Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1889-01-26


means Of production) also control the
land. The property required to afford
suitable places in which to carry on
manufactures is also owned by this same
class-maybe not by the one man, but
obviously not by the laborer. The ma
chinery used in production is also under
the same control, possessed by the mi
nority, the profits of which 90 to the
owners, while the majority own and
control nothing but their brains and
muscle. A free contract must be one
giving no unfair advantage to either of
of the contracting parties; there must be
no undue power possessed by either.
Yet here is a case in which one side pos
sesses all the power, the other none. The
worker must live; to live he needs food,
clothing, shelter to obtain these he
must work. But the means of earning
necessities are not under his control;
evidently, then, he must pay the tax
demanded by the owner to enable him
to earn the means to obtain necessities.
This cannot then be partnerships but it
is slavery and nothing but absolute bond
age of labor; labor is forced to receive
the amount granted by the power con-
trolling it.
But the price Of labor is not yet de-
termned by supply and demand of the
same. Thirty years ago the wages paid
to an average mechanic were $72400
per annum; in 1885, they were $4,000,
now there is increased facility of pro-
duction, while the amount of produce
ton proportionate to the workers en-
plOyed is averaged at 30 per cent. more,
with decreased force of involved % per
cent. per capita. Evidently, then, there
has been a supply of commodities pro-
duCed in accordance with the demand of
a constantly increasing population and
the means of obtaining that supply
opportunity to labor-has been lessened.
Does it not follow that, having large
supply of unemployed labor, the capital
list can force the price of labor to any
amount unless in some particular cases
requiring especial skill? Subsistence is
the standard of return to labor; evident
ly not the value of labor employed, evil
IDENTITY not the labor value of the man.
Evidently the ratio due to partnership
is not taken into consideration. A legit-
innate share of profits could only be that
value produced by him to whom the
profits are given.
Here is an example: the census of ten
years ago showed that for nine princi-
pal cities in the Union the aggregate
value of manufactures was $1,61G,OO0,-
QUO, while the wages paid were but
S299,240652. A little less than Is per
cent. Here, as the Irib1me says, one fifth
the selling value was paid to the work
erS as compensation for their labor. 1t
is argued that the material cost 60 per
cent. of the actual selling value; that of
the remaining 40 per cent. labor obtained
Is, and that One-half of the remaining
% went in rent, taxes, insurance, etc.
Now, in the first place these latter items
are taken into consideration and a pro-,
portionate per cent. added to the selling
value to bring the price to the margin
the manufacturer is'to get-only about
10 per cent To prove this untrue, take
| the Manufacturers Rerieac for Novem-
Der, 1888. There is given a record of the
returns of eleven cotton mills in Fall
River, Mass, the aggregate profit of
which was "a per cent. upon capital in
vested, This is not the only one.
| quoted IL the ADVOCATE a few weeks
ago several large firms giving tremen.
dous dividends, But suppose that 60
per cent. of his last selling price is eaten
up by expenses; where does it 90 Is it
not taken on stock exchanges and OBJ
tanned by creating false abnormal values.
suddenly to be Counterbalanced by
! glut on the market, not for lack of con-
sumption but by reason of a body of
men controlling that market for specu
lative purposes: Prices may decrease
but the cause of the fall of prices is that
an unusual portion of the usual profits
finds its way to the Edealer, not to the
manufacturer, and the one is necessary
to the other under the present system.
Henry George, while asserting a true
principle when he maintains that labor
is not paid out by capital but from the
! products. vet insists nnon the nhvinnslx