AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



the commercial system has been challenged, and 

 there is doubtless a chance for improvement in 

 this regard. To illustrate the way in which this 

 injustice may arise, let us suppose that a given 

 farmer puts forth a given amount of labor and 

 capital in the production of goods which he sells 

 upon the market for one hundred dollars; and 

 suppose also that when this money is invested in 

 the various articles which he wishes to consume 

 the farmer finds that the commodities which he 

 is taking home in return for the products of his 

 farm, were the product of much less, say twenty 

 per cent, less, labor and capital than the amount 

 which he expended upon the commodities which 

 he took to the market, and that this difference is 

 due to the fact that some men have a power of 

 absorbing much of the profits of labor by simply 

 manipulating values without adding anything to 

 the usefulness of commodities. Certainly if such 

 a condition existed it would be an injustice to the 

 farmer even though the articles which he received 

 in this way would satisfy many more wants and 

 satisfy those more completely than he could hope 

 to satisfy them if he tried to produce for himself 

 every article which he consumes. 



It has been alleged that there are men who do 

 no work, but simply sit at certain points where 

 exchanges are made and demand that their bas- 

 kets be filled. 1 To avoid this alleged injustice in 



1 Wilbur Aldrich, Farming Corporations, p. 169. 

 42 



