第3章
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  ThisIdeny。Thenineteenlaborershavetheirindustriousfacultiesleft,withthesamestrength,thesamecapacities,thesamemeansoflaborasbefore。Themilldoesnotcompelthemtoremainunemployed,butonlytoseekanotheroccupation。Manycircumstancesoccasionasimilarinconveniencewithoutcarryingwiththemthesameremedy。

  Afashionoutofuse,awarwhichblocksupavent,acommercewhichchangesitscourse,doahundredtimesmoreinjurytothelaboringclassesthananynewinventionwhatever。

  Isupposethatitwillbesaidandinsistedon,thatthenineteenvacantlaborers,supposingeventheyimmediatelyfindcapitalstosetthemtoworkatafreshbusiness,couldnotselltheirproductionbecausethemassofproductionofsocietywouldbetherebyincreased,butnottheamountoftheirincome。Ithasthenbeenforgottenthattheincomesofsocietyareincreasedbytheveryfactoftheproductionofthenineteennewlaborers。

  Thesalaryfortheirlaboristheincomewhichenablesthemtoacquiretheproduceoftheirlabor,ortoexchangeitagainstanyotherequivalentproduction:thisissufficientlyestablishedinmyprecedingletters。

  Nothingthereforeremains,strictlyspeaking,buttheinconvenienceofbeingobligedtochangetheoccupation。Nowtheprogresswhichismadeinonekindinparticular,isbeneficialtoindustryingeneral。Theincreaseofincome,whichresultstosocietyfromasavinginexpences,iscarriedtowardsotherarticles。Asingleoccupationisinterdictedtonineteenmenwho,tillthen,poundedgrain,andahundredfreshoccupations,orahundredextensionsofoldoccupations,havebeenopenedtothem。Idesirenootherproofofthisthantheincreasewhichhastakenplaceinthelaborandpopulation,ineveryplacewheretheartshavebeenimproved。Theconstanthabitweareinofseeingtheproductionsofnewartscausesustodisregardthem,buthowwouldtheystrikeourancestors,iftheycouldagaincomeamongstus!Letuspicturetoourselvesforamomentsomeofthemostenlightenedamongstthem,suchasPlinyorArchimedes,comingtowalkroundoneofourmoderncities;theywouldfancythemselvessurroundedbymiracles。

  Theabundanceofourcrystalsandglasses,thegreatquantityofourlargemirrors,ourdocks,watches,embroidery,ironbridges,warlikeinstruments,andships,wouldastonishthembeyondallconception。Andiftheyweretogointoourwork—shops,whatamultiplicityofoccupationswouldtheyseeofwhichtheycouldnothavethesmallestconception。WouldtheyevenbelievethatthirtythousandmenwerenightlyemployedinEuropeinprintingnewspapers,whicharereadeverymorningoverthebreakfast—tablewhilsttakingtea,coffee,chocolate,orotherfood,quiteasnewtothemasthepapersthemselves?Donotletusdoubt,Sir,thatiftheartsstillimprove,asIflattermyselftheywill,thatis,thattheywillproducemoreatlessexpence,freshmillionsofmeninthecourseofafewageswillproduceobjects,whichwouldexciteinourminds,couldweseethem,asurpriseequaltothatwhichthegreatArchimedesandPlinywouldexperiencecouldtheyrevisitus。Letustakecare,wewhoscribbleinsearchoftruth,ifourwritingsdescendtoposterity,thattheapprehensionwithwhichthoseimprovementsinspireus(butwhichtheywillthenhavefarsurpassed)

  donotappearridiculous。Andastotheworkmenofyourcountry,atoncesoableandsowretched,ourdescendantsmaywelllookuponthemasmenwhowerecompelledtogettheirlivingbydancingontherope,withaweightattachedtotheirfeet。Theywillreadinhistory,thatinorderthatthesemenmightcontinuetheirdance,somefreshplanwasdailysuggestedtothem,indeedeveryplanexcepttheveryonewhichwouldhavebeenefficacious,viz。thatoftakingofftheweight:thenourdescendantsafterhavingderidedusmightverywellconcludethewholebypityingus。

  Ihavesaidthatausefulimprovementmaybeattendedwithtemporaryinconvenience;fortunatelythoseinconvenienceswhichareoccasionedbyexpeditiousprocesses,aremitigatedbysomecircumstanceswhichhavebeenalreadynoticed,andbyothersofwhichnomentionhasbeenmade。Ithasbeensaid(andyouyourself,Sir,lookuponthiscircumstanceascapableofoverbalancingtheinconvenience)thatthelowpricewhichresultsfromaneconomicalprocessfavorstheconsumptionofthearticletosogreatadegree,thatthesameproductionemploysmorepeoplethanbefore;ashasbeenremarkedinspinningandweavingcotton。Ishalladdthat,asmachineryandexpeditiousmeansincrease,itwillbemoredifficulttodiscoverfreshones,particularlyinanestablishedartinwhichworkmenarealreadyinitiated。Themostsimplemachinesappearedfirst,afterwardscamethemorecomplicated:theycostmoretoerect,andrequiremoreworkmentomanoeuvrethem,whichpartlyrecompensesthatclassfortheoccupationtheyhavelostintheadoptionofthenewprocess。Thecomplexityandcostlinessofamachineareobstaclestoitstoopromptadoption……Theclothshearingmachinebymeansofaturningmotion,costintheoriginfrom25to30

  thousandfrancs……Manymanufacturerscannotinthefirstinstancelayoutsuchasum,othersconsiderandreconsiderbeforetheybuyit,andawaitforadecidedproofofitssuccess。Thistardinessintheintroductionofnewmachinesnearlypreventsalltheinconveniencesattendingthem。

