The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-01-21

SELECTED BY OLD Foev
LABOR.

AADOh.
nose who can live without I.h.
or who can labor when thew 50 Isoor,
are envied these privileges Nv etect,
less fortunate associates. This Sner
this desire for like situation, bo envy,
to war, bloodshed, riot and rn;a las led
mas been the fruitful source a. 1t
greater part of the misery and Ine
which have overtaken mankind woe
the beginning of the race, since
"ln the sweat of thy face sbaI, -.
eat bread is one of Jehovab'o suoQ
mands, and it applies to all. Tbi oG s,
demanded that all should support tb lat
bodily natures through natures 'nslr
exertion-labor. own
Labor and humanity Started
together, hand in hand, to fgbt G "
great battle of life, each depen5ar. ne
the other. At first thew wero oa
panlons, and shared each otSou G,
joys and sorrows; now it commonI5Is
1t ~coerces, in a word it is the msstas
Labor is the sole producer of wooitI
Why does not the producer Of tJ!,
wealth possess it after production , -
John Locke said: "Whoever ou,.
the land owns the people"
Garfield said: whoever cor+,.,.
the currency of the nation rules tbo
people" VIC
Land, labor and currency are tho
three controlling factors Of anv onU
eminent. Labor is dependent Snor
land and currency, therefore wbatevar
affects either is certain to be felt Nv
labor. y
Some one says we can buv mora
with a dollar than ever before, l.
that the issue? Can you paw mora
debts with the dollar than 10 or %
years ago? Will a dollar pay more
interest than 10 years ago or as much
as 80 years ago? What will the dol.
lar purchase more of? NOTHING 5n
the fruits Of someone's labor. Is that
anything to be proud of?
One common error which the world
has fallen into, and which leads to
other mistakes, is: "That money buys
products" The reverse is ALWAYS
true. Products alvay8 bugs monsu, in.
stead of money purchasing products.
What advantage is it for the
farmers of the West and North to
buy cotton cloth for 7 cents per yard
when IN consequence of the low prices
the Southern farmer gets, ali are
alike affected and you sell your wheat
for SO or go cents per busheI.
Remember that the great majority of
ideas we hear regarding money N
from the OwnerS Of money. They tell
us a dollar will buy more than ever
before, but fail to tell us how to get
the dollar.
Let me illustrate. Take a farmer
that owes $25 on his land, interest, s
per cent. A large portion of his crops
goes for living, help, etc. The balance
to pay interest and reduce the princi.
pal, if, happily, there is any balance.
If the farmer has 5 bales of
cotton at $40 per bale left
to apply to interest and principal,
or if he has $50 bushels OF waeat at
80 cents per bushel it will
pay his interest. If cotton was
$50 per bale and wheat SI.6O per
bushel he would have 5000 to apply
to reducing his Indebtedness. Sup,
posing labor and living had cost twice
as much, what he sold of his crop to
meet these expenses would have bal,
anced the expenses and the farmer
would be 5000 at least better off than
whenIOw prices prevailed.
1t takes 100 pounds of lint cotton
to pay the interest on 100 dollars
(Southern average). When cotton
sold at Is cents, SO pounds would pay
interest on the 500.
Remember that nothing IN the end Is
cheap to n producer that IS made 50 at
the loss of another producer.
Ricardo says: The iron law OF
wages is the natural price Of labor
which is necessary to enable the
laborers, one with another, TO subSlSt
and to perpetuate their race
Karl Max says: Labor is 0ougnI
at its exchange value and sold at It's
use value. The exchange value IS tine
least amount that will permit the
laborer and his family to live, while
the use value is all the employer can
squeeze out of it."
Lassalle says: "You believe, per
haps, fellow-laborers and citizens, tnS'
you are human beings, that you as
men. From the standpoint OF pon.F
cal economy you make a terrible m-S'
take. You are nothing but a oon'
modify, a high price for which IL
creases your numbers, just the SsnS
as a high price for stockings nclSo1'
the number of stockings. Your nam
bers are diminished by smaller w.
by which Matthews calls the P0'"
checks to population" 10
Labor, unlike money, cannOs
I L4e