The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-26
selves maintain them. Internal visili-
lance is the price OF liberty
Fixing Prices by Law.

The Central Labor Union OF Bos-
ton recently voted IN favor OF q
icgieiative commission witch should
regulate the prices OF oil food-stuffs, light
and fua,
1t would be a fine thing II we could
regulate all s,,cl, things by legislation
the money supply, the price of commodi-
ties and so on. 1t would be delightful Il
we could by legislative enactment giv
everybody plenty OF money and reduce
tho cost Of living one half. But unfor-
t,nately there are natural laws OF trade
which are higher than anyRof the laws
OF mai, and can no moro he changed
by Legislative enactment than Gun be
changed by such means the flow Of the
tides, the blowing Of the winds, tho rail-
Ing of the rains or any other natural
phenomenon.
There liz another point for the Cen
trail Labor Union Of Boston to consider
IL it be adopted as IA policy OF govern-
ncit that the prices of commodities be
regulated by law, would We not commit
ourselves Indirectly at least to the pi'in-
ciplo that the price Of labor should be
regulated by law. and that no man should
receive more thnn certain stipend for
q days work? AZ
All such proposals carried to their logi-
cal end lead Inevitably to absutdities and
absurd conclusions imply absurd prom
Uses.
1t may be mentioned in conclusion that
tho Boston Transcript recalls TO mind
III this connection that this Is the third
ttine that such proposition as that pro-
posed by the Central Labor Union has
been made. and thnt in the two previous
Instances the power to fix the prces Of
commodities was actually pla In the
hunds Of governments 4,
ut is rather curious, however" remarks
The Transcript, "thnt tho first regula-
ton of the prices Of goods in A1assac,u-
set.s wns brought about by the e&nctions
of labor, and that the colony, in 1880, de-
cided it necessary to fix q scale Of wages
of the workmen Ii, useful trades and occu-
pations whom IL had brought here IN
large numbers. 1'he next year these re-
str,atnts wore removed and the work
man and his employer were left to agree
on terms. But In 1888 wa ges were again
limited Trouble ensued, and the General
Court, finding the problem too compli-
Gated bestowed the power on the towns.
Tho pressure for labor led to higher
prices, and in 1UA1 the General Court de-
manded an abatement of wages. In 1893
tho General Court even went further and
provided what prices were to be paid for
commodities These attempts It special
legislation, however, resulted only IN trou-
BIC, and after a few years other the laws
we're repealed or they became Il dead let
ter. 55,
"For the next hundred and fifty years
the people of Boston worried along with
wages agreed upon between employer and
employees and prices Of goods fixed py
the law Of supply and demand. But In
the stormy times ofSthe Revolution with
tho deprecated currency, the pseudo
economists again resorted 70 legislation.
With the fall Of the currency, the prices
Of commodities We're enhanced to re-
'mark,,ble degree. Accordingly the act Of
tho State Against Monopoly and Fore
staIlling was passed. In 17I9 a conVen-
ton met at Concord and fixed prices. and
another was held In the same year at
Faneuil Hall, Samuel Adams presiding.
at which tho prices, both OF labor and
goods, were determined upon. BY 11So
people had come to generally ignore the
fixed list Of prices. n hundred dollars
ii, gold in August 49, 1880 being sufficient
70 purchnae $4,000 IN the continental
money On the 1911, of August 17S1 prices
Of labor and OF merchandise we're again
fixed at meeting Of the Jfreeholders
Of Boston. but they failed to stay fixed,
ana It was not until the war was over
IN Yy,irav mn hack TO normal
Surely there is no new thing under the
sun All sorts OF efforts have been made
to regulate. the universe by legislative
enactment, but nature pays no more at
tenton TO them than the angry sea paid
to p,,ffed-up commander Of old who
ordered II to be whipped into subsection.
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