  Infact,Iconfesstoyou,thatinpracticeIhavealwaysseennewmachinesoccasionmorefearofharm,thanharmitself。Astothegood,itissureandlasting。

  M。deSismondiopposesafactthatoccurred,inwhichahundredthousandstocking—knitterswiththeirneedles,andathousandworkmenprovidedwithframes,eachmanufacturedtenthousandpairofstockings。Theresultwas,thatinthelattercasetheconsumersofstockingsonlysaved50centimesperpair,andstillamanufactorywhichusedtoemployahundredthousandwork—people,nowonlyemployedtwelvehundred。Butheonlycomestothisconclusionbysuppositionswhicharenotadmissible。

  Toprovethatconsumersobtainedthestockingsonly50centimesless,hesupposesthatthecostofproductionwouldbe,inthefirstcase,asfollows:

  10millions,forthepurchaseofthematerial。

  40millions,wagestoahundredthousandwork—people,at400francseach。

  Total50millions,40ofwhichpaidtothework—people。

  Andinthesecondease,hesupposesthecostasfollows:

  10millions,forthematerial。

  30millions,forinterestoffixedcapitalandenterpriser’sprofits。

  2millions,forinterestofcirculatingcapital。

  2millions,forrepairsandnewmachines。

  1million,wagesof1200workmen。

  Total45millions,ofwhich1ispaidtotheworkmeninsteadof40。

  NowIseethatthisitemof30millionsforinterestoffixedcapital,andenterpriser’sprofit,takenonthesuppositionofanenterprisecapableofemployingtwelvehundredwork—people,andofyielding15percentontheircapitals,supposesacapitaloftwohundredmillions,asuppositiontrulypreposterous。

  Oneworkmancannotworkattwoframesatonce,athousandworkmenwouldthereforerequireathousandframestobeemployed。Agoodstocking—framecosts600francs,consequentlythethousandwouldcostsixhundredthousandfrancs;addtothiscapital,alikecapitalfortheotherutensils,work—shops,etc。stillweshouldonlyhaveoccasionfora。capitaloftwelvehundredthousandfrancs。Weadmitthattheinterestandtheenterpriser’sprofitonthecapitalwouldbe15percent,whichisverymoderate,foracurrentbusinesswhichproducedmorewouldsoonbycompetitionbebroughttothisrate。Admittingthis,weshallfindfortheinterestandtheenterpriser’sprofit,180thousandfrancs,insteadof30millions!

  Thesameobservationappliestothe2millionsforexpencesofkeepingandrepairingthemachines;forif,insteadofrepairingtheframes,newoneswereboughtyearly,stilltheywouldonlycost600thousandfrancs。

  Norwouldthecirculatingcapitalcost2millions,forinMr。Sismondi’shypothesis,ofwhatdoesitconsist?Oftherawmaterial,whichhequotesat10millions,andwages,whichhecalls1million,together11millions,theinterestofwhich,at5percent,is550thousandfrancs。Butasinthisbusinesstheproductionmaybecompletedandsoldwithin6months,thecapitalpaidforiftheauthorhasquotedthecapitalforthemachinescosteachtime275thousandfrancs,insteadof2millions。

  Alltheseexpencestogetherstillonlymake12,055,000francs,insteadof50millions,whichstockingsknitwiththeneedlewouldcost,accordingtoM。Sismondi。Iamfarfromthinkingthatthesavingcouldbesogreat,foriftheauthorhasquotedthecapitalforthemachinestoohigh,hehasattributedtoogreatafacilitytothem,insupposingthatbytheirmeanstwelvehundredworkmencoulddoasmuchasahundredthousand;butIsaythatifthesavinginthisproductionweresogreat,thelowpriceofstockingsoranyotherarticleofthatnaturewouldsofavortheconsumption,thatinsteadofseeingthehundredthousandwork—people,asissupposed,employed,weshouldprobablyseethenumberincreasetotwohundredthousand。

  Andiftheconsumptionofthisarticleinparticular,。didnotadmitthisexcessivemultiplicationofthesameproduction,thedemandwouldincreaseinrespecttomanyothers;forobserve,thataftertheintroductionofmachinery,thesamerevenueisstillfoundinsociety,thatis,thesamenumberofworkmen,thesameamount。ofcapital,andthesameportionofland。Nowif,insteadofdevotingoutofthismassofrevenue50millionsyearlyforstockings,itisonlynecessary,inconsequenceoftheframes,toemploy12,the38millionsremainingmaybeappliedtootherconsumptions,ifnottotheextensionofthis。

