The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-08-05
HOW 1T WORKS.
Our Foreign Pensioners.


merce, as presented by the statisticiar
of the Treasury Department in his
statement of imports and exports for
fiscal year ended June 30, it appears
that the working people of the United
States, besides supporting their own
plutocrats in true American style, have
contributed in .ha. year 203 million
dollars to the comfort of foreign cap
italists. To that extent was the "bal-
ance of ira lie" in our favor that is, the
excess of our exports of domestic pro-
ducts over cur imports of foreign mer-
chandise. And not only did the
people of the United States as a whole
receive nothing-not ev,n money-in
return for this value, but through
their banks they had from time to
time to ship gold to Europe. In other
words, the product OF American labor,
to the amount of over two hundred
million dollars, representing probably
not less than one hundred million days
toll, served to pay the interest. divi-
dens and other profits of foreign cap
italists on their investments in the
United States Mark that this is about
one half the cost of our own national
government on its present scale Of ex-
travagance, and 40 per cent more than
the enormous sum which we pay for
pensions.
But it may be asked, how did it come
to pass that those foreigners invested
their capital in this country, and Of
what did this capital consist? There is
hardly anything OF permanent value 10
the United Statce-such as farms, rail-
roads, houses, ships, factories, machin-
cry, etc.-which is not produced here,
by our own labor and as to those
necessaries, and even Injuries, which
we import for domestic consumption,
they are and for many years have been
less in total than the amount Ut our
exports. SO that we cannot, on this
account, be indebted abroad.
Well, they invested money-wbich
as nation We never were in need Of,
since We are producing more gold and
silver than We can use, and can print
greenbacks on very gpod paper. But
money, under capitalism, is remark
able piece Of machinery. 1t is not at
all the instrument Of exchange which
it was evidently designed to be; the
instrument which it would be under
Socialism if under that form of society
money were still deemed convenience
an instrument through which any work
err could, with the product of one days
labor, produce the product of one days
labor of another worker. It is an
instrument though which the idle cap.
italist can exchange for his own benefit
the product of one days labor of one
worker for the product of two days
labor Of another worker, and SO on
indefinitely. AS the general represen-
tative of all the various forms of private
capital, it possesses all their combined
power, and it has over them the
precious advantage Ct being more
readily transferable, since all forms Of
private capital must first he exchanged
for money, or their value computed 10
monetary units, before they can be
exchanged for each other. And il
makes no difference whether this in-
strument be made of gold, or silver, OF
paper, SO long as it does not effect its
exchapgeable power; just as the ma
terial of which the crown of King il
made is of no consequence. so long as
the crown itself conters upon its weare.
the same despotic power.
To be brief, the appearance of ad-
ditionsl money on the markets of q
country does not add one grain Of
wheat, one blade of grass, one bushel
Of coal one particle OF iron, one pound
of steam to the existing means of life
and production; but it gives to those
who possess it the power of sharing in
the ownership of those means and in
the consequent exploitation of the
workers OF that country.
And so it has come to pass that the
people Of the United States have
capitalistic pensioners abroad, 10 whom
they must pay. in products of their
labor, the annual sum of over two
hundred million dollars.-7he People.
Pretty collars and cuffs may be made
IF TrIsh loao oI. L A. 80