New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-01-15

for most of the product aud at the same time inc
prices of all that we have to buy are great deal
lower than they would be but for the defensive sys
tenn which enables us to supply such wants manly
by home in Iustries. Hence the author says
Now It was never true that any particular farrer
in the United States In connection win all tue
otherf aruers could get more iron for MS wneat
in England than at home 1t was never truo tnaO
any particular labOriDg man who has eaineu ~
dollar. nv rendering services to -S feiiuW-cIIi-
zens here in connection with all the other IKE
laborers, could get abroad for one dollar wnaV cosV
two here.
In the twelfth chapter the question Of cost OF pro-
duction and rate of wages is taken up in the iigDt
of Professor Cairnes's criticism of Mr.. Wells IL Is
shown that the professor in claiming that IN the
limited States a 9hiph rate of wages" proved that
the cost of production" was low, in fact Jug
cling with the words cost OF produc-
ton" sometimes meaning the money price
Of labor. and sometimes meaning the
sacrifice the physical edort to produce a gwen
commodity. The Illinois farmer. on the rich land
which with the consent of tic Government nc has
been allowed for reasons touching the general wei
fare to appropriate, can raise great crop OF grain
with comparatively small amount of labor. But
in order to secure him fair return, or indeed any
rcturu-t all for his labor in money or in other pro-
dncts. il is inevitable that he must share this adj
vantage with others that there may be built up
here industries to supply his wants By thus shar-
ing with Others the benefits drawn from rich SOIL
he secures high rate OF wages Tor himself anu
high rate of wages for Others also.
As n decisive test the case Of Australia is pre-
sented The production of gold was there so easy
that for time the country could not afford TO carry
on any other business, and bought nearly every
thing productible with tie gold from It's mines just
as the freo-tradcTs would have the people of this
country buy nearly everything producibe with
Al, al beir f,ru, he rpau IL
was relatively cheap. and everything else 80 dear
that the producers Of the gold gained practically
nothing by its low cost Of production. But III time
theindustries Of the colouy developed; to the dis
gust of British professors by the aid OF protective
duties Professor Cairnes admits that tho dlyerSih-
cation resulted in general prosperity almost uneX-
ampled. and says:
Tine result has been that, from being large I'M
porter of breadstutis butter beer boots ana shoes,
provisions spirits etc, Victoria mas either 1lscoh-
tiuued altogether. OF greatly crthilcd hef lnpola-
tion of all these commodities. which she now
nroduces from her own internal resources. Is this
course of Development for tho advantage OF
Victoria Plainly. THINK. # we have regard OF
her general interests sOcil ana political ~ Wen ~
uecuuiary, We must answer i'll the Affirmative"
This the author rightly considers a surrender of
the whole question regarding protection IN TINS
country. In his next chapter he presents strong
and novel argument based upon Bastiats chapter
on competition. The French author had shown
that through free exchange the gratuues of nature
to each natiDl became the common property OF all
nations. The author traces the application ~ TINS
prncit 10 TO the gratuitics of nature in the rich
farms of the United States. and shows that If this
country should roly upon the products of those
industries which the Professors call most profit
able" it would DO in fact exporting the gratuities
of nature and surrcnderns thcm to be shared by
all mankind. while dragging down the producers III
this country TO the level of aborcrs in other lands
srhc American farmers are asked to work upon
competition among themselves 50 intense as to COM
pei them to export all their gratuities.' Cheap
ness is "a fetch which will cheat its worshippers Ii
has no more efficacy than the cucumbcr which the
Congo African carries about with him as hs god.
1t is idle to offer man an article at low price,
he has LOthnG 10 buy it with.
In the later chaptsrs the author discusses the
question OF wages and the cause of relatively high
wares in this country. the question Of rent rs dis
tnguished from the gains derived by prO2rietO's OF
the land and the just sentiment OF patriotism
which binds the people together as politial ana
industrial unity and enables them to render To each
other regardless Of compensation, services Of price
less importance. The necessity OF distinct indus
tcial system with its defensive laws 10 maintain
industrial unty. is strongly illustrated by reference
to the position and necessities 81 Germany and
France. Drop all consider atoms Of patriotism
economic forces alone. and grant there would be
no economic reason for any core .pohdence of the
industrial and political entities in ;ho case Of these
two nations. Bat then. there might be no
economic reason FOR the existence OF Germany or
France Finally the splendid industrial results
achieved in this country are reviewed. with the
moral and educational advantage secured by tho
defensive syslcm AMI the high average rate of
wages. II is urged that every commodity made
by the average American workman, for consunp-
ton in the average American household. Is rs cheap
IN money price az anywhere else IN the world and
the marvellous reduction OF prices through home
competition is illustrated by many examples. Bnt
if were not so the incstimablc benefits derived by
maintaining high standard of reward for labor
would oyerbalancc all Disadvantages:
There is no end Of praise for the cheap and
nasty" products Of foreign shops. man vino con |
Times to sit on the top rail OF leisure IN the
Sleepy IIo'lOH of Chcapness and takes no note OF
this grand conflict between human forces and !
physical conditions on the plains above, IS an
economic mot. lie misconceNe' the real scope OF
the problem of human society.
1t is not much to say that this is n most creditable
and highly interesting book 1t is all that, and
morcl thoroughly good hook. Good-humored |
always. as only men consciously strong in mind aud |
in cause afford to be- running over with rollick
ing himOr. and Astounding in illustrations which |
are full of point, il is At the same time remarkable
as a review of almost all economic literature, and
in the keen ard quick pie!iension shown OF the
positions of hundreds OF writer's, famous I'M |
known to fame, friendly or hostile It's reasoning
is ndisputably strong. Its fault is q lack of meth
odcal arrangement and order. which springs from
the effort of the writer to conscieniously survey
all that everybody has said, and to meet each
phase of error with its instant and appropriate |
reply. Hence there is repetition and too liberal |
quotation Of writings which do not deserve to he !
perpetuated IL may be said that n trained pro- |
fessor of economy wOnld not have written such |
book. But then trained professor could not have |
written n book 50 broad aud vital in its under |
standing OF human interests and needs, aud OF the |