20

UN THE NATURE
His reason for this opinion is not, however, that
the value of this commodity would necessarily
vary with the value of the commodities com-
pared with it, but that no commodity could be
found, which is not itself exposed to the same
causes of fluctuation as all other commodities.
My proposition is, that if the causes affecting
any one commodity continued unaltered, this
commodity would not be invariable in value,
unless the causes affecting all commodities
compared with it, continued unaltered. Mr.
Ricardo, on the contrary, maintains, that pro-
vided the causes affecting one commodity were
always the same, the commodity would be of
invariable value, in regard to commodities pro-
duced under the same circumstances, notwith-
standing any changes in the causes affecting
them, provided those changes did not extend
to the proportions betwixt the fixed and cireu-
lating capital, the durability of the fixed capi-
tal, or the length of time required to bring the
commodity to market. What I assert is, that
if all commodities were produced under ex-