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。