tra product might
represent.

Such general theoretical propositions as the above, however, will never
be sufficient to persuade particular groups of wage earners to take a
different view of the interests involved. It is easy to understand
Carlyle's contempt for the smug complacency with which such propositions
have often been put forward, when he wrote, "New Poor Law: Laissez
faire, laissez passer! The master of horses, when the summer labor is
done, has to feed his horses through the winter. If he said to his
horses: 'Quadrupeds, I have no longer work for you; but work exists
abundantly over the world: you are ignorant (or must I read you
Political Economy pictures) that the steam engine always in the long-run
creates additional work? Railways are forming in one quarter of this
earth, canals in another, much cartage is wanted; somewhere in Europe,
Asia, Africa and America, doubt it not, ye will find cartage, and good
go with you!' They with protrusive upper lip snort dubiously;
signifying that Europe, Asia, Africa and America be somewhat out of
their beat: that what cartage may be wanted there is not too well known
to them. _They_ can find no cartage. They gallop distracted along
highways, all fenced in to the right and to the left. Finally under
pains of hunger, they take to leaping fences; eating foreign property,
and--we know the rest."

The reasons are plain. First, because the fixed group demand theory is,
after all, only one variation of the art of monopoly--though a variation
in regard to which special conclusions may be drawn. Therefore, as long
as monopoly is widely practised particular groups of wage earners will
be likely to take advantage of whatever opportunities for monopoly may
present themselves; even if it can be proved that the policy pursued
injures the wage earners as a whole more than any other industrial
group. Short-sighted selfishness will always arise in an atmosphere of
distrust. If the wage earners, for example, believe that the product of
their increased effort will serve but to add to the profits of rings or
combinations controlling prices, they will not make that effort. They
must be able to see that conscientious work really does contribute to
the general good. And second, because at times, the general interest in
effective production can only be served at the direct and serious
expense of particular groups of wage earners. Such a situation arises,
for example, when a skilled craft is f