第1章

ADVERTISEMENT

Mr。Malthus,ProfessorofPoliticalEconomy,attheEastIndiaCompany’sCollege,hasraisedhimselfveryhighintheliteraryworldbyhisEssayonPopulation,whichhasbeentranslatedintoallthelanguagesofEurope。

Forthesetwoyearspasthehasinformedus,thatheispreparingnewPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,consideredwithrespecttothepracticalApplications。

Thiswork,whichwasimpatientlyexpected,appearedinLondon,afewmonthssince。M。J。B。Say,whohasrenderedgreatservicestothisscienceinourCountry,andwhomwecanproudlyopposetothemostcelebratedEnglishnames,hasnotwaitedforaFrenchTranslationofit(1)tocombatthoseopinionswhichareinoppositiontohis。

Thisdiscussion,betweentwomenwhohaveprovedthemselvesable,andwhichisatthismomentinterestingtoalltheTradingInterestintheworld,hasappearedtousworthytheattentionofthepublic,notonlyunderexistingcircumstances,butatalltimes。

ItwillfurtherservetomakeMr。Malthus’sworkknowntothosewhohavenotreadit。

LETTERI。

Sir,AllthosewhocultivatethenewandbeautifulscienceofPoliticalEconomydesiretoreadtheworkwithwhichyouhavejustenrichedthatsubject。

Youarenotoneofthoseauthorswhoaddressthepublicwithouthavingsomethingtoinformthem;andwhentothecelebrityofthewriterisjoinedtheimportanceofthesubject,whenthesubjectisofnolessimportancetosociety,thantoinformthemwhataretheirmeansofexistenceandenjoyment,itistobesupposedthatthereader’scuriositymustbedoublyexcited。

Ishallnotundertake,Sir,tojoinmysuffragetothatofthepublic,bypointingouteverythingthatisingenious,andatthesametimejust,inyourwork;thiswouldbetoogreatatask。NorshallIundertaketoenterintoadiscussionwithyou,uponsomepointstowhichyouseemtometoattachanimportancethattheyscarcelyappeartomerit。Ishallnotheretireeitherthepublicoryoubydullcontroversies。But,Isayitwithsorrow,thattherearesomefundamentalprinciplesdiscoverableinyourdoctrine,which,weretheytobeadmittedonsopowerfulanauthorityasyours,mightcausetoretrogradeascience,theprogressofwhichyouaresogoodastoassistbyyourextensiveknowledgeandtalent。

And,inthefirstplace,whatfixesmyattention,becausealltheinterestofthemomentisattachedtoit,is,fromwhencecomesthatgeneraloverstockofallthemarketsoftheuniverse,towhichgoodsareincessantlycarriedwhichsellataloss?——Whencecomesitthatintheinteriorofeachstate,withawantofactioninunisonwithallthedevelopmentsofindustry,whencecomes,Isay,thatuniversaldifficultythat。isexperiencedinobtaininglucrativeemploy?Andwhenthecauseofthischronicmaladyisdiscovered,whatarethemeansofcure?Thesearequestionsuponwhichthehappinessandtranquillityofnationsdepend。WhereforeIcannotthinkadiscussiontendingtoelucidatethemwillbeunworthyyourattention,andthatofanenlightenedpublic。

Allthosewho,sinceAdamSmith,haveturnedtheirattentiontoPoliticalEconomy,agreethatinrealitywedonotbuyarticlesofconsumptionwithmoney,thecirculatingmediumwithwhichwepayforthem。Wemustinthefirstinstancehaveboughtthismoneyitselfbythesaleofourproduce。

Toaproprietorofamine,thesilvermoneyisaproducewithwhichhebuyswhathehasoccasionfor。Toallthosethroughwhosehandsthissilverafterwardspasses,itisonlythepriceoftheproducewhichtheythemselveshaveraisedbymeansoftheirpropertyinland,theircapitals,ortheirindustry。Insellingthemtheyinthefirstplaceexchangethemformoney,andafterwardstheyexchangethemoneyforarticlesofconsumption。

Itisthereforereallyandabsolutelywiththeirproducethattheymaketheirpurchases:thereforeitisimpossibleforthemtopurchaseanyarticleswhatever,toagreateramountthanthosetheyhaveproduced,eitherbythemselvesorthroughthemeansoftheircapitalortheirland。

FromthesepremisesIhavedrawnaconclusionwhichappearstomeevident,lbuttheconsequencesofwhichappeartohavealarmedyou。Ihadsaid——

Asnoonecanpurchasetheproduceofanotherexceptwithhisownproduce,astheamountforwhichwecanbuyisequaltothatwhichwecanproduce,the。morewecanproducethemorewecanpurchase。Fromwhenceproceedsthisotherconclusion,whichyourefusetoadmit——Thatifcertaincommoditiesdonotsell,itisbecauseothersarenotproduced,andthatitistheraisingproducealonewhichopensamarketforthesaleofproduce。

Iknowthatthispropositionhasaparadoxicalcomplexion,whichcreatesaprejudiceagainstit。Iknowthatonehasmuchgreaterreasontoexpecttobesupportedbyvulgarprejudices,whenoneassertsthatthecauseoftoomuchproduceisbecausealltheworldisemployedinraisingit。——

Thatinsteadofcontinuallyproducing,oneoughttomutiplybarrenconsumptions,andexpendtheoldcapitalinsteadofaccumulatingnew。Thisdoctrinehas,indeed,probabilityonitsside;itcanbesupportedbyarguments,factsmaybeinterpretedinitsfavor。But,Sir,whenCopernieusandGalileotaught,forthefirsttime,thatthesun,althoughweseeitriseeverymorningintheeast,magnificentlypassoverourheadsatnoon,andprecipitateitselftowardsthewestintheevening,stilldoesnotmovefromitsplace,theyhadalsouniversalprejudiceagainstthem,theopinionsoftheAncients,andtheevidenceofthesenses。Oughttheyonthataccounttorelinquishthosedemonstrationswhichwereproducedbyasoundjudgment?Ishoulddoyouaninjusticetodoubtyouranswer。

Besides,whenIassertthatproduceopensaventforproduce;thatthemeansofindustry,whatevertheymaybe,lefttothemselves,alwaysinclinethemselvestothosearticleswhicharethemostnecessarytonations,andthatthesenecessaryarticlescreateatthesametimefreshpopulations,andfreshenjoymentsforthosepopulations,allprobabilityisnotagainstme。

Letusgobackonlytwohundredyears,andsupposethatamerchanthadtakenarichcargotothesitesonwhichthepresentcitiesofNewYorkandPhiladelphiastand——Wouldhehavesoldit?Supposethat,withoutfailingavictimtothenatives,hehadsucceededinlayingthefoundationofanagriculturaloramanufacturalestablishment:Wouldhehavesoldthereanyoneofhisarticles?Mostcertainlynot。Hewouldhavebeenobligedtoconsumethemallhimself。Whydoweseeitsodifferentinourdays?

