Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-06-20
New HAVEN, JUNE 20, 1886.
ONCE MORE.

We have on several OCCASIONS tS-
hibited tender regard for the edi-
torial writer of the Register. We
believe him to be a young man, nat
urally good, but suffering from the
superficial political economy taught
at the concern on College street mot
the one on the corner of Wall street,
however. That there is reason for
friendly anxiety for his welfare as Il
public monitor, will appear from the
following production which was
printed in IA recent number of the
Register.
Nothing is more common az set
phrase among incompetent takers and
debaters on the labor question than the
expression that the product Of labor be
longs to labor. Ii Is important that this
sentence should be thoroughly understood
by every one, but by none more fully
than by the laboring classes whose misin-
depreciation Of its meaning leads to a Sc
rious misunderstanding of the laborprob-
lem and, perhaps. to the ill-advsed per-
Torrance of reckless deeds In one sense
the epigrammatic sentence is full of truth
while in another it il an approval of
theft. In SO far as the product of labor
represents specific amount of manual
labor performed, for which wages We're
earned and paid, that product belongs to
labor. But when the product referred
to is the article itself or the market price
which represents it, or the money which
it brings. that article is not the rightful
property of labor, nor has labor any right
to claim it. To claim ii and appropriate
il in to gain by theft that which by the
laws of exchange belongs to another.
The product which belongs to labor is
the wages it earns; the article produced
it gave to the wage-payer in return for
the wages received, Labor loses it,
claim to what it shows the capacity tc
produce the second it accepts money fol
work performed Only by making an
article and selling it directly, estimating
the price it brings ~ wages, can there b,
truth in the saying that the product OF
labor belongs to labor, Wehave thought
it necessary to say this much in view OF
the erroneous impression that has beer
received by many from the i'll considered
treatment it has received from takers
who, as we have said, have little or n,
comprehension of what they are talking
about. The acceptance of wages, as an
act by Itself, takes away from labor the
right to claim its product as its own
property
Be generous, gentle reader; let not
your superior knowledge make You
proud. Consider the deception prac.
ticed upon the young writer by the
concern on College street. He had,
or his guardians had, Il right to sup,
pose that correct ideas would be in.
culcated there; and the teachings OF
the political economists employed Il
shape the youthful minds entrusted
to their care were no doubt accepted
as beyond all cavil. And if thes,
teachers were convinced that it was
their duty to uphold the existing
social order even at the cost of warp.
ing the naturally honest minds oil
the youth placed under them at 1
time Of life when their minds were
susceptible and pliable, We may look
upon them with charity. even Will,
we denounce their teachings as pre-
posterous.
That the product of Labor belong
to Labor; or, that that which Labo
produces should be credited to La