The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-30
SAW PARKS.
As viewed by Political como mist

To THE FDlToR OF THE SIN Sr. There
is one branch of edncation, as I has always
seemed TO me, that should be taught in our
public schools above all Other branches az
cept spelling. reading. grammar, arithmetic
and perhaps geography, and that Is political
economy. N il strange that branch 40
! vital to the welfUre OF the public aud Of the
body polite should be neglected that not
| more than one perS,n in every Thousand Ia,
| any knowledge Of il, and of the number that
! have any knowledge Of IL not more than one
person in every thous and has a clear and ser
| viceabe knowledge " it, These percentages
| are my estimates only
Sam Parks bonstsd that he would rai.s
| the wages of the tinsn,iths from s? 80 TO 81 50
| day. How many ,Arpenters brick and
| stone masons, bakers. sthbemlkers and other
| artisans who sympathize with III. sam Parks
! movement realize that if 1t should win they
must earn more money M order TO buy tho
needed articles of the insmth's producer
! And If all these artisans should strike md
! win increases in wages in proportiOn to that
gained by the tinsmiths, hOw many OF therq
| realize that their employers Mould be force1
! 20 increase the prices of the ARTICLES produced
by them and that Tie public, OF which labor
is large part, would be forced 10 pay more
! for the articles than they did before. hencr
! that they would be no better of than thov
were at the lower scales OF wages? And
yet all this Is merely elementary.
As an illustration OF the general looseness
OF thinking upon the subject OF political
economy among those high up in life thint
the following is fair sample: ! was talking
recently on the subject of labor troubles with
Il leading citizen Of north jersey. who is not
only a leading lawyer. but Democrats
politician of note who was too sane 10 follow
Bryan in 1898 and only became a leading
factor in the Jersey Democratic campaign
of 1900 in order TO be regular" He remarked
that he had long felt that la Dor was not gettnr
its fair share said Jhnt | am quite he.
lever in the old Jackson anti-pNternalisrl
idea. so ain l." he returned warmly. with
out the least intellectual way Of the rank In
consistency OF his mind.
Had clear knowledge Of political eoanomv
been instilled into the minds Of the rising
generation OF the past thirty years there
would be no Sam Parkses to-day: there
wouldn't be enough Ignorance among the
masses Of labor TO give growth and supper
10 this vicious type Of mortal The masses
of labor would know and keenly realize that
tho law Of supply and demand is the only safe
law to abide by. They would know that
artificial laws enacted in defiance OF this
natural law only tend to uusettle values.
destroy confidence and bring on panios
They would know that trusts wit NOut violence
cannot destroy competition.
Every one with grain Of s.tnsa know
that labor unions are trusts. Can any or"
name an instance In which labor Nu,' on ha'
brought about for it's members an IN cr"t>c
in wages. beyond u natural increase, through
the agency of its trust feature2 thinA not.
In every instance the unnatural increase has
been forced upon the employer by WON ne"
or threats Of violence. for this is the n ~
possible way In which a labor union q IN
choke of tho operation of the law OF supra
and demand. No more can business tr'.:S
sell its product at an eXorbitant figure. Thu
moment that business trust. after having
choked or competition, raises the price u
its product TO an unnatural figure, the law Of
supply and demand steps in and vetoes til"
scheme, For capital is sleeplcssly on the
alert for investment, and the moment tht
trust article is held 80 high that there -
good profit in il, that moment capital enters
the field to compete for the good profit
These things are all elementary and can
be taught clearly to a child of tender years
Labor Is its own worst enemy. In times
of prosperity, Notwithstanding all thc inv
proved machinery of the day, there Is ample
work for labor, and none that is worthy need
go idle or hungry and naked EnLighIen-
ment is the greatest need of labor
NEW YORK, Aug. IS l. II 4.