  Thisiswhatprinciplesteach,andexperienceconfirms。ThemiserysufferedbythepopulationofEngland,andwhichM。Sismondideploreswithatrulyphilanthropicfeeling,arisesfromothercauses,principallyfromthepoorlaws,and,asIhavehinted,fromaweightoftaxationwhichmakesproductiontooexpensive;somuchso,thatwhenthearticlesarefinished,agreatpartoftheconsumersdonotgetsufficienttoobtainthem,atthepricethatisobligedtobeaskedforthem。

  LETTERTHEFIFTH。

  SIR,OnreadingyourPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,thefirstobjectwhichstruckmyattentionwasthatgreatevilwhichtormentsthehumanrace,andpreventsthemfromlivingontheirproductions。Althoughintheorderofideas,adiscussiononthenatureofwealthoughttoprecedethis,inordertoassistthemindincomprehendingallthephenomenawhichrelatetoitsformationanddistribution,Ihavenotthoughtitrighttogiveitthepreference,asitappearstobemorepeculiarlyinterestingtothosewhocultivatethescienceofpoliticaleconomy,withoutanyviewofcarryingitintopractice。StillIcannotlaydownmypenwithoutgivingyoumyopiniononthishead。Ihaveyourownsanctionforsodoing,inthenoblecandorwithwhichyouinviteeverydiscussionthatmaytendtoenlightenthepublic。\"Itistobedesired,\"yousay,(page4)\"thatthosewhoarelookeduponbythepublictobecompetentjudgesshouldagreeupontheprincipalpoints。\"Theycannotbemadetooclear。

  YoucomplainofthedefinitionwhichLordLauderdalegivesofwealth,whenhesaysthat\"itiseverythingmancandesire,thatcanbeusefuloragreeabletohim,\"asbeingtoovague,andIthinkyouareveryright。

  Iamseekingthedefinitionwhichyouthinkoughttobesubstitutedforthis,andIfindthatyougivethetermwealthto\"allmaterialobjectsthatarenecessary,useful,oragreeabletoman\"(page28)。TheonlydifferenceIseebetweenthesetwodefinitionsconsistsinthewordmaterial,whichyouaddtothatofmyLordLauderdale,andInmstconfessthatthiswordappearstoometobecontrarytothetruth。

  Youwillanticipatemyreasons。Thegreatdiscoveryofpoliticaleconomy,andwhatwillrenderiteverlastinglyprecious,isthehavingshownthateverythingmaybeconvertedintowealth。Fromthattimemanhasbeenmadecapableofknowingwhatitisnecessaryforhimtodo,toattainthesehappymeansofsatisfyinghisdesires。ButasIhaveformerlyhadoccasiontoobserve,itisbeyondthepowerofmantoaddasingleatomtothemassofmatter,ofwhichtheworldiscomposed。Ifhecreateswealth,wealthisnotmatter:thereisnomedium。Bymeansofhiscapitalandhisland,mancanonlychangethecombinationofmatter,toconferutilityuponit,bututilityisanimmaterialquality。

  Thisisnotall,Sir;Ifearyourdefinitiondoesnotcontaintheessentialcharacterofwealth。Allowmetogiveafewexplanationsinsupportofmyidea。

  AdamSmithandalltheworldhaveobserved,thataglassofwater,whichisaverypreciousthingwhenwearethirsty,wasnotwealth……Itishoweveramaterialobject,itiseithernecessary,useful,oragreeabletoman。

  Itfulfilsalltheconditionsofyourdefinition,anditisnotwealth。

  Atleastnotthatwealthwhichisthesubjectofourstudy,andthatofyourbook。Whatiswantingtomakeitso?possessingvalue。

  Therearethingsindeedwhicharenaturalwealth,veryprecioustoman,butwhicharenotofthatkind。aboutwhichpoliticaleconomycanbeemployed。

  Canitincreasethem?Canitconsumethem?No,theyaresubjecttootherlaws。Aglassofwaterisunderthegovernmentofnaturallaw。Theattachmentofourfriends,andourreputationintheworld,dependuponthemorallaw,andnotonthatofpoliticaleconomy。Whattheniswealth,themainspringofthisscience?thatwhichissusceptibleofcreationanddestruction,ofmoreandofless;andthismore,thisless,whatisitagainstvalue。

  Youyourself,Sir,areobligedtoconfessitinmanyplaces。Yousay(page340,)\"Itappearstherefore,thatthewealthofanationdependspartlyonthequantityofproductionobtainedbyitslabor,(itdependsonthisaltogether,)andpartlyontheadaptationofthislabortothewantsandmeansofthepopulation,forthepurposeofgivingvaluetoitsproductions。\"Andinthefollowingpage,youarestillmorepositive。Afterhavinggonefurtherintothequestion,youadmitthat,\"itisevidentthatinthepresentstateofthings,thevalueofcommoditiesmaybeconsideredastheonlycauseoftheexistenceofwealth。\"Howcanitbethen,thatsoessentialaningredientasvalue,iswantingtoyourdefinition?