Why,assoonasgoodsarrive,oraremanufacturedatPhiladelphiaorNewYork,arewesuretosellthematthecourseofexchange?Itappearsevidenttomethatitisbecausethefarmers,themerchants,andatpresentthemanufacturers,evenofNewYorkandPhiladelphia,andofthesurroundingprovinces,produce,andimportproduce,bythemeansofwhichtheyacquirethatwhichisofferedtothembyothers。

WhatistrueasregardsanewState,itwillbesaidisnotsoofanoldone。TherewasroominAmericaformoreproducersandmoreconsumers;

butinacountrywheretherewerealreadymoreproducersthanwerenecessary,consumersonlywerewanted。Allowmetoanswer,thattheonlyrealconsumersarethosewhoproduceontheirpart,becausetheyalonecanbuytheproduceofothers,andthatbarrenconsumerscanbuynothingexceptbythemeansofvaluecreatedbyproducers。

ItisprobablethatinthetimeofthereignofQueenElizabeth,whenEnglandhadnothalfthepopulationofthepresentday,theyhadthendiscoveredthatthereweremorelaborersthanwork。Idesirenootherproofofthisthanthatverylawwhichwasthenpassedinfavorofthepoor,theresultofwhichisoneofthebanesofEngland。Itsprincipalobjectistofurnishworkfortheunfortunatewhocanfindnoemploy。Therewasnoemployinacountrywhichsincethenhasbeenabletofurnishenoughforadoubleandtriplenumberoflaborers。Whencecomesit,Sir,whencecomesit,howeverunfortunatemaybethesituationofGreatBritain?Aremoreofdiversarticlessoldinit,thaninthedaysofElizabeth?Whatcanbethecauseofthis,ifnotthatmoreisproduced?Oneproducesonething,whichheexchangeswithhisneighbourwhoproducesanother。Havingmorethanenoughforuse,thepopulationisincreased,andstilleverybodyhasbeenbettersupplied。

Itisthecapabilityofproductionwhichmakesthedifferencebetweenacountryandadesert。Andthemoreacountryproduces,themoreitisadvanced,themorepopulousitis,andisthebetterprovided。

Thisobservation,whichisself—evident,probablyisnotdeniedbyyou,butyoucomplainoftheconclusionsIdrawfromit。

Ihaveassertedthatifthereisanoverstock,asuperabundanceofmanykindsofgoods,itisbecauseothergoodsarenotproducedinsufficientquantitiestobeexchangedwiththefirst。Thatiftheproducersofthemcouldproducemore,orothers,thefirstwouldfindtheventwhichnowfails;inaword,thatthereisonlytoomuchproduceofcertainkindsbecausethereisnotenoughofothers,andyoupretendthattheremaybeasuperabundanceofallkindsatthesametime,citingatthesametimefactsinyourfavor。M。deSismondihadalreadyopposedmydoctrine,andIamverygladtoquoteherehismostforcibleexpressions,inordernottodepriveyou,Sir,ofanyadvantagethatbelongstoyou,andthatmyanswersmayserveforboth。

\"Europe,\"saysthisingeniousauthor,\"isarrivedatapointtohave,inallitsparts,anindustryandamanufacturesuperiortoitswants。\"

Headds,that\"theincumbrancewhichresultsfromitbeginstobefeltintherestoftheworld。\"\"Examinethereportsofcommerce,thenewspapers,randtheaccountsoftravellers,andeverywherewillbeseenproofsofthatsuper—abundanceofproductionbeyondtheconsumption,ofthatmanufacture,proportionate,nottothedemand,buttothecapitalemployed;ofthatactivityofmerchantswhichinducesthemtogoincrowdstoeverynewsettlement,andwhichexposesthembyturnstoruinouslossesineverytradeinwhichtheyexpectedprofit。Wehaveseenmerchandiseofallkinds,butparticularlythatofEngland,thegreatmanufacturingpower,aboundinallthemarketsofItaly,inaproportionsofarbeyondthedemand,astocompelthemerchants,inordertorealisepartoftheirfunds,toselltheirgoodsatalossofaquarter,orathird,insteadofataprofit。

ThetideofcommerceturnedawayfromItaly,founditswayintoGermany,Russia,andtheBrazils,andverysoonmetwiththesameobstaclesthere。

\"Thelastadvicesinformusofsimilarlossesinnewcountries。InthemonthofAugust,1818,complaintsweremadeattheCapeofGoodHope,thatallthewarehouseswerefilledwithEuropeangoods,whichwereofferedatalowerpricethaninEurope,butwithoutfindingasale。InthemonthofJune,atCalcutta,thecomplaintsofcommercewereofthesamenature。

Astrangephenomenonatfirstappeared——EnglandsendingcottongoodstoIndia,andconsequentlysucceedinginworkingatalowerpricethanthehalf—nakedinhabitantsofHindostan,andreducingitsworkmentoastillmoremiserablestate。

\"Butthiswhimsicalturngivertocommercedidnotlastlong。AtpresentBritishproductionsarccheaperinIndiathaninEnglanditself。InthemonthofMaytheywereobligedtore—exportfromNew—Holland,Europeangoodswhichhadbeensentthereintoogreatabundance。BuenosAyres,NewGrenada,andChili,arealreadyreturninggoodsinthesameway。

