. of profit he assigns to capital, and
half to the savings of those who do the work
OF production or distribution. I do not care
to linger, however, upon these facts and hg-
ures [ adduce them not in defence of any
thing questionable or wrong in the present
distribution of things, but as facts which
should enter into fair estimation of the pres
ent tendencies of our ind ustrial system. These
are enough to prevent anarchic despair of it
These and similar facts and statements which
might be cited are enough to serve as an an.
tidote to that pessimistic view of civilization
which may be occasioned by an empty stom-
ach, or q iaundiced mind.
Just at this point let us seek to locate as
nearly as we can general complaint among
socialists concerning the present unequal dis
tribution of the products of labor. One of
the workingmen of this city says that the
ministers, in what presume he would call
the capitalized pulpit, will not dare take up
this question l confess that OF no point
in all this complex subject have 1 sought
more eagerly for some determining prinel-
pie than upon this very point. Amid the
great inequalities of wealth, is there any rule
by which to every man might be divided MS
fair share? In the town of Stoke, England,
large manufacturer once took me through his
works and showed me the whole process by
which the finest modern Etruscan ware Is
produced. I saw at end the clay in the
workman's hand at the other end the exquis-
| tie ware. The manufacturer said he had often
| thought of writing a history of those vases,
| and he proceeded to mention the different
| kind of materials and labor which had en-
| tered into that rare product of art. All quar-
| ters of the globe and divers kinds of labor
| were represented in the worth of that vase
Now who could tell the exact share of each
| in that product? Economies gives us no meas
| uring-rod fine enough to determine the snare
| of each human muscle and each human mind,
| and each quantity and quality of human
| force expended in the production of that
| costly vase
Take a yard of common cotton cloth and
| endeayor with your scissors to divide that yard
| of cloth into strips each one of which shall
| represent the fair share of each kind of labor.
| thought and management and interests OF
| all sorts which are woven together in its
| production. Take that cloth from the hand
| of the clerk in the store receive it from the
| errand boy who must have some thread of 1t
| to represent his SHARE and try to divide it
| fairly in the interest of all, from the hands
on the cotton field to the last man who had
| ANYTHING to do with its production and final
location in your house,-and you could more
| easily disentanglc the threads of which it is
| woven than unravel that combination of Ia
| Dor both of muscle and mind in its produc-
| ton. What omniscience shall determine the
fair share of each in the product of the grand
| totality of human labor? Economies does
not undertake an impossible task. 1t sim
ply throws all alike back upon the rough
Justice of human averages, and opportunities
each mans portion in general terms OF sup
ply and demand,
Look again at the same intricate problem
from the moral point of view. Is there any
moral law of profits easy to be applied and
always fairs Many high-minded
man would rejoice if he could
find in his home such law.
But who can devise hard and fast rule fol
the determination of his rightful interest in
every business transaction. l have searched
the writings of many socialists, and have
found not one shadow even of ray of candle
light in them upon this question. Simple
equalization would be simple injustice. You
can reduce wheat-feld to a dead level by
| cutting down all the wheat; Gods living
| chemistry gives to each sheaf its own size and
| height. No hard and fast rule, say, can be
formulated; but general principle, | think
may be used by us all as guide. L would
venture to PROFOUND the following, not as a
rule, but a regulative principle of all hui
| man labor: Every man according to his
| means should be producer, and the ratio OF
his production above his consumption should
increase directly with the increase of his
means above the average level of human
| production. Understand by the word means
all power of work in it's largest sense,
| health, brains, muscle, capital-and by the
| word producing understand all that makes
| directs and diffuses good, and the maxim Is
of universal validity. For example, the
average rate of production of wealth in the
United States is estimated to be about
fifty cents per day for each person. If man
| receives one dollar, ten dollars, a hundred,
| thousand dollars income per day, his pro
| ductive obligation, his ratio of responsibility
and service to the whole, rises morally direct
| ly in that proportion. Whether rich or poor,
| if he does not use his means productivity IL
| due proportion, he is morally on the wrong
| side, we justly call him miserly. So much
| for our fair share in the products. You will
| find this principle in its simplest form in
| Christ's parable of the talents. Let us next
| seek to locate the evil in the general COM
| plant of conflict between labor and capital.
| In order that we may not be lost in general
| ties, let LIE put the subject before you in q
4 single concrete instance [ shall seek accord
| ingly to determine what, if any, conflict there
| is between labor and capital in single loaf
| of bread. 1 shall search for the percentage
| of social wrong in the history of loaf of
| bread. The example is fairly chosen, for if our
| present industrial system of production and
| distribution breaks down badly in the case
of loaf of bread, it breaks down at vital
| point.
| Mr. Edward Atkinson has shown that this
| modern miracle has been wrought. Wheat
| enough to make thousand barrels of
| -four can be raised in Dakota, milled, laid
| down in New York, converted into bread
enough for the annual ration of 1000 PEG
| pie, baked and served, all at the equivalent
| of tho annual labor of seven men; "seven
persons serve one thousand with bread. p"
What has wrought this modern miracle?
What did it? If according to the anarchist 3
scheme every town or commune between
New York and the wheat fields Of Dakota
owned each it's mile or two of railway, the
| wheat would be cheaper for fre-wood than
| for bread in New York. What has wrought
| this great thing for us alll l do not ask
who did it, for my argument is not to be
preiudiced by the mention of name-but
| what has done it, Plainly enough capital;
vet not capital of itself. The accumulated
| savings of u country might have been en-
| ployed, might have been left to rot in paper
money. What is the money, OF capital, re
Gently taken by frightened people from our
| savings bank doing now for the general pro-
ductiveness! Not capital of itself, then, but
capital inassed like the troops of an army for
| a purpose, capital intelligently used for a
great end, has wrought this modern miracle.
In the "Saint's Tragedy story of the mid
die ages, mob is represented gathered
| around the gateway of castle, and crying,
Bread, bread, give us bread; We perish"
A merchant appears with mules laden with
corn. But "the scoundrel wants three times
its value" He says:
Not penny less
bought it on speculation must live
get my bread by buying corn that's cheap,
And selling where tits dearest. Mass, you need it,
And you must pay according to your need"
The existence, then, of capital as power
| which may be used for larger distribution of
wheat is not the evil we are looking for; We
should clearly gain nothing by going back
| to the merchants mules. But do the mer-
chants extortions remain, and are. they null
| tiplied by the increase of power of capital. in
1 the exchange of locomotives for muless
How much extortion, then, ask, is ordina-
rily to be found in modern loaf of bread?
| How large slice must we> cut off to repre-
| sent unjust profits, or economic waste?
Mr.. Atkinson has analyzed the cost of bread
in all stages of the process from the wheat
field of Dakota to the consumer in New
York. The profit of railway transpor-
| tation on each pound of bread is
| $1,000 of cent. The cost of local produc-
| ton and distribution, the share of small
bakeries and grocer's wagons in that loaf
| exceeds the cost of transportation from
Dakota to New York Observe I do not