  Butthatisnotsufficient:weshouldknowbutveryimperfectlythenatureofwealth,ifwewerenotwelltodefinethiswordvalue。Inorder。

  topossessgreatwealth,isitenoughthatwevalueourpossessionsveryhigh?IfIhave,builtahousewhichIfinddelightful,andthinkitmighttoestimateitatahundredthousandfrancs,amIreallyworthahundredthousandfrancsonaccountofthishouse?Wereceiveapresentfromapersonwhoisdeartous,whichisinestimableinoureyes——doesitfollowthatthatmakesusimmenselyrich?Youcannotthinkso。Inorderforavaluetoberiches,itmustbeanadmittedvalue;notbythepossessor,butbyanotherperson……Nowwhatirresistibleproofcanbegiven,thatavalueisadmitted,ifnot,thatinordertohaveit,otherpersonsconsenttogiveinexchangeacertainquantityofotherthings,whicharevaluable。

  NotwithstandingImayhaveestimatedmyhouseatahundredthousandfrancs,whatshallIhavemadeofit,ifIcanfindnoonewhowillgivememorethanfiftythousandofthosepieceswhichwecallfrancs。Itisinfactworthnomorethanfiftythousand,itmakesmeworthnomorethanfiftythousand,orwhatevermaybeboughtforfiftythousandfrancs。

  ThusAdamSmith,(38)immediatelyafterhavingobservedthattherearetwosortsofvalues,onevalueinuse,theothervalueinexchange,completelyabandonsthefirst,andentirelyoccupieshimselfallthewaythroughhisbookwithexchangeablevalueonly。Thisiswhatyouyourselfhavedone,Sir;(39)whatMr。Ricardohasdone;whatIhavedone;whatwehavealldone:forthisreason,thatthereisnoothervalueinpoliticaleconomythanthatwhichaloneissubjecttofixedlaws;thatthataloneforms,distributes,anddestroysitselfconformablytoinvariablerules,whichmaybecomethesubjectofascientificstudy。Byanecessaryconsequence,thepriceofeacharticlebeingitsexchangeablevalueinmoney,therearenootherthancurrentpricesinpoliticaleconomy。WhatSmithcallsnaturalpriceshavenothingmorenaturalinthem,thanalltherest。Itisthecostofproduction,thepricecurrentofproductiveservices。

  IdonotpretendtodenythatyouhaveinMr。Ricardoapowerfulandrespectableauxiliary。HewasagainstyouinthequestionofVent,hecontendswithyouonthequestionofValue,butnotwithstandingmyconnexionwithhim,andthemutualesteemweentertainforeachother,Ihavenothesitatedtocombathisopinions。(40)Ourfirstinclinationforeachother,andIamboldtosayyoursandminealso,wasitnotforthesakeofthepublicgoodandoftruth?

  TheseareMr。Ricardo’swords:\"Valueisessentiallydifferentfromwealth,forvaluedoesnotdependupontheabundance(ofthethingsnecessaryoritagreeable,)butonthedifficultyorfacilityoftheirproduction。

  Themanufacturallaborofamillionofpersonswillalwaysproducethestonevalue,butnotalwaysthesamewealth。Bymoreperfectmachines,amorepractisedability,abetterdividedlabor,theopeningoffreshmarketsgivingrisetomoreadvantageousexchanges,amillionpersonsmayproducedoubleandtreblethequantityofnecessaryoragreeablethings,thantheycouldproduceinanothersocialsituation,andstilltheywouldaddnothingtothetotalvalue。’’(41)

  Thisargument,foundedonuncontestedfacts,appearsperfectlytoa~reewiththeopinionyoumaintain。Thequestionis,howthesefactsstrengtheninsteadofweakenthedoctrineofvalue,thedoctrinewhichestablishes,thatwealthconsistsinthevalueofthethingswepossess;confiningthiswordvaluetotheonlyadmittedandexchangeablevalue。

  Infactwhatisvalue,butthatqualitysusceptibleofappreciation,susceptibleofmoreorless,whichisinherentinthethingswepossess。

  Itisthequalitywhichenablesustoobtainthethingswewant,inexchangeforthethingswehave。Thisvalueisthegreater,inproportiontothequantitywhichthethingwehavecanobtainofthatwewant;forinstance,whenIhaveoccasiontochangemyhorseforwheat,ifmyhorseisworthsixhundredfrancs,Ishallreceivedoublethequantityofbushelsofwheatthanifhewereworthonlythreehundredfrancs,andatthesametimethatpartofmywealthwouldbedouble。AndasthesamereasoningmayhegenerallyappliedtoallIpossess,itfollowsthatourwealthdependsonthevalueofthethingswepossess。Thisisaconsequencethatnoonecanreasonablyrefusetoadmit。

