The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-12-05
OVERPRODUCTION.
The Allegnti ton That 1t Causes Present
Distress.

OVERPRODUCTION.
The Allegation That 1t Causes Present
Distress.
To.the Editor:
Nautilus originated the theory that, in
the course of time. conditions would develop
through natural laws, which would necessi-
tate the destruction by violence Of large
percentage of the worlds increase Of popu-
lation, in order that the balance might
ceive enough of the products of the earth
to continue a miserable existence. Modern
society, however, has taken time by the
forelock" and brought upon itself, by arti-
fetal means. a condition which renders it
necessary for many of its members to re-
move themselves from an existence little, if
any, better than the fprseen climax of NAL
thus. While Nautilus would sentence man.
kind to starvation and nakedness by reason
of the limits to the earth's productive ca
pacity~ having been reached and passed by
the consuming capacity of man, we of today
suffer because of too great production.
Instead of the Malthusian starvation
through empty granaries, We have starva-
tion by reason of overproduction. Such, at
least. is the cry every hand; we have
produced too much, and therefore we suffer.
is there justification in reason for our con-
tinuing in this state? Let us see.
Want results from one of three causes.
First, from the failure of nature to regu-
larry perform its beneficent functions; sec
Dnd, from the improvdence or incompe-
tence of the ndividual third from the in
reference of extraneous, artificial causes,
whereby the result of the combined efforts
of nature and man is diverted from it's prop
n oh Of thnC rho11
hold responsible for the conditions that
now exist? Has nature frowned upon US?
Has she failed to give the usual response
to the advances of her children? Let the
bursting granaries answer; and let Scent
cotton give corroborative testimony. Ma
ture pleads mot guilty and human under
standing, sitting in judgment, must bring
in verdict of acquittal.
Is it the individual, then, that has been
lazy and shiftleSS? The bursting store
houses of unsold goods groan back a de-
cided negative. The cause must be sought
outside of nature and outside of man in his
individual capacity The same generation
or men have been at time prosperous
at another time plunged into poverty; and
yet nothing on the surface would indicate
any cause for the change. No devastating
war has Slapped his substance; no calamity
OF nature has destroyed the fruit of his eff
fort; but still, in spite of his own industry,
IN spite of the bountieS of nature, he sees
with wonder and alarm that the poor house
IS moving up closer and threatens to swal-
low him. He must seek, ne must find es-
cape; but where? how? BY finding the
cause and removing it. He will have plenty
of help in the way of advice. He must raise
more; he must raise less. He must not
congregate in the cities; he must not spread
himself so profusely over the land. He
must have more tariff; he must have less
tariff. He must consume less he must
create a better market. He must wear
cheaper clothes. He must get up earlier in
the morning. He must economize He must
diversity. He must not loaf about town.
He must not get into debt; he must not de-
stroy confidence. He must cultivate his in
tell1gence; he must keep out Of politics. He
must put a shed over his machinery; he
must not buy lumber to build it with. He
must read the daily papers; he must make
every minute count. He must be up with
or a little ahead of the times; he must shun
all new theories he loves his soul These
are few of the guideboards that line his
thorny path, and if he follows them they
will take him. by the shortest cut to his
destination, the grave. If, perchance an
other traveller, along the same road sug-
gests that they ignore the guide boards
and do some first instead of second hand
thinking. beware! Anarchist!
We told by the wiseacres that gov
eminent cannot legislate money into peo-
pies pockets; granted, for the sake of argu-
ment but it can legslate it out, which fact
u.s. perhaps. quite as interesting and may
combinations which have been created I'M
der and by virtue of law, holding within
their grasp the wealth which was not ere
ated either by themselves or by the law
but by the labor of the very people who
suffer for the want of wealth. are we not
justified in suspecting that government not
only can legislate money out of the peck
cts of the people, but can and
does lesisiate it into the pockets
after all, is not only one of the
factors but the principal factor in the pro-
duction of adverse conditions? Surely, such
conclusion cannot be condemned as being
''far Fetched
1t is this plain fact that has been slowly,
but is now more rapidly, working its way
through blistered feet and empty stomach
up into the brain of mankind. There it has
taken root, and there it will continue to
dwell until that brain evolves a system by
which the legislation of money out of one
pocket and into another can be forever
stopped.
1t is the knowledge of what is going on
In that brain that make the beneficiaries of
this legislative hocus-pocus restless and
so desperate 1t is with the idea and for
the purpose of distracting the attention OF
the victims from this absorbing study thai
they are impelled to pull the strings on theil
legislative and judicial jumping jacks 81
violently that double somersaults are tn,
order of the day with those erstwhile Sc
date gentry. Meanwhile the grown u,
baby, the public, Is fast losing interest il
the performance. When his attention /.
forcibly directed toward the stool pigeons
that are set up to fool him. he trounces
one and then the other with beautiful i'm
Partially. The one that happens to be
most Immediately within reach gets it
and it is a knock out every time. Then he
turns back to his own amusements. He has
dug up skeleton that has been buried
these two thousand years, nearly, and is
rehabilitating it in the image of Samson
The mere rattle of the bones has thrown
monopoly into commissions. When the breath
of life is blown into it through the ballot
box, it will be terror to evil doors. Its
name has been changed; 1t il now called
THE product to the producer" When las
on earth it bore this legend: He who will
not labor, shall not eat"
p. NJ. RINGDAL.
Crookston, Nov. "a.