\"Mr。Fearon’svoyagetotheUnitedStates,completedonlyinthespringof1818,presentsthisspectacleinastillmorestrikingpointofview。

Fromoneextremitytotheother,ofthisvastandprosperouscontinent,thereisnotacity,noratown,inwhichthequantityofgoodsofferedforsaleisnotinfinitelygreaterthanthemeansofthebuyers,notwithstandingthemerchantsendeavourtoinducethem,byverylongcredit,andeverykindoffacilityinthepayments,whichtheytakeinbillsorinprovisionsofallkinds。

\"Nofactpresentsitselftousinagreaternumberofplaces,orundermorevariedshapes,thanthedisproportionofthemeansofconsumptionwiththeproduction——thantheimpossibilitywhichproducersfindtogiveuptheirindustrybecauseitisdeclining,——andthecertaintythattheirranksareneverthinnedbutbyfailures。Howisitthatphilosopherswillnotseethatwhichisevidenttoeveryvulgareye?

\"Theerrorintowhichtheyhavefallenisentirelyowingtothisfalseprinciple——thattheproductionisthesamethingastherevenue。Mr。

Ricardo,accordingtoM。Say,repeatsandaffirmsit。’M。Sayhasprovedinthemostsatisfactorymanner,’sayshe,thatthereisnocapital,howeverlarge,thatcannotbeemployed,becausethedemandforproduceisonlyboundedbyproduction。’Nopersonproducesbutwiththeintentionofconsumingorsellingthearticleheproduces,andnoonesellsbutwiththeintentionofbuyingsomeotherproduction,whichmaybeofimmediateuse,orcontributetofutureproduction。

\"Theproducerbecomesthereforeconsumerofhisproduce,orbuyerandconsumeroftheproduceofsomeotherperson。\"Uponthisprinciple,\"continuesM。deSismondi,\"itbecomesabsolutelyimpossibletocomprehendorexplainthebestdemonstratedfactinallthehistoryofcommerce,viz。thechoakingupthemarkets。\"(2)

Ishallfirstofallobserve,tothosepersonstowhomthefactsaboutwhichM。deSismondiafflictshimselfwithsomereason,appearconclusive,thattheyareineffectconclusive;butthatconclusionisagainsthimself。

TherearetoomanyEnglishgoodsofferedinItalyandelsewhere,becausetherearenotasufficientquantityofItaliangoodssuitedtoEngland。

Acountrybuysonlywhatitcanpayfor;forifitdidnotpay,otherswouldsoonceasetoselltoit。NowwithwhatdotheItalianspaytheEnglish?

Withoil,silks,andraisins;besidesthesearticlesandafewothers,iftheywantmoreEnglishproductions,withwhatwouldtheypayforthem?

Withmoney!ButtheymustobtainthemoneywherewithtopayfortheEnglishproductions。Youseeclearly,Sir,thatinordertoobtainproductions,anation,aswellasanindividual,musthaverecoursetoitsownproductions。

ItissaidthattheEnglishsellatalossinthoseplaceswhichtheyinundatewiththeirgoods,whichIreadilybelieve。Theymultiplythegoodsoffered,whichdepreciatesit;andtheytakespecieinpaymentasmuchastheycan,whichconsequentlymakesmorescarceandmorevaluable。——

Beingbecomemoreprecious,alessquantityisgivenineachexchange。

Thisisthereasontheyareobligedtosellataloss。Butsupposeforamoment,thattheItalianshadmorecapital——thattheyemployedtheirlandandtheirindustriouspowersbetter——inaword,thattheyproducedmore;andsuppose,atthesametime,thattheEnglishlaws,insteadofhavingbeenframedupontheabsurdideaofthebalancepfcommerce,hadadmitted,onmoderateterms,everythingthattheItalianscouldhaveproduced,inpaymentforEnglishproductions;canyouimaginethatEnglishgoodswouldthenincumbertheItalianports,ordoubtthatastillgreaterquantityofgoodswouldfindareadysale?

TheBrazils,avastcountry,highlyfavoredbynature,couldconsumeahundredtimestheEnglishgoodswhichaccumulatethere,anddon’tsell;

butitwouldbenecessarythatBrazilshouldproduceallthatitiscapableofproducing;andhowisthispoorBraziltosucceedinthis?AlltheeffortsofhercitizensareparalisedbyherAdministration。Ifanybranchofindustryappearslikelytoyieldaprofit,theexecutivepowerseizesanddestroysit。Ifanyonefindsapreciousstone,itistakenawayfromhim。GreatencouragementtoseekformorewherewithtobuyEuropeangoods!!

TheEnglishGovernmentrejects,onitspart,bymeansofitsCustomHousesandImportationDuties,theproductionwhichtheEnglishmightbringfromabroad,inexchangefortheirgoods,andeventhenecessaryprovisions,ofwhichtheirmanufacturersstandsomuchinneed;

andthisbecauseitisnecessarythattheEnglishfarmersshouldselltheirwheatataboveeightyshillingsperquarter,inordertoenablethemtopaytheenormoustaxes。Allthesenationscomplainofthesufferingstowhichtheyhavereducedthemselvesbytheirownfault。Thisputsmeinmindofinvalidswhoareoutoftemperwiththeirsufferings,butwhowillnotcorrectthemselvesofthoseexcesseswhicharetheprimarycauseofthem。Iknowthatanoakisnotsoeasilygrubbedupasaperniciousweed。

Iknowthatoldbarriersarenottakenaway,howeverrottentheymaybe,whentheyaresupportedbythedirtwhichhascollectedaroundthem。I

knowthatcertaincorruptandcorruptinggovernmentsstandinneedofmonopoliesandcustom—duties,topayforthevoteofthehonorablemajoritieswhopretendtobetherepresentativesofnations。Iamnotsufficientlyunjusttodesirethatoneshouldgovernwithaviewtothegeneralinterest,inordertoobtainallthevoteswithoutpayingforthem;butatthesametime,whyshouldIbesurprisedthatdeplorableconsequencesshouldbetheresultofsomanyvicioussystems?

