The herald., 1896-03-08
The Labor Exchange Idea

The Labor Exchange Idea
EDITOR HERALD:-The expositor of the
labor exchange idea, in his last effort to
further elaborate the subject, and Incl
dentally to reply to my criticisms of the
institution, has either carelessly or con-
veniently neglected to answer the objec-
tions made, but instead has given us a
somewhat lengthy, although by no means
prosaic dissertation on the nature and
gresson, nevertheless in the main agree
with his remarks, but when he says II at
tackled the soundness of the labor exchange
money" there we disagree, That was not
the object of attack. What did attack
was the souudness or utility of the labor
exchange Itself, and what he 10 pleased to
term the main question, i.e., "where the
labor exchange money can be expected to
pass current" That is not the main
question. My contention WAS. that work.
ing men endeavoring to improve their con-
dition by joining labor exchanges, we're
chasing de!usive phantom; that the labor
exchange was an institution that could
offer no satisfactory solution of the labor
problem, and by labor problem, 1 mean the
conditions that are the primal cause of the
desperate struggle millions of American
citizens have to encounter to obtain
a bare subsistence, and that are
the prolific cause of the commercial and
riodic regularity, the intensity of each of
thes disastrous epochs increasing in geo.
metric ratio, until commerce has been
compelled to utter the Sigh of grief and in
Gustry to shrek the wall of despair. That,
submit, is the main question. 1t is con-
dltion and not theory. A condition that
labor exchange methods can only perpetu-
ate but never abolish.
AS to whether the labor exchange money
can be expected to pass current, can in
form the gentleman that it is much moi
likely to be currently suspected. 1 thin
there is some analogy between money that
Is current and opinions that are current;
both are sometimes spurious, but more in
jury is inflicted on humanity by bogus
opinions than by bogus money--another
proof that the money question is not q
vital one and that the 16 to reformers
are possessed of all kinds of sense except
common sense.
You say ''if we prohibit by law the use of
anything it's price will decline" Gross
mistake: grievous error. Take the state
of Maine, where mint juleps are prohibited
by law. Yet the price of aqua Vita has
not declined to any arpreciable extent. Or
take the vacant lot industry in all the
states. The use of vacant lots is prohibited
by law to the extent that if held out of use
the tax is merely nominal; but put them
to good Use by giving men employment
to build houses thereon. and Immediately
ths tax ls doubled, trebled or qIadrupled.
Thus does the law prevent tho Use of vacant
lots, and yet vacant lots do not decline in
price very much. l have read of land in
New York and Chicago that had declined
to SIS 5,OOO,O00 an acre. Again you say,
1.-THE present value or price of gold is legis-
lative and not intrinsic" Vcrily believe
it, but SO is the price of coal legislative,
and so is the price of everything of which
there is monopoly. Hence it is the part
o. wisdom and true patriotism to abolish
all monopolies.
If the present unjust and deceptive sys-
tenn of taxation were ever suitable to the
American people. it must have been wien
they were in the ox-team and The pack
mule stage of existence; that the vicious
system still obtains in this mile a minule
by the steam of a tea kettle age is monu-
mental proof that if our law makers are not
fools beyond all peradventure they are the
product of fools.
| think from the tenor of your argument
you are more than half persuaded that
labor exchange efforts are futile. My ad-
vice would be to give up all attempts at
lighting results, come and join the process
sion that is marching on the highway of
noble effort, decided and determined to
abolish the cause that has produced the re.
suits we all SO much deplore, and with
which all working men as class are 80
painfully familiar. Come, let us reason
together. If your political sins are as red
as scarlet the SINCE tax will make them as
white as snow.
JAMEL SEMPLE, Pasadena, Cal.