WAGES, CAPITAL AND RICH MEN. 791 



and getting in too much philosophy all at once ; we mean that all 

 laborers in all industries shall have more wages." Very well ; raise 

 their wages — and, then, with what economical result ? A protective 

 tariff raises wages, but it raises the price of products even more ; and 

 it raises wages simply because it raises prices. Any arbitrary measure 

 which should raise wages along the whole line would so disturb the 

 prevailing equilibrium of the economic forces as to necessitate a gen- 

 eral readjustment which would leave the laborer no better off than 

 before. He would find himself paying out with one hand the benefits 

 he received with the other, and a general rise of wages, like a general 

 rise of prices, would be no rise at all. 



" We mean nothing of that sort," impatiently retorts Reformer ; 

 " how short-sighted you are ! We mean that what is thus given addi- 

 tional to labor shall come out of interest and profit." Good again ; 

 but how will that work ? We are now at the very pith of this thing. 

 To advance wages along the whole line without increase in the price 

 of products would transfer a part or all of what is called interest and 

 profit from capitalists and the operators of business to the laborers. 

 " Certainly, that is what we want in order that laborers may live with 

 dignity and comfort worthy of human beings." Just so ; no one would 

 be more pleased than myself if this could be so. But, as I was going 

 to say, if such an economic policy could be put in force, then the aggre- 

 gate of savings for the establishment of industries and the employment 

 of labor would be smaller than before, labor would be done in conse- 

 quence at an increasing disadvantage, and the penalty would fall upon 

 all classes, and would be most severely felt by the working-men. In 

 this way the remedy would defeat itself, and turn out to be worse than 

 the disease. But such an economical policy can not be put in force, 

 because there is no element in the economical domain capable of exer- 

 cising any such power. 



" Then, in the name of justice and humanity, is there any relief for 

 the working-man ? " There is and there is not. There are many con- 

 ditions which affect the reward of labor — such as the character of the 

 soil, the cost of raw materials, the capital at command, the number 

 competing for work, the facilities for exchange, and the like. With a 

 more intelligent direction of effort, with sobriety and frugality, with 

 restraint on the increase of numbers, working-men would certainly re- 

 ceive better pay, and it would do them more good. There is something 

 more wanting than the mere increase of money wages, now so gener- 

 ally sought as the one thing needful. Labor is eventually paid in 

 products which go to the support of the working-man's family, and the 

 increased expense of his goods is often greater than the increased pay 

 for his work. Wages and prices rise and fall nearly together, and they 

 do so as the effect of a common cause. The actual reward of labor is 

 thus more uniform than the money price of labor. But even here, as 

 usual, labor is at a disadvantage, because it can not be held, as goods 