Youwillreadilyadmitwithme,Sir,atleastIpresumeso,themischiefwhichnationsdotoeachotherbytheirjealousies,theirsordidinterest,orbytheignoranceofthosewhosetthemselvesupastheirorganisers;

butyoumaintainthat,evensupposingtheyhavehadmoreliberalinstitutions,thecommoditiesproducedmayexceedthewantsofconsumers。Well,Sir,Iamreadytodefendmyselfonthisground。

Letuspassoverthewarwhichnationscarryonagainsteachotherwiththeir\"douaniers,\"letusconsidereachpeopleintheirrelationswiththemselves,andletusunderstand,onceforall,whetherwearebeyondthereachofconsumingwhatwearecapableofproducing。

\"M。Say,’Mr。Mill,andMr。Ricardo,whomyoucalltheprincipalauthorsofthenewdoctrineofprofit,appeartomet。ohavefallenintofundamentalerrorsonthatsubject。Inthefirstplacetheyhavelookeduponmerchandiseasthoughitwereanalgebraiccharacterinsteadofbeinganarticleofconsumption,whichmustnecessarilyhavereferencetothenumberofconsumers,andtothenatureoftheirwants。\"(3)

Idon’tknow,Sir,atleastasfarasregardsmyself,uponwhatyoufoundthataccusation。Ihaveconsideredthisideainallitsshapes——

thatthevalueofthings(theonlyqualitywhichmakesthemriches)isroundedontheirutility,ontheaptitudetheypossesstosatisfyourwants。

\"Theneedwehaveofthings,Isaid,(4)dependsuponthemoralandphysicalnatureofman,theclimatehelivesin,andonthemannersandlegislationofhiscountry。Hehaswantsofthebody,wantsofthemind,andofthesoul;wantsforhimself,othersforhisfamily,othersstillasamemberofsociety。Theskinofabear,andarein—deer,arearticlesofthefirstnecessitytoaLaplander,whilsttheverynameofthemisunknowntotheLazzaroniofNaples。Thelatterforhispartcandowithouteverything,providedhecanobtainmacaroni。InthestonemannertheCourtsofJudicatureinEuropeareconsideredasoneofthestrongestbondsofthesocialbody,whilsttheindigentpeopleofAmerica,theArabs,andtheTartars,doverywellwithoutthem。

\"Ofthesewrests,somearesatisfiedbytheusewemakeofcertainthings,withwhichNaturefurnishesusgratuitously,suchastheair,water,andthelightofthesun。Wemaycallthesethingsnaturalriches,becauseNaturealonepaysthecostofthem。Asshegivesthemindiscriminatelytoall,noonehasoccasiontoacquirethembymeansofanysacrificewhatever;

therefore,theyhavenoexchangeablevalue。

\"Otherwantscanonlybesatisfiedbytheusewemakeofcertainthings,towhichtheusetheyareofcouldonly,begiventhembycausingthemtoundergoamodification,byhavingeffectedachangeintheirstate,andbyhavingforthatpurposesurmountedsomedifficultyorother。Sucharethethingswhichwecanonlyobtainbyagriculturalprocess,bycommerce,orthearts。Thesearetheonlypropertythathasanexchangeablevalue。

Thereasonofwhichisevident——theyare,bythesimplefactoftheirproduction,theresultofanexchangeinwhichtheproducerhasgivenhisproductiveservicesforthepurposeofreceivingthisproduce。Fromthattimetheycannotbeobtainedfromhim,exceptbyvirtueofanotherexchange——bygivinghimanotherproductionwhichhemayestimateatasmuchashisown。

\"Thesethingsmaybecalledsocialriches,becausenoexchangecantakeplacewithoutsocialintercourse,andbecauseitisonlyinsocietythattherightofexclusivelypossessingwhathasbeenobtainedbyproduction,orexchange,canbeguaranteed。\"

Iadd;\"Letusobserve,atthesametime,thatsocialrichesare,asriches,theonlyoneswhichcanbecometheobjectofascientificstudy;

1st。becausetheyaretheonlyoneswhichareappreciable,oratleastwhoseappreciationisnotarbitrary;2nd。becausetheyaretheonlyoneswhichareobtained,distributed,anddestroyed,agreeablytothelawswhichwemaymake。\"

Isthisconsideringproductionsasalgebraiccharacters,byabstractingthenumberofconsumers,andthenatureoftheirwants?Doesnotthisdoctrineestablish,onthecontrary,thatourwantsalonecompelustomakesacrificesbymeanswhereofweobtainproductions?

Thesesacrificesarethepricewepaytoobtainthem。Youcallthesesacrifices,accordingtoSmith,bythenameoflabor,whichisaninsufficientexpression,fortheyincludetheconcurrenceoflandandcapital。

Icallthemproductiveservice。Theyhaveeverywhereapricecurrent;assoonasthispriceexceedsthevalueofthethingproduced,adisadvantageousexchangeistheresult,inwhichagreatervaluehasbeenconsumedthanhasbeenproduced。

Assoonasaproducehasbeencreated,whichisequivalenttoservices,theservicesarepaidbytheproduce,thevalueofwhich,bybeingdistributedamongsttheproducers,formstheirrevenue。Youseethereforethatthisrevenueonlyexistsinproportiontotheexchangeablevalueoftheproduce,andthatitcanonlyhavethatvalueinconsequenceofthedemandforit,inthepresentstateofsociety。Idonotthereforeseparatethiswant,nordoIgiveitanarbitraryvaluation。Itakeitforwhatitis——forwhattheconsumerswillhaveittobe。Icouldquote,ifitwerenecessary,thewholeofmybookiii。whichdetailsthedifferentmodesofconsuming,theircausesandeffects;but1willnotintrudeuponyourtimeandattention。

Let,usproceed。

Yousay\"Itisbynomeanstrue;infact,thatcommoditiesarealwaysbarteredforcommodities。Thegreatestpartofcommoditiesaredirectlyexchangedforlabor,productiveorunproductive,anditisevidentthatthismassofcommoditiesaltogether,comparedtothelaborforwhichtheyaretobeexchanged,maydepreciateinvalueonaccountofitssuperabundance,thesameasasinglearticle,inparticular,maybyitssuperabundancefallinvalueinrespecttolaborormoney。\"(5)

