High-toned Fallacies

The American Association for the A'draaf cement of Science ma y be same pumpkins when it coimes to those ,ibstruse matter.-; iuto which the ordiiiary run of rn-en have neirher the timo nor the inelination to dig, bnt when the assoeiation comes out f rom the cover oi' tefehnicaJ ter-na aucl detprooted erniatíonfi ro mingle in the liscussion of 'opirs like social and economie science. which ar1 iiitian;i " 'y ponnected with the everyday Ufe of the pe.)])le, nul upon which the observa nou of que thoujihfül man is entttled to as mueh consideration as the observatioQ of anofher, it must appear to iinprejudieed peopJe that all of the ignorance and pircbiïnd observation on social questlons is nor nmftued to the ignoraat and unsopliistieated mass's, and that a man wlth a string of scientific titles as loog as a Populist oration may e.isily niake a eonsumnrate áss of himseff wiicü lie essays to diagnose the ills of the social body and prescribe remedies upon the strength of opinions for ned .solely in the particular social strat.i to whirh the quack. (for there are qciacks iu philosophy as well as in meaiciae) for the time beinj; belongs. It was seriously proposed by a dlstinuished meniber of the sssociation as lts recent meeting1 in Detroit, tliat production of coal should be llaiited by legi&Lation to tlu end that the operators might be enabled to pay decent wages to their emiiloycs. Let. us subject tliis proposlton to a short nnalysis. If it is competent for the lcjgislature to restrict the production of one kind of wealtl; it is competent for it. to restriet the procluctkui of all other kinds. If it is wise to restriet the production of coal in order tq eulwnce tiie pr.ice of it. it is equallv Me n restrict the produet'.o-n of v.l'.eat or beef or any of Uk maltiplieity of arijcles which aio cover. il by the term of ïvealth and contribute to the siisicn.mce. the comfort or the eujoyment of hu.manity. Go forth and aacertain the nnmicr of people who are sufferñig from a snrpJus of the luxuriea &t even oí ti-.' coiivoiiii'uccs gf Ufe and tlin teil us wbether a rest riet ion of production would bc a Messing or a curse (o liBuüanity. The raisin.u; of pricea by the restriction of production. is. howcvci-. no new discovery. It is the COliesive priliciple of evcry irusr. It i' s but one conception of "pritie" - the pric.' wliicli is the most jirefirable fco bhe trust. It has never vet inu-ed tn the profit of the laljorer or cl' the eonsumer. Prices are relative only. and con'.biu'ati'jns in any line of trade are ealeulated to secure for that line a price that is out of proportion to the priees of cotemporary trade. Lu priees thai are due to mproved methods of production are not au injury either to the worfcingiuan or to society at large. On the contrary tiiey are a Messing to mankind. They beu -il' al) to the detriment of none; they raise the standard of living and ehable all to secure more from Uic resnlts of Lheir toil. But there is anoüher fall in priees which is wideiy ('ifftrcMt iu its effect. It is the fall due to au iacrease n the purchasing power of money. A f.-rll in pricïs duo to au appreoiation of tliu srandnril by wliioh values are tn-ea sai'fcd and debts are paid is of advautage solely to tliose who deal in money. i'niïri' its blijrhting affecls the deljí r must suflei, trade Eecome urainped and iadustry falter. A'iiother proposition of equal brilUancy with the one just discussed is that puur people símil be dlscourajíd in the rearing of families on the ass;iii]iiion rhar there are too niany people in the eomrtry. Firsrt wü .ire told üaci we Ji.-ivc too much wesiltjb Cor the peopje; tien we ara told we have too many people for the wesilth. What DonscDsi. Wiiüt a blind dfsreKai'il of Uu' plainest léssona of everyd.iy life. Too ïmn-h wealth wïien a large p&rtUm of the people are pinched for those things which' our Standard oí living nukex necessities; löo n people wli en we have o'iiy seventy nvillion people on a territory that can easily supporl five hundred milüoii i i comfort and plenty. We have aeither too nuich wcalth nor too many people. Wc will bave aeither muil every one wbo is willing t: work may enjoy every comfort and convenlence, and the capacity o( our soil is laxed 10 its utmost to fnrnisti Ekmrishmeni for the population. THe rrsiriction of the praductioo of w-ealth siniply means tshai öiose who control the production wül secure a larger sli-iro in tne listribntion. The festriction of population may mean for :i. time -i larger sharc .11 ihe oral di.stribution. to labor but it m'ïans in the end a restcietion of produetton and a loss oí the benöfits pi co-operation which -will more titan absorb the temporary good wiiich might reuit to the latooring man. Folio ,v?d -- íta ultímate conclusión the depopu'.ation of the country nor ouly m -a os degeneration, bur, ii meaos thai the vi i-v privileges wiiich the wouW-be philanthropist w!io ad vances the idea wishes to sertire, the privileges of present wealth and landlorcHs'n, would, in the end be lost as the population (iwimlled away, for those proeious privileges are fonaded apon the necesslties of that very popalation. We aro poor and times are hard, net because wé have produced 100 much wealth bat because we have produeed too litrlc. We want neith : thn restrictlou oí prodmrtiön nor of populatlon. Wc have plenty oí resources froni wWeh to draw susteiiMiee anti plenty of the materials which enter into the manufacture of life's comforts and eonvenieui-es. We liave now seventy millions of restless .■nul amiiirious people whóse labor can be applied to these resooices. The philosopher wlio woutd suoceasfully sclve the problem of social disrontëftt must bring -aibout social coiiílitions which will pennit the full enjoyment of the whole people of the fruits of their la'lior. Xo social system vtfhich recogrüzes the right of a few to monoplize those thing-s wliicli tlie Gtod fff Nature intended for the equal ben 'it of all, will ever succeed in refoL-p. ,;;■ social evils or soci il disconto ii f.