Communism; Industrial Workers of the World; Socialism
No sooner would the all-perfect Socialists take control at Washington
than the endeavors of the new state to settle the serious difficulties
confronting it would occasion so much discontent and strife as seriously
to threaten, if not actually bring to an end, the very existence of the
new government. For, first of all, the people would have to determine
whether the immense number of property owners, whose goods must be taken
over by the state, should receive full payment, partial payment, or no
payment at all.
The famous Belgian Socialist, Vandervelde, informs us that we may group
into three categories the plans of socialization proposed by different
schools, according to their aiming at the expropriation of the means of
production without indemnity, with complete indemnity, or with limited
indemnity. ["Collectivism and Industrial Evolution," by Vandervelde,
page 152 of the 1904 translation into English.--Chas. H. Kerr and
Company.]
If full compensation were granted, millions of Socialists would become
exceedingly disgusted and discontented, for not only would the new state
from the very beginning of its existence be burdened with a tremendous
debt through having to borrow many billions of dollars, if such a thing
were possible, in order to make the purchases, but--which would make
matters much worse--many of the property owners, who even now are hated
and detested by the Socialists, could, after receiving payment, either
sit down for the rest of their lives and watch the Revolutionists labor
and toil, or else, while doing some work themselves, could use their
wealth in bribing the Socialist officials to bestow on them all kinds of
privileges and favors.
If no compensation whatever were granted, then, in addition to the
hatred and disgust for the new system, which would prevail among the
millions who would be dispossessed of their property, after long years
of work and careful saving in order to purchase it, there would also be
boundless dissatisfaction on the part of persons who, still respecting
God's Commandments and the sense of right in natural conscience, would
want to see justice and honesty reign throughout America.
Finally, if partial payment were made, both those opposed to full
compensation and those in favor of it would be displeased because of the
reasons given, which would still influence them very decidedly. If the
indemnity paid were very small, the former property owners and all
honest citizens would be those especially offended. If the amount paid
were large, dishonest Socialists would take offense. Therefore, no
matter which plan of expropriation were adopted, the state would make a
great number of new enemies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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