Allowmetoobserve,inthefirstplace,thatIdidnotsaythatcommoditiesarealwaysbarteredforcommodities,butratherthatproductionsareonlyboughtwithproductions。

Inthesecondplace,thatthosewhoadmitthisexpression,commodity,mightreplytoyou,thatwhencommoditiesaregiveninpaymentoflabor,thesecommoditiesareineffectexchangedforothercommodities,thatistosayforthosewhichareproducedbythelaborthatispaidfor。

Butthisanswer。isnotsufficientforthosewhotakeamoreextendedandcompleteviewofthephenomenonoftheproductionofourriches。Allowmetolaybeforeyouastrikingfigure;thepublic,bywhomwearejudged,willIhopefindgreatfacilitiesinit,inweighingthemeritofyourobjectionsandmyanswers。

Forthepurposeofshowingtheoperationofindustry,capital,andland,intheworkofproduction,Ipersonifythem;andIfindthateachoneofthesepersonssellshisservices,(whichIcallproductiveservices,)

toanenterpriserwhoisamerchant,amanufacturer,orratherafarmer。

Thisenterpriserhavingboughttheservicesofaparcelofland,bypayingarenttotheproprietor,theservicesofacapitalbypayinginteresttoacapitalist,andtheindustriousservicesoflaborers,clerks,oragentsofanykind,bypayingthemasalary,consumesandannihilatesalltheseproductiveservices;andfromthisconsumption,aproduceofacertainvalueemanates。

’Thevalueoftheproduce,provideditbeequaltothecostsofproduction,thatistosay,tothepricewhichithasbeennecessary。toadvanceforalltheproductiveservices,issufficienttopaytheprofitsofallthosewhohavecontributed,directlyorindirectly,tothisproductionTheprofitoftheenterpriser,onwhoseaccounttheoperationhasbeenmade,bydeductingtheinterestofthecapitalthathasbeenemployed,representsthesalaryforhistimeandtalent,thatistosay,hisownservicesproductivetohimself。

Ifhiscapacitywasgreat,andhiscalculationswellmade,hisprofitisconsiderable。Ifinsteadoftalent,hehasshownignoranceinhisbusiness,hewillhavegainednothing;hewillhavelost。Itistheenterpriserwhotakesalltherisk;butitishe,ontheotherhand,whobenefitsbyeveryfavorableresult。

Alltheproductionswhichdailycomebeforeus,andallthosewhichourimaginationstanconceive,havebeenformedbyoperations,everyoneofwhichformspartofthoseIhavejustexplained,butcombinedinaninfinityofdifferentways。Whatsomeenterprisersdotoobtaincertainproductions,othersdotoobtainotherproductions。Nowitisthesevariousproductions,whichbeingexchangedagainsteachother,openareciprocalventeachtotheother……Thegreaterorlesswantthereisofoneoftheseproductions,comparedwithothers,determinesanexchangeatagreaterorlessprice;thatis,foragreaterorlessquantityofanyotherproduction。

Moneyisnothingmoreinthismatterthanapassingagent,which,theexchangeoncecomplete,hasnothingmoretodowithit,butisemployedinotherexchanges。

Itiswiththerentoftheland,theinterest,andthesalaries,whichformtheprofitsresultingfromthisproduction,thattheproducerspurchasethearticlesoftheirconsumption。Producersareatthesametimeconsumers;

andthenatureoftheirwants,havinganinfluence,indifferentdegrees,onthedemandfordifferentproductions,alwaysfavors,whenlibertyexists,theproductionofthatwhichismostnecessary,because,beingthemostindemand,itimmediatelybecomesthearticlewhichyieldsthegreatestprofittoenterprisers。

Ihavesaid,thatforthepurposeofbettershowinghowindustry。capital,andland,actinproductiveoperations,Iwouldpersonifythem,andmarktheservicestheyrender。Butthisisnotamerefiction:theyarefacts。

Industryisrepresentedbytheindustriousofallclasses,capitalbythecapitalists,andlandbytheproprietors。Itisthesethreeclassesofpersonswhoselltheproductiveactionoftheircommodity,andwhoaffixthepricetoit。

Mymodeofexpressingmyselfmaybecensured;butthenitwillbenecessarytoproduceabetter,foritcannotbedeniedthatthingstakeplaceasIhaveasserted。Ihavedescribedthefacts。Themodeofdescriptionmaybecensured;butdon’tletanyoneflatterhimselfthathecancontrovertthefacts;theretheyare,andwilldefendthemselves。

Letusnowresumeyouraccusation——Yousay,Sir,thatmanycommoditiesareboughtwithlabor;andIgofurtherthanyoudo,Isaythattheymustallbesobought;extendingthisexpression,labor,totheservicerenderedbycapitalandland,(6)Isaythattheycannotbeboughtinanyotherway;thatitisinvariablybysuchservicesthatuseandvaluearegiventothings;andthatultimatelytwothingspresentthemselvestous,oneofconsumingourselvestheutilityandconsequentlythevaluewehaveproduced,theothertoemployitinpurchasingtheutilityandvalueproducedbyothers;thatinbotheaseswepurchasecommoditieswithproductiveservices,andthatthegreaterportionofproductiveserviceweemploy,themorewecanbuy。

