216 LAND AND LABOR. 



of doubt by the careful student of economic laws, that 

 it is by labor only, and not by gold or by silver, that 

 all wealth is created, does not at this time appear to 

 be generally recognized. On the contrary, among our 

 most popular economists, and with the mass of manu- 

 facturers and producers, the effort appears, as by com- 

 mon consent, to be directed to the creation of wealth 

 by means of mechanical tools and forces, without the 

 use of labor manual labor be it always understood 

 or by the use of the smallest possible amount, and 

 at the least possible compensation. With what suc- 

 cess, and with what effect upon society, the universal 

 industrial and business distress clearly show. 



The experience of the world invariably proves that 

 whenever and wherever the people have been most 

 generally employed, and best compensated, then and 

 there has society been most prosperous, and increase 

 of wealth and all moral and material development the 

 most rapid. But that, on the other hand, whenever 

 the people have been least employed, and the lowest 

 wages received, then and there has society made the 

 least progress, and endured the greatest distress. 

 That whenever any nation or people has been suffer- 

 ing great distress, with stagnation and disaster in all 

 business, the bringing of the masses into general em- 

 ployment, with good wages, have always had the im- 

 mediate effect of restoring prosperity to every interest, 

 and giving life and activity to every development. 



In the history of our own people we have had two 

 demonstrations of the truth of these propositions ; one 

 of them the most remarkable within the history of 

 man. Previous to 1861 there had been gradually 