  Youcannotonyourpartdeny,saysMr。Ricardotome,thatwearenotricher,whenwehavemoreofthenecessaryoragreeablethingstoconsume,whatevermaybetheirvalueinanothersense。ThisinfactIadmit,butisitnottohavemorethingstoconsume,havingthepowertoacquirethemingreaterquantity?Topossessmorewealthistohaveinourhandswherewithtobuyalargerquantityofusefulthings,agreaterquantityofutility,inextendingthisexpressiontoeverythingthatisnecessaryoragreeabletous。Nowthereisnothinginthisproposition,whichiscontrarytowhatistrueinthedefinitionwhichMr。Rieardoandyourselfgiveofwealth。

  Yousaythatwealthisinthequantityofnecessaryoragreeablethingswepossess。Isaysotoo,butasthesewords,quantityofnecessaryoragreeablethings,haveavagueandarbitrarymeaning,whicheannotbeadmittedinagooddefinition,Idefinethembytheirexchangeablevalue;

  thenthelimitationoftheideaofutilityisthebeingequaltoanyotherutility,whichotherpersonseonsenttogiveinexehangeforthatyoupossess;

  fromthattimethereisequation,onevaluecanbecomparedwithanotherbythemeansofathird。Asackofwheatisarichesequaltoapieceofcloth,whenonecanbeexehangedagainsttheotherforanequalnumberoferowns。Thiswillserveasabasisforcomparisons,willadmitofmeasuringanaugmentation,oradiminution——inaword,thisisthebasisofascience。

  ltrithoutthis,politicaleconomydoesnotexist。Itisthisconsiderationalonewhichhasbroughtittolight:itissoessential,thatyouinvoluntarilvdoithomage,andthereisnooneofyourargumentsinwhichitisnoteitherexpressedorunderstood;otherwise,youwouldhavecausedthesciencetorecede,insteadofenriehingitwithfreshtruths。

  AtthesametimethatyourandMr。Ricardo’sdefinitionfailsinpreeision,itfailsalsoinextent。Itdoesnotembracethewholeofwhatourwealthiscomposedof。What!ourwealtheonfinedtomaterialobjectseitherneeessaryoragreeable!Andourtalents?Whatthendoyoutakethesefor?Aretheynotproductirefunds?Dowenotderiveincomefromthem?Greaterorlessincomes,thesameaswederiveagreaterincomefromanacreofgoodlandthanfromanacreofbrambles?Iknowsomecleverartists,whohavenootherincomethanwhattheyderivefromtheirtalents,andwhoareopulent:

  accordingtoyourideatheywouldbenoricherthanameredauber。

  Youcannotdenyit,thateverythingthathasanexchangeablevaluemakespartofourriches。Theyareessentiallycomposedoftheproductivefundswepossess。Thesefundsareeitherland,capital,orpersonalfaculties。

  Ofthesefundssomearealienable,asland;othersarealienableandconsumable,ascapital;othersinalienable,andyetconsumable,astalents,whichperishwiththeirpossessor。Fromthesefundsproceedalltherevenueswhichkeepsocietyalive,andwhatappearsparadoxical,althoughperfectlytrue,alltheserevenuesareimmaterial,sincetheyarederivedfromanimmaterialqualitywhichisutility。Thedifferentutilitiesproducedbyourproductivefundsarecomparedwitheachotherbytheirvalue,whichIhavenooccasiontocallexchangeable,becauseinpoliticaleconomyIrecognizenootherthanexchangeable。

  AstothedifficultyMr。Ricardomakes,whenhesaysthat,bybetterunderstoodprocesses,athousandpersonsmayproducetwiceandthreetimesasmuchwealthwithoutproducingmorevalue,thisisnodifficulty,whenweconsider,(asweought,)productionasanexchange,inwhichtheproductiveservicesofourlabor,ourland,andcapitalaregiveninordertoobtainproductions。Bymeansoftheseproductiveservices,weacquirealltheproductionsthatareinthe。world,andthisbythebyeiswhatgivesvaluetoproductions;for,afterhavingobtainedthembvgivingvalueforthem,wecannotgivethemawayfornothing。Nowsinceourfirstpropertyistheproductivefundswepossess,ourfirstrevenuetheproductiveserviceswhichproceedfromthem,wearericherinproportionasourproductiveservicesaremorevaluable,astheyobtainintheexchangecalledproduction,agreaterorlessquantityofusefulthings。Andatthesametime,asagreaterquantityofusefulthingsandtheirlowprice,areperfectlysynonimousexpressions,theproducersarerich,whenproductionsaremoreabundantandcheaper。Isayproducersingeneral,becausecompetitioncompelsthemtogivetheirproductionsforwhattheycostthem;sothatwhenproducersofwheatorclothsucceedbyhelpofthesameproductiveservicesinproducingadoublequantityofwheatorcloth,alltheotherproducerscanpurchaseadoublequantityofwheatorclothwithalikequantityofproductiveservices,orwhatisthesamething,withtheproducetheyderivefromthem。

  Such,Sir,isthewell—connecteddoctrine,withoutwhichIdeclareittobeimpossibletoexplainthegreatestdifficultiesofpoliticaleconomy,andparticularlyhowanationcanbericher,whenitsproductionsdiminishinvalue,althoughrichesarevalue。YouseethatIamnotafraidtoreducemypretendedparadoxestotheirsimpleexpression。Istripthemnaked,andtrustthemtoyourequity,tothatofMr。Ricardo,andtothegoodsenseofthepublic。Butatthesametimereservingtomyselftherightofexplainingthem,iftheyareillunderstood,andofdefendingthemboldlyifunjustlyattacked。