Youpretendthatthereisnosuchthingasimmaterialproduce。Ah!Sir,originallytherewasnoother。Afielditselffurnishednothingtowardstheproductionbutitsservice,whichisanimmaterialproduce。Itservesasacrucibleinwhichmineralsareput,andfromwhencetomeoutmetalanddross。Isthereanypartofthecrucibleintheseproductions?No;

thecrucibleservesforanewproductiveoperation。Isthereanypartofthefieldintheharvestwhichitproduces?Ianswerthesame:No;forifafundoflandexhausteditself,itwouldfinishattheendofacertainnumberofyears,bybeingentirelyannihilated。Afundoflandonlyreturnswhatisputintoit;butthisisafteranelaborationwhichIcalltheproductiveserviceofthefield。Imaybecriticisedabouttheword,butIfearnotanycriticismonthesubject,becausethethingis,andwillbe,andwhereverpoliticaleconomyisstudiedthiswillbefoundtobethefact,whatevernamemaybethoughtpropertobegiventoit。Theservicewhichacapitalrenders,inwhateverenterpriseitisemployed,whethercommercial,agricultural,ormanufactural,isthesame——animmaterialproduce。Hewhoexpendsacapitalunproductivelydestroysthecapitalitself;hewhoexpendsitproductivelyexpendsthematerialcapital,andtheserviceofthiscapitalbesides,whichisanimmaterialproduce。

Whenadyerputsonethousandfrancs’worthofindigointohiscauldronheconsumesathousandfrancs’worthofindigo,immaterialproduce,andheconsumes,besides,thetimehiscapitalisemployed,thatisitsinterest。

Thedyeheobtainsreturnshimthevalueofthematerialcapitalwhichhehasemployed,andthevalueoftheimmaterialserviceofthissamecapitalbesides。

Theserviceoftheworkmanisalsoanimmaterialproduce。Theworkmanleaveshismanufactory,intheevening,justashewentintoitinthemorning。Hehasleftnothingmaterialinhisworkshop,thereforeitisanimmaterialservicewhichhehasfurnishedtoaproductiveoperation。

ThisserviceisthedailyandannualproduceofafundwhichIcallhisindustriouspowers,andwhichconstituteshiswealth;apoorwealth!

particularlyinEngland,andIknowthecauseofit。

Allthesethingsconstituteimmaterialproduce;call。thembywhatevernameyouplease,theywillbenootherthanimmaterialproduce,whichwillexchangeoneagainsttheother,orformaterialproduce,andwhichinalltheseexchangeswillformtheirregulatedprice—current,likeallotherprice—currentsintheworld,ontheproportionbetweenthesupplyandthedemand。

Alltheseservices,ofindustry,capital,andland,whichareproductionsindependentofallmatter,formtherevenueofallmankind。What!

allourrevenuesareimmaterial!!Yes,Sir,all:otherwiseitwouldbenecessarythatthemassofmatterofwhichtheGlobeiscomposedshouldbeaugmentedeveryyear。Thiswouldbenecessaryinorderthateveryyearwemighthaveafreshmaterialrevenue。Weneithercreatenordestroyasingleatom。Weconfineourselvestochangingitscombinations,andeverythingweemployinitisimmaterial。Itisofvalue;anditisthatvalue,alsoimmaterial,whichweconsumedailyandyearly,andwhichkeepsusalive;forconsumptionisachangeofformgiventomatter,or,ifyoupreferit,aderangementofform,asproductionisthearrangementofit。

Ifyoufindanythingparadoxicalinallthesepropositions,lookatthethingstheyexpress,andIhavenodoubttheywillappearverysimpleandveryreasonabletoyou。

WithoutthisanalysisIdefyyoutoexplaintheentirefacts;toexplain,forexample,howthesamecapitalisconsumedtwice,productivelybyanenterpriser,andunproductivelybyhisworkman。Byhelpoftheprecedinganalysisitwillbeseen,thattheworkmansupplieshislabor,theproduceofhiscapacity,whichhesellstotheenterpriser——takeshomehissalary,whichformshisrevenue,andconsumesitunproductively。Theenterpriser,(whohasboughtthelaboroftheworkman)onhispart,bydevotingapartofhiscapitaltoit,consumesitproductively,thesameasthedyerproductivelyconsumestheindigohethrowsintohiscauldron。Thesevalues,havingbeenreproductivelydestroyed,reappearintheproducewhichcomesoutofthehandsoftheenterpriser。Itisnottheenterpriser’scapitalwhichformstheworkman’srevenue,asM。Sismondipretends。Itisintheworkshops,andnotintheworkman’sdwelling,thattheenterpriser’scapitalisconsumed。

Thevalueconsumedattheworkman’shousehasanothersource,itistheproduceofhisindustriouspowers。Theenterpriserdevotesapartofhiscapitaltothepurchaseofthislabor。

Havingboughtit,heconsumesit;andtheworkmanonhispartconsumesthevaluehehasobtainedinexchangeforhislabor。Whereverthereisanexchange,therearetwovalues。createdandbartered;andwhereevertwovaluesarecreated,therecanbeandthereisinfacttwoconsumptions。(7)

Itisthesamewithproductiveserviceyieldedbythecapital。Thecapitalistwholendsitsellstheservice,thelaborofhiscommodity,andthedailyoryearlyprice,whichanenterpriserpayshimforit,iscalledinterest。

Thetwotermsofexchangeare,theoneserviceatecapital,theotherinterest。

Theenterpriser,atthesametimethatheproductivelyconsumesthecapital,alsoproductivelyconsumestheserviceofthecapital。Thelender,onhispart,whohassoldtheserviceofhiscapital,unproductivelyconsumestheinterestofit,whichisamaterialvalue,giveninexchangefortheimmaterialserviceofthecapital。Itisastonishingthatthereisadoubleconsumption:thatoftheenterprisertomakehisproduce,andthatofthecapitalisttosatisfyhiswants,sincetherearethetwotermsofoneexchange,twovaluesproceedingfromtwodifferentfunds,bartered,andbothconsumable?

