The record-union., 1891-07-27
asnual asalstt,n a1n,uner.
AIS OH I ELY PURE

tive of all products-money-h can OBJ
tain what he wants when he wants It.
''All men are consumers, and most tlf
not alb men are producers {more or Less;
hence the benefit of the medium-money
lis mutual and universal.
''It is obvious to me that the law of
| supply and demand is as lnt1eX1Dle as
any other natural law, and thatit always
! has controlled, and always will control,
the price of every commodity QncludIng
| labor. 1t is self-evident that when there
| is a superabundance of any commodity
the relative exchange price will be less,
and when there is a scarcity OF any neceS-
| sary or desired article the exchange price
| will be more. Mans intelligence is a
| force which has often been used, both by
need and greed, in attempts to modify
| this law. but never with any permanent
results. As the wind viii force the sur
| face water of the sea into waves. which
| will recede when it ceases to blow, so also
mems efforts may effect local temporary
/ change in normal prices, but beIleYc all
such efforts, by whatsoever spirit men
were or are actuated, have proved, and
will prove, to be pernicious, and should
| be discouraged
| "But, Tryphena," I asked, "do you
mean to tell me that you think it wrong
! for worllingmen, who depend upon their
daily labor for their daily needs, to COM
!
compensation for their services, from
their wealthy employers?"
''Certainly," she answered. "Is it not
! foolish, for one who depends wholly upon
what he produces, to stop producing any
| thing, with the hope that such stoppage
will decrease the supply and increase the
demand sufficiently to repay him for lost
time by an increase OF the price
of what he produces? Is it not
plain that whenever work is resumed,
! If the same relative amount OF labor re-
! turns to the same occupation, the same
relative values of products will recur.
| Such combinations are wrong; because
| the futility of such efforts, unless they
| can be made general, soon become ap-
parent, and then they develop into
| tyranny (of the worst sort: interference
with the liberty of others. Men are gov
erned by their necessities and their de-
sires. Is it not tyranny to tell a man
whose necessities compel him to work
| for fifty cents per day in order to procure
| for himself or family the. necessaries of
| life. that he shall not work for less than
81 per day? Would it not be wiser, if
| any interference with the natural laws of
traffic is necessary for mans happiness,
to have commissioners appointed by law
! to establish the relative exchange prices
OF all commodities?
81 will not deign to censure, very en-
phatically, the many combinations Of
men for the purpose OF acquiring wealth;
not because | approve Of their methods,
but because I believe that however selfish
| their motives may be, they cannot pos
sibly hurt the world or mankind gen.
erallv. In a civilized community con-
slant production of life'S necessaries,
comforts and luxuries is going on, as
well as constant consumption: and with
money as medium OF exchange, a sur
! plus production is possible, perhaps de-
/ c;r p11ternriSpS which make
UP what are called progress, require large
| capital, or wealth, to make them success
! ful; and these useful accumulations of
surplus labor usually fall into the hands of
those capable of employing them for the
| public good. If, as sometimes happens,
wealth falls into the hands of miser he
/ can do no harm; he has paid for what he
/ has accumulated prices which producers
were willing tor compelled by their
necessities) to take, and by not exchang-
! ing what he has for other products he
! simply places himself in the position of
poor man who has no means.
IF rich man wants a mansion for his
/ selfish use every article in its construc
ton has to be paid for, which goes to the
producer, and, when completed, it is so
/ much accumulation of surplus labor out
! of the way of other accommodations. Others
beside the owner should derive some
! pleasure from contemplation of the
| beautiful structure, and certainly its eX-
| istence cannot harm anyone.
'It rich man wants a picture or
statue to adorn his mansion, he may pay
to an artist $4,000 for either, and though
the price for the artists labor may be
enormous, compared with the prices Of
ordinary labor, no one is, or can be, in
jured by the transaction. The artist has
the $4,000, which he must exchange for
other products of labor, at prices which
producers are willing to take. If COM
PEELED by necessity to take prices which
they think too low, it amounts to the
same thing, because they certainly con-
slider it beneficial to themselves to make
the exchange, or they would not make it.
o. c., is it necessary for me to go on, and
enumerate all the uses of wealth, in
order TO convince you that there
never has been, and never can be,
any antagonism between capital and
labor? All the conflict is between
mems interests (shall 1 give it its right
name and say selfish interests. 1 know q
single word, the spirit of which, if acted
universally, would obviate all such disa-
; greements some day. | may take that
word for a text and preach you SER
mon."
l was so astounded by Tryphena's re-
marks that | couldn't think Of anything
TO refute them, so / sat mute.
OLD CRANK.
Sacramento, July 26, 1891.