  NOTES:

  1。TheTranslationofProfessorMalthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,byM。F。S。Constancie,(whotranslatedMr。Ricardo’swork)isinthepress,andwillappearinthecourseofthemonthofAugust,publishedbyJ。P。Aillaud,Bookseller,No。21,QuaiVoltaire。Itwillconsistoftwooctavovolumes,ofabout400pageseach。

  2。Sismondi’sNewPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,vol。i。337,andfollowingpages。

  3。Malthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,page354。(IquotefromtheEnglishEdition,nothavingyetseenatranslation)。

  4。TreatiseonPoliticalEconomy,orsimpleexplanationofthemannerinwhichrichesareobtained,distributedandconsumed,4thedition。Vol。ii。page5。

  5。Malthus’sPrinciplesetc。page353。

  6。WhatoftentimesmakesEnglishauthorsobscureis,thattheyconfoundbytheexampleofSmith,underthenameoflabor,theservicesrenderedbymen,bycapital,andbyland。

  7。Adomesticproducespersonalservices,which,assoonasproduced,areunproductivelyconsumedbyhismaster。Theserviceofapublicfunctionaryisalsoentirelyconsumedbythepublic,asitisproduced。Thisisthereasonwhythesedifferentservicesdonotproduceanyaugmentationofwealth。Theconsumerenjoystheseservicesbutcannotaccumulatethem。ThisisparticularlyexplainedinmyTreatiseonPoliticalEconomy,4thEd。vol。i。page124。HowMr。Malthuscouldprintpage35afterthis,isinconceivable:inwhichhesaysthat,\"theprogresswhichEuropehasmadesincethefeudaltimescannotbeexplained,ifperanalserviceisconsideredasproductiveasthelaboroftradesmenandmanufacturers。

  Itisthesamewiththeseservicesaswiththelaborofthegardenerwhohascultivatedsaladsorstrawberries。ThewealthofEuropecertainlydoesnotproceedfromthestrawberries,becausethey,likepersonalservice,areallunproductivelyconsumedastheyripen,althoughnotsoquickaspersonalservice。

  Imentionstrawberrieshere,asaproduceofveryshortduration,butitisnotbecauseaproductionisdurablethatitgivesgreaterfacilitytoaccumulation。Itisbecauseitissoconsumedastoproduceitsvalueinanotherarticle:fordurableornot。everyproductionisdevotedtoconsumption,andisnofurtherusefulthanbyitsconsumption(thisutilityconsists,eitherinsatisfyingawant,orinproducingafreshvalue)。

  Whenwebegintowriteuponpoliticaleconomy,thefirstthingtobedoneistodivestourselvesoftheideathatadurableproductionaccumulatesbetterthanaperishableone。

  8。WhattheEnglishcallWantandSupply。

  9。Fourthedition。Bk。I。ch。15。Bk。IIch。l。2。

  3and5。SeealsotheEpitomeatthoendofeachwork,particularlythewordsProductiveServices,ChargesofProduction,Revenues,Profit,Value。

  10。Malthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,page351。

  11。Afarmerwhosellsasackofwheatfor30francs,andbuysapieceofcalicofor30francs,doeshenotexchangehiswheatforthecloth?andthemanufacturerwhobuysasackofwheatfor30francs,thepriceofhispieceofcloth,doeshenotexchangehisclothforasackofwheat?

  12。ThatImaynotbeaccusedofhavingpervertedtheestimableProfessor’smeaning,byendeavouringtocompressitandrenderitclearer,Ihavethoughtitrighttoannexanexacttranslationofhiswordsinanote。

  \"Ifcommoditieswereonlytobecomparedandexchangedonewithanother,itwouldthenbetruethatiftheyincreasedinconvenientproportions,theymight,whateverwastheirincreasepreservethesamerelativevalue。

  Butifwecomparethemasweought,withthenumberandwantsofconsumers,agreatincreaseofproductionwithastationarynumberofconsumers,andwantsreducedbyparsimony,wouldofnecessityoccasionagreatfallinthevalueoftheproductionsestimatedinlabor,sothatthesameproductionwhichcoststhesamelaborasheretoforecouldnolongerpurchasethesamequantityofit。\"Page355。

  \"Itissaidthataneffectivedemandisnothingmorethantheeffectivesupplywhichisproducedofoneccmmodityinexchangeforanother。Butisthisallthatisreallynecessarytoaneffectivedemand?