Yousay,Sir,thatthedistinctionbetweenproductiveandunproductivelaboristheearnerstoneofAdamSmith’swork,andthattocall,asIhavedone,thatlaborproductivewhichisnotfixedinanymaterialobject,istooverthrowhisworkfromtoptobottom。No,Sir,thisisnottheearnerstoneofAdamSmith’swork,since,thatstonebeingshaken,theedificeisimperfectwithoutbeinglessstable。Whatwilleternallysupportthatexcellentworkis,thatitproclaimsinallitspages,thatthechangeablevalueofthingsisthefoundationofallwealth。

Itisfromthattimethatpoliticaleconomyisbecomeapositivescience;

fortheprice—currentofeachthingisadeterminedquantity,theelementsofwhichmaybeanalised,thecausesassigned,thebearingsstudied,andthechangesforeseen。Bytakingawayfromthedefinitionofwealththisessentialcharacter,allowmetoinformyou,Sir,wereplungethescienceintothesurge,anddriveitback。

FarfromunderminingthecelebratedinquiriesintotheWealthofNations,Isupporttheminalltheiressentialparts;butatthestonetime,IthinkAdamSmithhasmisconceivedrealexchangeablevalue,byforgettingthatwhichisattachedtoproductiveservice,whichleavesnotracebehind,becausethewholeofitisconsumed。Ithinkhehasalsoforgottenrealservices,whichevenleavetracesbehindthem,inmaterialproductionssuchasserviceofcapital,consumed,independentlyofthecapitalitself。

Ithinkhehasgotintoinfiniteobscurity,forwantofhavingdistinguishedtheconsumptionoftheindustriousservicesofanenterpriser,fromtheservicesofhiscapital——adistinctionsoreal,however,thatthereisscarcelyanycommercialhousethatdoesnotkeeptheseaccountsunderdistinctheads。

IrevereAdamSmith,——heismymaster。AtthecommencementofmycareerinPoliticalEconomy,whilstyettottering,anddrivenontheonehandbytheDoctorsoftheBalanceofTrade,andontheotherbytheDoctorsofNetProceeds,Istumbledateverystep,heshowedmethefightroad。

LeaninguponhisWealthofNations,whichatthesametimediscoverstousthewealthofhisgenius,Ilearnedtogoalone。NowInolongerbelongtoanyschool,andshallnotsharetheridiculeoftheReverendJesuitFatherswhotranslatedNewton’sElements,withnotes。TheyfeltthatthelawsofnaturalphilosophydidnotwellaccordwiththoseofLoyola;theyalsotookcaretoinformthepublicbyanAdvertisement,thatalthoughtheyhadapparentlyshownthemotionoftheEarth,inordertocompletethedevelopmentofcelestialphilosophy,theywerenotlessundersubjectiontothedecreesofthePope,whodidnotadmitthismotion。

IamonlyunderthesubjectionofthedecreesofeternalReason,andI

amnotafraidtosayso。AdamSmithhasnotembracedthewholeofthephenomenonoftheproductionandconsumptionofwealth,buthehasdonesomuchthatweoughttofeelgratefultohim。Thankstohim,themostvague,themostobscureofscienceswillsoonbecomethemostprecise,andthatwhichofallotherswillleavethefewestpointsunexplained。

Letusfiguretoourselves,producers(andunderthisnameIcompriseaswellthepossessorsofcapitalsandlands,asthepossessorsofindustriouspowers,)letusfancythemadvancing,tomeeteachotherwiththeirproductiveservices,ortheprofitwhichhasresultedfromthem(animmaterialquality)。

Thisprofitistheirproduce。Sometimesitisfixedonanimmaterialobject,whichistransmittedwiththeimmaterialproduce,butwhichinitselfisofnoimportance,isnothing,inpoliticalEconomy:formatter,dispossessedofvalue,isnotwealth。Sometimesitistransmitted,issoldbyone,andboughtbyanother,withoutbeingfixedinanymatter。ItistheadviceoftheDoctorortheLawyer,theserviceoftheSoldierorthepublicOfficer。

Everyoneexchangestheutilityheproducesagainstthatwhichisproducedbyothers,andineveryoneoftheseexchanges,whicharecarriedtoaccountinabookofcompetition,astheutilityofferedbyPaulismoreorlessindemandthanthatofferedbyJacques,itsellsdearerorcheaper——thatistosay,thatitobtainsinexchangemoreorlessoftheutilityofferedbythelatter。Itisinthissensethattheinfluenceofthedemandandsupplymustbeunderstood。(8)

This,Sir,isnotadoctrineadvancedbywayofafterthought;itistobefoundinsundrypartsofmyTreatiseonPoliticalEconomy;(9)andbythehelpofmyEpitomeitscoincidencewitheveryotherprincipleofthescience,andwithallthefactswhichserveforitsbasis,isfundamentallythesame。ItisalreadyprofessedinmanypartsofEurope;butIearnestlydesirethatitmaysucceedinconvincingyou,andthatitmayappeartoyoutobeworthyofbeingintroducedintothechair,whichyoufillwithsomucheclat。

Afterthesenecessaryexplanations,youwillnotaccusemeoffinesseifIrestuponthoselawswhichIhaveshowntoberoundedonthenatureofthingsandonthefactswhichissuefromthem。

Commodities,yousay,areonlyexchangedforcommodities:theyarealsoexchangedforlabor。Ifthislaborbeaproducethatsomepersonssell,thatothersbuy,andthatthelatterconsume,itwillcostmeverylittletocallitaCommodity,anditwillcostvouverylittlemoretoassimilateothercommoditiestoit,fortheyarealsoproduce……ThencomprisingbothunderthegenericnameofProduce,youmayperhapsadmitthatproduceisboughtonlywithproduce。

LETTERTHESECOND。

SIR,IthinkIhaveprovedinmyfirstletterthatProducecanonlybeboughtwithProduce。Istillseenoeausetoabandonthisdoctrine,thatitisproduetionwhichopensamarketforproduction。ItistruethatIhavetakenasproduce,alltheserviceswhichproceedfromourpersonalcapacities,fromourcapitals,andourpropertyinland,whiehhasputmeunderthenecessityofsketchingafresh,andinotherterms,theDoctrineofProduction,whichSmithevidentlyhasneitherunderstood,norentirelydescribed。

However,Sir,onreadingagainthe3rdsectionofyourchapter7,(10)Ifeelthatthereisstillonepointinwhichyoudonotagreewithme。

