FALLACIES IN THE TRADES-UNIONS ARGUMENT. 361 



Tlie annual preventable loss to the farmers of the United States 

 of over $500,000,000 must serve to emphasize the advantages that 

 may be derived from the thorough and systematic study of the 

 economics of agriculture, and the pressing need of the increase 

 and wider diffusion of knowledge in the domain of applied science. 

 With clear and well-defined notions of the scope and essential 

 factors of the required work, including an extended and accurate 

 knowledge of science in its several departments, and an intimate 

 acquaintance with the details of farm practice, a well-planned 

 system of experiments, conducted with reasonable persistence and 

 skill, can not fail to give results of great practical value to every 

 farmer. 



FALLACIES IN THE TRADES-UNIONS ARGUMENT. 



By J. B. MANN. 



THE errors which prevail in relation to certain foundation 

 principles of the labor movement seem to justify an attempt 

 to illustrate the subject, in a more commonplace way than is cus- 

 tomary, by citations of such familiar incidents as meet the ordi- 

 nary experience and thought of men in the common walks of life. 

 The labor question is like any other, in respect to its dependence 

 upon laws which can not be repealed by man or overthrown by 

 organizations of classes or individuals. Everything in the world 

 is subject to laws of its kind, from which there is no escape, what- 

 ever we may wish or attempt. Labor is no exception, and we must, 

 therefore, ascertain what the laws pertaining to labor are, and 

 then conduct the discussion in the light of them. 



At the beginning, the most obvious thing concerning labor is, 

 that it is a commodity. It is a thing bought and sold, and is of 

 little value except under that condition. There is no such thing 

 as society where labor is not bought, sold, or exchanged, and we 

 can not conceive of a civilization which does not make labor a 

 commodity and treat it as such. 



The reason why another condition of things does not exist is, 

 that natural law comes in and will not permit it. Man has need 

 of very many things but he has time to acquire the skill to make 

 only a few of them. He can learn and become expert in only one 

 or two trades, and unless he is expert his trade will be of little use. 

 The carpenter who builds but one house in his lifetime can not be 

 much of an expert, especially if he has to raise his corn and pota- 

 toes, make his clothes, his tools, his household utensils, and what- 

 ever else is required while he is building the house. It would take 

 a single man so long to learn the trades necessary to supply him- 