  \"Althougheachofthecommoditiesmayhavecostinproducingit,thesameportionoflaborandcapital,andthattheoneisequivalenttotheother,stilltheymaybothbesoabundantasnottohecapableofpurchasingmorelaborthantheycost,oratleastbutverylittlemorethantheycost。

  Inthiscasewouldthedemandbeeffective?Certainlynot。\"ibid。

  13。AgreeablytotheEnglishexpression,Whentheydonotcommandthesamequantityoflaborasbefore。

  14。ThisdemonstrationbythebyecompletelyruinsanassertionofMr。Malthusthatalowpriceisalwaysattheexpenceofprofit,(page370)andconsequentlyruinsallthereasoningroundeduponthatbasis。ThesamedemonstrationisequallyfataltoallthatpartofMr。Ricardo’sdoctrineinwhichheflattershimselftohaveestablished,thatthecostofproduction,andnottheproportionofthesupplytothedemand,regulatesthepriceofproductions。Heidentifiesthecostofproductionswiththeproductions,whilsttheyareopposite,andtheformerarethelessinproportionasthelatteraremoreabundant。

  15。Somepersonsimaginethat,whenacapitalisemployedinanenterprise,thatportionofitwhichisdevotedtothepurchaseofthefirstmaterialsisnotemployedinthepurchaseofproductiveservices。

  Thisisanerror。Thefirstmaterialsthemselvesareaproducewhichhavenoothervaluewhichhaspreviouslybeenspreadbytheproductiveserviceswhichhavemadeaproduceandavalueofthem。Whenthefirstmaterialsareofnovaluetheyemploynopartofthecapital。Whentheymustbepaidfor,thispaymentisnootherthanthereimbursementoftheproductiveserviceswhichhavegiventhemtheirvalue。

  16。Theprofitswhichanenterprisermakesofhisenterprise,arethesalaryofthelaborandtalentshehasemployedinit。Hecarriesonthisenterprisenolongerthanthissalaryissuchthathecouldnothopeforabetterinanotherenterprise。Heisoneofthenecessaryproducers,andhisprofitsarepartofthenecessaryexpensesofproduction。

  17。ThiscaseismuchmorefrequentinFrancethaninEngland,wheretherateoftheprofitsofindustryandtheinterestofcapitalaretoolowintheordinaryoccupationsofindustryfortheformertomaintainafamily,thathasnocapital。

  18。Whatanaccumulationofproductions。WhataprodigiousventaccordingtoMr。Say,saysMr。Malthus,wouldsuchaneventopen。Thelearnedprofessortotallymistakesinthiscasethemeaningofthewordaccumulation;anaccumulationisnotanon—consumptionitisthesubstitutionofareproductiveforanunproductiveconsumption。BesidesIdidnotsaythataproducesavedwasaventopened。Isaidthataproducecreatedwasaventopenedforanotherproduce,andthatistruewhetherthevalueofitisspentunproductively,oraddedtothesavings,thatis,tothereproductiveexpenceswhichareproposedtobemade。

  19。Itmustbeadmittedthatproducesavedyearlyisasregularlyconsumedasthatwhichisexpendedyearly,butthatitisconsumedbyotherpersons。Mr。Malthus’sPrinciplesofEconomy。

  page31。

  20。\"Whentherearemorecapitalsinacountrythanarewanted,torecommendsaving,iscontrarytoeveryprincipleofPoliticalEconomy。Itislikerecommendingmarriagestoapeopledyingofhunger。\"PrinciplesdPoliticalEconomy,page495。

  21。TheprincipalobstaclestoagriculturalimprovementsinFrance,areinthefirstplacetheresidenceofrichproprietorsandlargecapitalistsinthetownsandparticularlyinanimmensecapital:

  theycannottakeaccountofamendmentsinwhichtheymightemploytheirlands:andtheycannotinspecttheemploymentofthemsothatitmaybefollowedwithacorrespondingincreaseofincome。Inthesecondplace,itwouldbeinvainthatanycantonintheheartofthecountryshoulddoubleitsproductions,foritearscarcelygetridofwhatitalreadyproduces,forwantofgoodroadsintheneighbourhoodandforwantofindustrioustownswithinreach。Industrioustownsconsumeruralproductions,andmanufactureinexchangemanufacturalproductions,whichcontaininggreatervalueinlesscompass,canbetransmittedtoagreaterdistance。ThisisthechiefobstacletotheincreaseofFrenchagriculture。Smallandnumerousnavigationcanals,roadsingoodcondition,wouldincreasethevalueofruralproductions。

  Buttoaccomplishthis。localadministrationchosenbytheinhabitants,whoseonlycareshouldbethegoodoftheneighbourhood,wouldbenecessary。

  Thepossibilityofventexists,butallthatmaybedonetobenefitbyitisnotdone。Managersintheinterestofthecentralauthorityalmostallbecomepoliticalorfinancial’agents,orwhatisstillworsepolice—agents。

  22。TravelsinFrance,vol。2,page98,Engl。

  Edition。

  23。Thissuppositionisveryadmissible,forinEnglandthreepartsofthepopulationliveintowns。andconsequentlyarenotemployedincountrylabors。Acountrythereforewhichfeeds60millioninhabitants。maybeverywellcultivateby15millioncultivators。thenumberwhichiscomputedinFranceatthepresentday。

