ABSTRACT
It has been shewn by the economists themselves, that three conditions are absolutely necessary to the existence of human society; namely, that there shall be labour—that there shall be accumulations of the produce of labour, or capital—and that there shall be exchanges. It has likewise been demonstrated, that these conditions, from their very nature, and the relation in which men in society stand with regard to each other, can be evaded by one individual or one class, only at the expense of other individuals or classes; and it follows, therefore, that every man commits a wrong upon some part of the community, if he render not to society an equivalent equal to the benefits which he receives. It has been deduced, also, from a consideration of the intention and end of society, not only that all men should labour, and thereby become exchangers, but that equal values should always exchange for equal values—and that, as the gain of one man ought never to be the loss of another, value should ever be determined by cost of production. But we have seen, that, under the present arrangements of society, all men do not labour—that all exchangers, therefore, are not equally benefited—that the gain of the capitalist and the rich man is always the loss of the workman—that this result will invariably take place, and the poor man be left entirely at the mercy of the rich man, under any and every form of government, so long as there is inequality of exchanges—and that equality of exchanges can be insured only under social arrangements in which labour is universal, and where the remuneration is as equal to the labour. A few more examples of the working of the present system will shew us, more clearly, the utter fatuity of attempting to remedy evils which are inherent in the very constitution of society, in any other manner than by a complete reconstruction of the social system.
