﻿Caeruthees, 
  — 
  On 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Terms 
  used 
  in 
  Political 
  Economy. 
  25 
  

  

  nor 
  more 
  likely 
  than 
  others 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  -wide 
  view 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  interests. 
  

   They 
  do 
  not 
  try 
  to 
  get 
  more 
  profit 
  out 
  of 
  then- 
  steam-engines 
  by 
  stinting 
  

   the 
  supply 
  of 
  coal, 
  or 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  horses 
  or 
  cattle 
  by 
  stinting 
  their 
  food, 
  

   but 
  they 
  will, 
  if 
  they 
  can, 
  reduce 
  wages 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  labourer 
  can 
  

   barely 
  hve 
  and 
  work. 
  They 
  forget 
  that 
  a 
  real 
  and 
  active 
  desii-e 
  that 
  wealth 
  

   shall 
  be 
  produced 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  requisites 
  of 
  production, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  entertained 
  by 
  a 
  sphitless, 
  hopeless 
  drudge, 
  who 
  by 
  hard 
  and 
  

   continuous 
  labour 
  can 
  scarcely 
  live 
  better 
  than 
  the 
  paupers 
  in 
  the 
  work- 
  

   house, 
  into 
  whose 
  ranks 
  he 
  must 
  fall 
  as 
  soon 
  as, 
  broken 
  down 
  with 
  rheu- 
  

   matism 
  and 
  other 
  ailings 
  brought 
  on 
  by 
  insufficient 
  food 
  and 
  shelter, 
  the 
  

   few 
  best 
  years 
  of 
  his 
  wretched 
  youth 
  are 
  passed. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  wages 
  fund 
  does 
  not 
  depend 
  on 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  labour, 
  but 
  on 
  

   the 
  competition 
  between 
  capitalists, 
  and 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  whether 
  wages 
  

   are 
  high 
  or 
  low. 
  The 
  rate 
  of 
  wages 
  depends 
  on 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  work- 
  

   men 
  who 
  share 
  the 
  wages 
  fund. 
  Where 
  the 
  community 
  is 
  divided 
  into 
  

   capitahsts 
  and 
  labourers, 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  scarcely 
  any 
  inducement 
  to 
  keep 
  

   down 
  then- 
  numbers, 
  or 
  rather, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  apparent 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   capitalists, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  fitted 
  by 
  education 
  or 
  habits 
  of 
  thought 
  to 
  

   exercise 
  self-restraint 
  when 
  the 
  reward 
  is 
  distant 
  and 
  not 
  very 
  obvious. 
  

   They, 
  therefore, 
  tend 
  to 
  multiply 
  until 
  the 
  wages 
  fund 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  the 
  bare 
  necessaries 
  of 
  life. 
  If 
  the 
  capitalists 
  avail 
  

   themselves 
  of 
  the 
  competition 
  of 
  the 
  labourers 
  against 
  one 
  another, 
  they 
  

   may 
  pay 
  then* 
  workmen 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  is 
  just 
  sufficient 
  to 
  keep 
  body 
  and 
  

   soul 
  together. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  then* 
  real 
  interest 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  ; 
  by 
  doubling 
  wages 
  

   they 
  would 
  induce 
  the 
  men 
  to 
  work 
  so 
  much 
  better, 
  that 
  the 
  produce 
  would 
  

   be 
  increased 
  in 
  a 
  still 
  higher 
  ratio. 
  They 
  should, 
  even 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  interest, 
  

   refuse 
  to 
  pay 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  certain 
  hberal 
  rate 
  ; 
  the 
  wages 
  fund 
  would 
  then 
  

   maintain 
  only 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  labourers, 
  and 
  an 
  efficient 
  

   check 
  would 
  be 
  at 
  once 
  placed 
  on 
  undue 
  increase 
  of 
  population. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  a 
  right 
  to 
  expect 
  more 
  from 
  capitalists 
  in 
  return 
  for 
  the 
  

   immense 
  privileges 
  we 
  grant 
  them, 
  than 
  a 
  simple 
  acquiescence 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  

   which 
  events 
  are 
  taking. 
  If 
  they 
  cannot 
  prevent 
  a 
  country 
  from 
  falling 
  

   into 
  the 
  state 
  into 
  which 
  Ireland 
  fell, 
  or 
  even 
  into 
  that 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  south- 
  

   west 
  of 
  England 
  now 
  is, 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  no 
  use, 
  and 
  the 
  sooner 
  they 
  are 
  

   abolished 
  the 
  better. 
  

  

  No 
  other 
  servants 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  which 
  capitalists 
  simply 
  are, 
  would 
  be 
  

   tolerated 
  who 
  were 
  so 
  highly 
  paid, 
  and 
  who 
  i^erformed 
  their 
  work 
  so 
  badly. 
  

   We 
  leave 
  in 
  then- 
  hands 
  the 
  absolute 
  disposal 
  of 
  the 
  labour 
  of 
  the 
  com- 
  

   munity, 
  and 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  wealth 
  produced 
  by 
  that 
  labour 
  ; 
  we 
  

  

  