  24。Themeanswehaveofattaining,aretheprofitswhicheveryoneobtainsfromhisindustry,hiscapital。andland。Consumers,whohaveneitherindustry,norcapital,norland,spendwhattheytakeawayfromtheprofitoftheformer。Ineveryeaseeachpersonhasanincomewhichhasalimit。andalthoughthosepersonswhohaveaverylargeincomecansacrificelargesumsofmoneyforverytriflingpleasures,stillitmaybeconceivedthedearerthepleasurethelessitissoughtafter。

  25。Ifhediminishesthequality,itisthesameasifheraisedtheprice。

  26。NewPrinciples,bookiv。chap。4。

  27。Theworkmancanonlycontinuetoworksolongashecansubsistbyhislabor;andwhenhissubsistenceistoodear,itisnotconvenienttoanyenterprisertoemployhim。Thenitmaybesaid,inPoliticalEconomy。thattheworkmannolonger。supplieshisproductivelabor,althoughheoffersitwithgreatearnestness;butthisofferisnotacceptableontheonlydurableconditionsonwhichitcanbeperformed。

  28。Mr。Ricardopretendsthatinspiteoftaxesandotherobstructions,thereisalwaysasmuchindustryascapitalemployedandthatallcapitalssavedarestillemployedbecausecapitalistswillnotlosetheinterest。Thereare,onthecontrary,manysavingsunemployedonaccountofthedifficultyinemployingthem,orbeingemployedarelostinconsequenceofbadmanagement。Besides,Mr。Ricardoiscontradictedbywhathappenedtousin1813,whenthefaultsofthegovernmentruinedallcommerce,andwheninterestofmoneyfellsolow,forwantofgoodopportunitiesofemployingit——andbywhatishappeningtousatthismomentinwhichthecapitalssleepatthebottomofthecoffersofcapitalists。

  ——TheBankofFrancealonehas223millionsinspecieinitscoffers;

  asum。morethandoubletheamountofthenotesincirculation,andsixtimesgreaterthanprudencewarrantstobekeptforcasualpayments。

  29。SeethereportuponthesituationofFrance,madein1813,bythethenMinisteroftheInterior。Hewasinterestedindisguisingthisdeclineofcommerce30。Humbolt’sEssayonNewSpain,vol。iii,page183。

  31。SeeMalthus’sEssayonPopulation,bookii,chap。11,oftheFrenchtranslation,andchap。13ofthe5thEnglishedition。

  32。MrMalthus,stillconvincedthatthereareclasseswhorenderservicetosocietysimplybyconsumingwithoutproducing,wouldconsideritamisfortuneifthewholeoragreatpartoftheEnglishnationaldebtwerepaidoff。Thiscircumstancewould,onthecontrary,inmyopinionbeveryfavorableforEngland,becausetheresultwouldbethatthestock—holder,beingpaidoff,wouldobtainsomeincomefromtheircapitals。Thatthosewhopaytaxeswouldthemselvesspendthe40millionssterlingwhichtheynowpaytothecreditorsoftheState。Thatthe40millionoftaxesbeingtakenoff,allproductionswouldbecheaper,andtheconsumptionwouldconsiderablyincrease;thatitwouldgiveworktothelaborer,inplaceofsabrecuts,whicharenowdealtouttothem;andIconfessthattheseconsequencesdonotappeartomeofanaturetoterrifythefriendsofpublicwelfare。

  33。Page498。

  34。Themanufacturedlaborswhichanewstatecanperformtothegreatest。advantage,areingeneralthoseofpreparingmatterfromitsroughstate,orinexpensivecommerce。ItisnotprobablethattheUnitedStateswilleverfurnishEuropewithcloth,buttheywillperhapsfurnishitwithmanufacturedtobacco,andrefinedsugar:andwhoknowsthattheywillnotsucceedinestablishingcottonmanufactoriesatacheaperratethanEngland?

  35。ConsiderationsonthePolicyofEntails,page14。

  36。\"Whenamachineisinvented,whichbysavingmanuallaborbringsthecommoditiestoalowerpricetheordinaryeffectisanincreaseinthedemand,sothatthetotalvalueofthequantityofcommoditiesthusmadefarexceedsthetotalformervalueofthesamecommodities;

  wherebythenumberofworkmenemployedinthemanufactureisincreasedratherthandiminished。\"Malthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,page402。

  \"Butwemustadmitthattheprincipaladvantagearisingfromthesubstitutionofmachinesformanuallabor。dependsupontheextentofthesale。andtheencouragementwhichresultsfromitforconsumption,andthatwithoutthistheadvantageofthissubstitutionisallbutlost。\"Page412。

  37。NewPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,vol。2,page317。

  38。Book1。Chap。4。

  39。\"Itisthereforeevidentthatthevalueofcommodities,thatis,thesacrificeinlabororinanyotherarticlewhichpersonsconsenttomaketoobtaintheminexchange,\"etc。Malthus’PrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy。page341。EnglishEdition。

  40。SeetheNotesaddedbymetotheFrenchTranslationbyM。Constance,ofMr。Ricardo’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy。

  41。Mr。Ricardo’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,2d。EnglishEdition。chap。20。

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