political economy-第18章

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try；　intelligence；　strength　of　body；　or　constancy　in　labour；　which　do　not　even　require　to　be　developed　by　education。　　　　　But　other　qualities；　other　virtues；　which　appear　to　contribute　more　effectually　still　to　the　increase　of　riches；　as　well　as　to　the　happiness　of　society　…　the　love　of　order；　economy；　sobriety；　justice　…　are　almost　always　the　work　of　public　institutions。　Religion；　education；　government；　and　principles　of　honour；　change　the　nature　of　men；　and　as　they　make　good　or　bad　citizens　of　them；　they　advance　or　retard　their　approach　to　the　object　proposed　by　political　economy。　　　　　But　governments　have　rarely　been　satisfied　with　such　advantages　as　the　trade　of　their　states　might　owe　to　nature；　or　to　the　progress　of　society。　They　have　attempted　to　favour　the　increase　of　commercial　wealth；　and　their　different　expedients　have　most　frequently　tended　to　assist　the　merchant　in　selling　dear；　rather　than　producing　cheap。　With　the　latter　object；　however；　we　have　seen　the　exportation　of　raw　materials　prohibited；　the　rate　of　interest　fixed；　and　laws　enacted　to　lower　the　wages　of　labour。　　　　　These　three　expedients　had　a　common　fault；　that　of　sacrificing　one　class　to　another；　and　founding　the　profit　of　trade；　not　on　the　advantage　of　consumers；　but　on　the　loss　of　cultivators；　capitalists；　or　workmen；　so　that　its　profits；　far　from　being　an　increase　of　the　national　wealth；　were　a　displacement　of　it。　The　raw　materials　on　which　the　arts　operate；　are　all；　or　nearly　all；　produced　by　agriculture　or　at　least　drawn　from　the　ground；　hence　they　form　part　of　the　proprietor's　or　the　cultivator's　wealth。　If　some　advantage　did　not　arise　from　exporting　them；　nobody　would　think　of　forbidding　them　to　be　exported。　This　prohibition　indicates　sufficiently；　that　the　persons　who　produced　them　were　better　paid；　or　gained　more　by　selling　them　to　strangers；　and　the　law　restricts　their　market；　in　opposition　to　the　principle　which　we　have　pointed　out　above；　as　the　foundation　of　commercial　interest；　the　principle　of　obtaining　for　each　article　of　produce　the　highest　possible　price。　From　such　prohibitions　to　export；　there　must　result；　first；　a　diminution　in　the　price　of　the　raw　material；　for　its　price　is　no　longer　kept　up　by　free　trade；　secondly；　a　diminution　in　the　quantity　produced；　because　it　is　regulated　by　the　interior　demand；　and　lastly；　a　deterioration　of　its　quality；　for　a　calling　which　is　ill　rewarded；　is　likewise　ill　attended　to。　This；　therefore；　is　one　of　the　most　injudicious　means　of　favouring　trade；　and　at　the　same　time；　it　sacrifices　the　income　of　all　those　who　contribute　to　produce　the　raw　material。　Whatever　trade　gains　from　them；　cannot　be　considered　as　adding　aught　to　the　national　revenue。　　　　　To　fix　the　interest　of　money；　or　to　suppress　it　altogether；　as　some　legislators　have　attempted；　has；　generally　been　the　consequence　of　religious　prejudices；　and　of　mad　attempts　to　adapt　the　Jewish　legislation　to　modern　Europe。　The　effect　of　these　laws；　so　opposite　to　the　general　interest；　has　always　been　either　to　force　contractors　to　envelop　themselves　in　a　secrecy　which　they　must　require　payment　for；　and　may　use　as　a　snare　for　the　unsuspiciousness　of　others；　or　else　to　force　capitalists　to　employ；　in　other　counties；　that　capital　which　they　could　not　lend　in　their　own　neighborhood；　with　the　same　safety　and　advantage。　But　the　very　end　which　legislators　proposed　was　bad；　a　diminution　in　the　rent　of　the　national　capital；　is　a　national　evil；　it　is　a　loss　of　part　of　the　revenue。　Most　frequently；　indeed；　this　evil　is　the　sign　of　an　advantage　greatly　superior　to　it；　namely；　the　increase　of　capitals　themselves；　but；　in　forcibly　producing　the　sign；　we　cannot　at　all　forcibly　produce　the　thing；　any　more　than　by　turning　round　the　pointers　of　a　watch　we　can　alter　the　flight　of　time。　　　　　Attempts　on　the　part　of　government　to　fix　the　rate　of　wages；　to　make　workmen　labour　at　a　lower　price；　are　ever　the　most　impolitic　and　the　most　unjust　of　these　partial　laws。　If　government　should　propose；　as　an　object；　the　advantage　of　any　one　class　in　the　nation　at　the　expense　of　the　rest；　this　class　ought　to　be　precisely　the　class　of　day…labourers。　