368 



manufafturer is injured ; his profits, from the manufafture, become fo fmall, 

 it will not be his intered; to carry it on, and he will difcharge his workmen ; 

 if, on the other hand, the price of labour is fixed too low, and the work, 

 man is reftrained, by penalties, and punifliments, from feeking an increafe 

 of it, the labouring poor muft flarve. They will defert an employment, that 

 no longer yields them a fubfiflence. In either cafe, the manufafture is 

 ruined. Where fliall we find the golden mean, which gives, to the labour- 

 ing mechanic, fufficient fupport, for himfelf and his family, to reward his 

 induftry ; while it leaves, to the mafter manufacturer, fufficient profit to 

 his exertions ; and allows him to fupply his manufafture, on fuch reafona- 

 ble terms, as enables him to enter the foreign market with advantage ? — 

 What may be a high price of labour, in one country, * may be a very mo- 

 derate one in another. The price of labour, in agriculture, mufl fix the 

 price, to a certain degree, in every other department of manual induflry. 

 This price varies, in different counties ; and, in the fame county, may 

 vary at dilferent times of the year. The price of the neccffaries of life, the 

 population of the diftrift, a variety of other circumftances may operate, to 

 vary the true criterion of a maximum. — What, then, is to be done ? — Let 

 not the legiflature attempt to fix an uniform maximum, in an article fo va- 

 rious, and fo fluftuating in its nature. 



Labour is like every other commodity, where the wants of man are 

 compenfated by money. The want being of a necefiary, the legifla- 

 ture ftiould not interfere, to fix the price ; it fliould leave it to find 

 its ovra level. It may interfere, indeed, to keep the level free ; it may 

 prevent its being choaked up, and interrupted. The mailer flaould be 

 left, to make the bell; bargain he can, with the workman ; the work- 

 man to make the beft bargain he can, with the mafler ; but the le- 

 giflator may interfere, and, indeed, it is his duty to do fo, to prevent 

 all fraud, impofition, or oppreflion, on the one hand; all turbulence, 



combination, 



* The wages of Artificers in America, are now extravagantly high. 