Youwillperhapsconfessthatproduceisboughtonlvwithotherproduce,butyoupersistinmaintainingthatmencan,puttingallproductionstogether,produceacluantitvmorethanequaltotheirwants,andconsequently——

thieftherewillbenoemployforapartoftheseproductions——thattheremaybeasuperabundanceandglutofallkindsatthesametime。Forthepurposeofpresentingyourobjectioninallitsforce,Iwilltransformitintoafigure,andwillsay,M。Malthusreadilyadmitsthatonehundredsacksofwheatwillpurchaseahundredpiecesofcloth,inapartnershipwhichhasoccasionforthisquantityofclothandwheattoclotheandfeedthemselves,butthatifthesamecompanyshouldproducetwohundredsacksofwheatandtwohundredpiecesofcloth,itwouldbeinvainthatthesetwocommoditiescouldbeexchangedtheonefortheother:hewillmaintainthatapartof’themwouklfindnobuyers。Imusttherefore,Sir,proveinthefirstplace,thatwhateverbethequantityproduced,andtheconsequentdepreciationofitsprice,aquantityproducedofonekindisalwayssufficienttoenabletheproducertoacquirethequantityproducedofanotherkind;

andafterhavingprovedthatthepossibilityofacquiringexists,Imustenquirehowthoseproductionswhichsuperaboundgiverisetowantstoconsumethem。

Thefarmerwhoproduceswheat,afterhavingboughttheproductiveservicesoftheland,ofthecapitalheemploys,andofhisservants,andhavingaddedhisoxrnlabourtoit,hasconsumedallthesevaluestoconvertthemintosacksofwheat,andeachsack,includinghisownlabour,thatistosayhisprofit,wewillsupposereturnshim30francs。Ontheotherhandthemanufacturerwhoproducesflaxen,woollen,orcottoncloth,nomatterwhich,——themanufacturerinfactafterhavinginthesamemannerconsumedtheservicesofhiscapital,hisownservices,andthoseofhismen,hasmanufacturedpiecesofcloth,eachofwhichalsoreturnshim30francs。

Ifyouwillallowmetocomeatoncetothemainpointofthequestion,Iwillconfesstoyouthatmycloth—merchantrepresentsinmymindtheproducersofallmanufacturedproduce,andmywheat—merchanttheproducersofalltheprovisionsoflifeandrawmaterials。Thequestionis,whetherthewholeoftheirtwoproductions,towhateverextenttheymaybemultiplied,andwhatevermavbetheconsequentdepressionintheirprice,canbeboughtbytheirproducers,whoareatthesametimetheirconsumers,andhowthewantcontinuallyincreasesinproportiontothequantityproduced。

Wewillfirstexaminewhattakesplaceinthehypothesisofaperfectliberty,whichallowstheindefinitemultiplicationofallproductions,andafterwardswewillexamineintotheobstacleswhichthenatureofthingsortheimperfectionsofsocietyopposetothisindefinitelibertyofproduction。

Butyouwillsaythatthehypothesisofanindefiniteproductionismorefavorabletoyourcause,becauseitismoredifficulttodisposeofanunlimitedthanofacircumscribedproduction,andthatthehypothesisofacircumscribedproduction,sometimesfromonecausesometimesanother,ismorefavorabletomine,whichestablishes,thatitistheseveryrestrictionswhich,bypreventingcertainproductions,injurethepurchasethatmightbemadeofthoseproductionswhichcanonlybeindefinitelymultiplied。

Inthehypothesisofperfectliberty,theproducerofwheatarrivesatmarketwithasackwhichyieldshim,includinghisprofit,30francs;

andtheproducerofclothwithapiecewhichbringshimthesameprice:

andconsequentlywithtwoproductionswhichexchangeequally:(11)thatwhichsellsaboveitscostofproduction,willinduceapartoftheproducersoftheothercommoditytoturntotheproductionofthisuntiltheproductiveservicesareequallypaidbyboth。Thisisaneffectgenerallyadmitted。

Itisrighttoobservethatinthishypothesistheproducersofthepieceofclothaltogetherhavegainedsufficienttobuyinthewholepieceoranyotherproductionofequalvalue。——Ifitamountsforexampleto30francs,includingeverythingeventhemanufacturer’sprofitattherateatwhichcompetitionhasfixedit,thissumisfounddistributedamongsttheproducersofthepieceofcloth,butinunequalparts,accordingtothekindandquantityofservicesrenderedtoproduceit。

Ifthepiececontainstenells,hewhohasgained6francscanbuytwoellsofit,hewhohasgained30sonscanonlybuyhalfanell,butitisstillclearthatallofthemtogethercanbuythewholepiece。That,ifinsteadofbuyingcloththeywishtobuywheat,theycanalsobuythewholequantity,becauseliketheclothitisonlyworth30francs,thesameastheycanbuyindifferentlyaccordingtotheirwants,eitheraportionofthepieceofclothoranequivalentpartofthesackofwheat。

Hewhohasgainedbyeitheroftheseproductionssixfrancs,mayemploythreefrancsinatenthofthepieceofcloth,andthreefrancsinatenthofthewheat,stillitistruethatalltheproducerstogethercanacquirethe。wholeoftheproductions。

Itishere,Sir,thatyougroundyourobjections。——Ifproductionsincrease,yousay,orwantsdiminish,theproductionswillfalltotoolowapricetopayforthelabournecessarytotheirproduction。(12)BeforeIreplytoyou,Sir,Iinformyouthat,ifoutofpolitenessImakeuseofyourwordlabour,which,accordingtotheexplanationgiveninmyprecedingletter,isincomplete,Ishallcompriseunderthatterm,notonlytheproductiveserviceofaworkmanandhismaster,butalsotheproductiveservicesrenderedbythecapitalandtheland,serviceswhichhavetheir’price,aswellaspersonallabor,andsorealapricethatthecapitalistandthelandholderliveuponit。

Thispointbeingunderstood,Ireply,inthefirstplace,thatproductionsbydiminishinginpricedonotdisenabletheproducerstopurchasethelaborwhichhascreatedthem,oranyotherequivalentlabor。Inourhypothesistheproducersofcorn,byamoreskilfulprocess,willproduceadoublequantityofcorn,andtheproducersofclothadoublequantityofcloth,andthecornaswellastheclothwillbediminishedonehalf,inprice。