They　are　more　numerous　than　any　other；　and　to　secure　their　happiness　is　to　make　the　greatest　portion　of　the　nation　happy。　They　have　fewer　enjoyments　than　any　other；　they　obtain　less　advantage　than　any　other　from　the　constitution　of　society；　they　produce　wealth；　and　themselves　obtain　scarcely　any　share　of　it。　Obliged　to　struggle　for　subsistence　with　their　employers；　they　are　not　a　match　for　them　in　strength。　Masters　and　workmen　are　indeed　mutually　necessary　to　each　other；　but　the　necessity　weighs　daily　on　the　workman；　it　allows　respite　to　his　master。　The　first　must　work　that　he　may　live；　the　second　may　wait　and　live　for　a　time　without　employing　workmen。　Hence　in　the　riots　and　combinations　of　workmen　for　obtaining　an　increase　of　wages；　their　conduct　is　often　violent　and　tumultuous；　and　often　merits　the　chastisement　which　it　never　fails　to　receive；　but　scarcely　an　instance　exists；　where　justice　has　not　been　upon　their　side。　　　　　The　expedients　invented　by　governments　to　assist　their　merchants　in　selling　dear；　are　numerous。　Some　tend　to　diminish　the　number　of　producers　in　a　market　of　given　extent；　and　therefore　to　force　buyers　to　raise　their　price；　such　are　apprenticeships；　corporations；　monopolies　granted　to　companies；　prohibitions　to　import；　exclusive　governments　of　colonies；　and　favours　obtained　by　treaties　of　commerce；　others；　such　as　bounties　and　drawbacks；　are　destined　really　to　extend　the　market；　though；　by　securing　to　the　manufacturer　a　profit　at　the　government's　expense；　not　the　consumer's。　　　　　The　regulations　of　apprenticeships　and　the　statutes　of　corporations；　were　destined；　it　is　said；　to　hinder　ignorant　workmen　from　following　any　trade　which　they　did　not　yet　understand；　they　were　forced　to　devote　a　determinate　number　of　years　to　learn　it；　and　afterwards　to　gain　admission　into　a　body　which　always　made　obstacles　to　the　entrance　of　new　comers；　and　limited　their　number。　The　pretence　of　thus　watching　over　the　training　of　artisans　cannot　be　made　good。　It　has　often　been　proved；　that　rivalship　alone　gives　that　training；　whilst　a　long　apprenticeship　blunts　the　mind　and　discourages　industry；　but　the　true；　though　secret　object；　to　diminish　the　number　of　those　exercising　a　trade；　was　attained。　The　corporate　body　exercised　a　kind　of　monopoly　against　the　consumer；　it　took　care　at　all　times　to　keep　the　supply　below　the　demand。　The　merchant　doubtless　gained　more；　but　he　gained　on　a　smaller　production。　There　was　less　work　done；　less　increase　of　capital；　less　population　supported；　and　as　to　the　merchant's　extraordinary　profit；　it　was　compensated　by　an　equal　loss　to　the　consumer；　who　was　obliged　to　pay；　not　according　to　his　own　advantage　or　convenience；　but　according　to　the　arbitrary　caprice　of　a　corporation　which　gave　laws　to　him。　　　　　In　all　trading　counties；　a　more　or　less　exclusive　monopoly　has　been　granted；　on　certain　occasions；　to　some　associations　of　merchants；　under　the　name　of　Trading　Companies。　The　avowed　motive　for　sacrificing　the　whole　class　to　this　privileged　number　was　the　particular　nature　of　the　trade　thus　subjected　to　a　monopoly；　which　trade　it　was　said　could　not　be　supported　except　by　very　extensive　funds；　but　governments　had　often　a　secret　motive　besides；　and　this　was；　the　sum　of　money　for　which　the　merchants　bought　their　privilege。　A　company's　monopoly　has　never　failed　to　heighten　the　price　for　the　consumer；　to　diminish　production　and　consumption；　to　give　the　national　capital　a　false　direction；　sometimes　by　attracting　it　prematurely　to　a　branch　of　trade　which　was　not　yet　suitable；　sometimes　by　repelling　it　when　fruitlessly　seeking　an　employment。　But　although　companies　obtained　the　desired　privilege　of　buying　cheap　and　selling　dear；　by　nature　they　are　so　ill　suited　for　economy　and　trading　speculations；　that　although　amazingly　rich；　and　sometimes　sovereigns　of　counties；　these　companies；　their　administrators　having　no　immediate　interest　in　the　prosperity　of　their　trust；　have　almost　all　been　robbed；　and　very　few　of　them　have　not　ended　in　bankruptcy。　　　　　These　different　expedients　for　the　protection　of　commerce；　are　now　generally　decried；　though　almos