The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-13

Rents.

10 the Editor. The Washington Herald:
In q brief editorial on the indus
trial and economic situation in
which the nation finds itself. you
say. "There are millions Of men who
are idle and are without means Of
support. The only dispute here II
as to the number of millions. .
The banks are full of money and
the parks are full Of idle men,"
This Is indeed q strange and per-
picking state OF affairs. It Is such,
a pushing paradox that 1t natural
ly suggests the query: Why 10 II
that the two active factors In the
production of the things essential
for the qualification of all human
desires must remain in involuntary
idleness? Why is IL that money
must lie idle in bank vaults while
its owners are intensely DESTROYS of
converting II into productive CAPT.
tai to assist labor in producing the
things the people want and for
which there Is q constant and con-
tinuous demand and from lack of
which the people must undergo all
the sufferings and hardships in
volved in the words; Hard Times?"
Why Is IL that men capable and
willing to work-that is DESTROYS
Of satisfying their wonts by the ex-
ertion of their powers are not per-
mitted to do so? The spectacle Of
idle labor and idle capital while
the people want the things that
these factors are capable of ana
willing to produce 10 the perplex-
ing enigma that confronts us. and
which statesmen and political econ
. omists, journalists and philan-
, thropists seem incapable Of giving
q satisfactory answer.
The reason why there IL SO much
pushing ambiguity and confusion in
the consideration of this problem of
unemployment Is attributable to the
fact that the passive factor of pro-
duction Is overlooked. Labor is the
producer OF wealth. the creator Of
values in the sense of being the
active factor in production. For
the production OF the things essen
tial for the qualification OF indi-
vidual desires labor must have ac-
cess to natural resources, to pre-
existing materials and forces. Man
cannot produce something out Of
nothing. The whole human race,
were they to labor to inhnity. could
not create the tiniest speck that
floats In q sunbeam: could not make
this planet one grain heavier or
one grain lighter; could not in
crease or diminish by q single pull
sation the sum of the viewless
forces whose eternal circling pro-
duces all motion and sustains all
life.
In view Of these preliminary OBJ
servations isn't It manifestly evil
dent that there must be some arti-
hcial barrier standing between
labor and capital, the active factors
OF production and these natural
products and forces which they are
capable OF modifying so a. to adapt
them for the qualification OF human
desires? A brief consld grafton Of
the way In which the constant and
continuous advance of speculative
rent and Increase OF speculative
land values reduces the wages OF
labor and the earnings OF capital.
leads. ] am firmly convinced, to the
conclusion that this Is the primary
cause OF those recurring periods OF
Industrial depressions which pro-
duce as much waste and suffering
a. q world war. I do not mean to
say that there are not other con-
tributing causes. The complicated
and extensive system Of modern
production. where there 10 no longer
a distinct and separate industrial or
commercial community, but where
geographically or politically sepa-
rated communities Intervene ana
blend their Industrial organizations
In different forms and varying de-
Erses which makss each cessation
or stoppage communicate itself
through an expanding circle: tariffs
and smbargoss which rstard the ex-
change % our surpius products for
the surplus products Of other ma
tionai our tnsficient and insult
neient transportation system. un.
douhtsdly bear an important part
In producing these Industrial de-
pressions. nut both from the con-
sheraton Of principles and the OBJ
ssrvatien Of phenomena II IL evil
-. H.