18 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



ties. The facilities of transportation have brought the comforts 

 of life to every man's hearth, and of course, following so great 

 increase of production, has come a corresponding increase of 

 profits to the producer on that production. Now, if with the 

 profits on the products of mechanics and manufactures by man- 

 ual labor solely, or aided by rude machinery, it required — as a 

 half century ago it did — the laborer to work from twelve to 

 fourteen hours a day to obtain the ordinary means of subsist- 

 ence, it would seem that, with this great increase of production 

 from his labor, aided by more perfect machinery, he might be 

 able to obtain the same means of comfortable subsistence, espec- 

 ially as they are cheapened by this very facility of production, 

 with at least half as many hours ; or, if working more hours, 

 he should obtain greater rewards for his industry, so as soon to 

 place him beyond the necessity of labor. But while in many 

 cases it is true that the workman has become the master-me- 

 chanic, employing others, and has thereby obtained comfort and 

 independence, and in a great measure wealth, yet it is impossi- 

 ble not to see that the condition of the mass of workmen is not 

 much advanced ; and these cases of the bettered condition of 

 the master-workmen have come, not from the improved price of 

 their own labor, but from their ability to employ and take the 

 profit of the labor of others ; while we see the dividends or re- 

 wards which the capitalist or employer has received from this 

 increase of manufacturing or mechanical production have 

 created vast fortunes and enormous aggregations of wealth. 



Hence we may infer, with logical accuracy, that there is not 

 yet a fair division of the profits of mechanical and manufactur- 

 ing labor between the capitalists and the workmen. The cap- 

 italist, as a rule, grows rich ; the workman grows only a little 

 more comfortable ; and that comfort comes because he is ena- 

 bled, from the very production of his labor, to buy some of the 

 comforts of life at less prices in comparison with the wages he 

 receives. 



Now there are two ways in which an equal division of profits 

 from the union of capital and industry can be made ; one, in 

 giving a higher price for labor, so that the workman would not 

 be obliged to be employed so long to obtain the means of a live- 

 lihood ; and the other is by shortening the hours daily which 

 he works for the same pay, to wit, the means of obtaining a 



