British Socialism Part 14

[312] Muse, _Poverty and Drunkenness_, p. 9.

[313] _Facts for Socialists_, p. 7.

[314] Guyot, _Pretensions of Socialism_, p. 16.

[315] Davidson, _The Old Order and the New_, p. 9.

[316] Dearmer, _Socialism and Christianity_, pp. 17, 18.

[317] Marx and Engels, _Manifesto_, p. 22.

[318] Gronlund, _Co-operative Commonwealth_, p 105.

[319] Macdonald, _Socialism_, p. 105.

[320] _Socialism, For and Against_, p. 9.

[321] Davidson, _The Old Order and the New_, p. 158.

[322] Bebel, _Woman_, pp. 231, 232.

[323] "Veritas," _Did Jesus Christ teach Socialism?_ p. 2.

[324] _Social-Democratic Federation Song Book_, p. 56.

[325] _Ibid._ p. 30.

[326] _Independent Labour Party Song Book_, p. 33.

[327] _Social-Democratic Federation Song Book_, p. 43

[328] _Independent Labour Party Song Book_, p. 7.

[329] Marx and Engels, _Manifesto_, pp. 21, 22.

[330] Leatham, _The Cla.s.s War_, pp. 13, 14.

[331] _Socialism Made Plain_, p. 10.

[332] Programme, _Social-Democratic Federation_.

[333] _Clarion_, October 18, 1907.

[334] Marx and Engels, _Manifesto_, p. 30.

[335] _Motto of The Socialist_, weekly, taken from Marx and Engels'

_Manifesto_.

[336] _The Cla.s.s War_, p. 2.

[337] _Socialism Made Plain_, p. 10.

[338] Joynes, _The Socialist Catechism_, p. 5.

[339] Bax, _Essays in Socialism_, pp. 101, 102.

[340] Bax, _Ethics of Socialism_, p. 82.

CHAPTER VI

THE ATt.i.tUDE OF SOCIALISTS TOWARDS THE WORKING Ma.s.sES

Before investigating the att.i.tude of British Socialism towards the working ma.s.ses, it is necessary to take note of its doctrines regarding work.

Most thinkers, from the time of King Solomon, Socrates, and Confucius down to the present age, have seen in work conscientiously performed a blessing; many, probably most, British Socialists declare it to be a curse and a vice. The leading English philosopher of Socialism, for instance, tells us: "To the Socialist labour is an evil to be minimised to the utmost. The man who works at his trade or avocation more than necessity compels him, or who acc.u.mulates more than he can enjoy, is not a hero but a fool from the Socialists' standpoint."[341]

A leading French Socialist informs us: "Through listening to the fallacious utterances of the middle-cla.s.s economists, the workers have delivered themselves body and soul to the vice of work."[342] When Mr.

Victor Grayson, M.P., a Socialist, in a speech ventured to refer to work as "one of the greatest blessings and privileges ever conferred on humanity," one of the Socialist papers wrote: "Victor Grayson is simply an agent of the capitalist cla.s.s. Is Mr. Victor Grayson, M.P., trying to allure the capitalist cla.s.s by picturing work as a blessing, or is he trying to get the worker to look upon work through a rosy mist conjured from the brains of the capitalist's agent who is saturated with capitalist philosophy? It is time the Beat.i.tudes were extended or revised. How would this do?--'Blessed is the worker who works (for the capitalist), for he shall inherit the kingdom (of starvation and misery under capitalism).' 'Blessed is work in itself, because it enables (the capitalist) to live in peace and happiness.'

Since work is a blessing, it follows that whatever saves work is a curse. All the beautiful machinery which the working cla.s.s have shed their life blood to produce, to develop which an army of them have been sacrificed under capitalism by the capitalists; this which the workers of ages and ages have contributed their mite towards; have laboured long and suffered silently to create; this is an evil!!!"[343]

British Socialists do their utmost to convert the workers into s.h.i.+rkers by teaching them not only that work is an evil in itself, but by constantly admonis.h.i.+ng them, "on scientific grounds," to work as little as possible during the time they are employed. "It is the interest of the employer to get as much work out of his hands as possible for as little wages as possible. It is the interest of the workers to get as high a wage as possible for as little labour as possible."[344] "The workers have been taught by the practical economists of the trade-unions, and have learnt for themselves by bitter experience, that every time any of them in a moment of ambition or good will does one stroke of work not in his bond, he is increasing the future unpaid labour not only of himself, but of his fellows."[345]

The Independent Labour Party has issued a leaflet ent.i.tled "Are you a Socialist?" in which the question occurs, "Do you believe that every individual should have sufficient leisure to cultivate his higher faculties and enjoy life to the fullest extent?" and the answer is, "If you say 'Yes,' join the Independent Labour Party and help to carry its principles into effect."[346]

Many Socialists promise the workers that the Socialist State of the future will abolish the curse of work by greatly diminis.h.i.+ng the hours of labour. A leading English Socialist writer says: "It is as plainly demonstrable as that twice four make eight that a due system of organised effort would enable your 43,000,000 of people to win from Nature an overflowing superfluity of all that man desires, without one-fourth the effort put forth now to win a beggarly subsistence so far short of what your community requires that 13,000,000 of your people live continually upon the very verge of starvation."[347] A leading American Socialist promises somewhat vaguely, "A few hours of work will secure to everybody all necessaries, decencies, and comforts of life."[348] William Morris tells us that four hours' work will suffice, and that it will not all be "mere machine-tending."[349]

Morrison-Davidson prophesies that the "hours of labour will probably not exceed a minimum of two and a maximum of five daily."[350] Hyndman feels quite certain that "two or three hours' labour out of the twenty-four by all adult males would be enough to give the whole community all the wholesome necessaries and comforts of life,"[351]

and Bax thinks that "In a perfectly organised Socialist State men never worked more than two or three hours a day."[352] Yves Guyot wittily says: "There is no reason why their demands should not go further. Zero alone can bid them defiance."[353] It is worth noting that many Anarchists also promise a great lessening of the hours of labour when the State has been destroyed. Kropotkin, for instance, requires only from four to five hours' work.[354] Agitators desirous to secure the support of the workers cannot be too lavish in their promises.

In the Socialist State of the future a few hours' work every day will give boundless prosperity to all, for "Wealth may easily be made as plentiful as water at the expense of trifling toil."[355] "Under Socialism, nineteen-twentieths of the people will be better off materially than they are to-day, for they will be equal partners in all the productive and distributive wealth of the community."[356]

"Comparative affluence would be enjoyed by each member of the community."[357]

In the Socialist commonwealth of the future "all wages will be immediately increased," for "the social community will apply itself to raise all salaries of workers and peasants."[358] "In a Socialist State you will have everyone paid a living wage. The surplus will be dispensed by the State, bringing happiness to the whole community."[359]

The British national revenue amounts at present only to a little more than _140,000,000l._ By the abolition of the private capitalists and landowners the Socialist Government of Great Britain "would at once find themselves in possession of a revenue amounting to some _900,000,000l._ per annum, and would probably be puzzled for a time how to dispose of it and prevent themselves being buried under its acc.u.mulation."[360] This is neither a joke nor a misprint, for the well-known writer, author of countless Socialist pamphlets, continues: "After a variety of attempts to dispose of it by dividing into good fat salaries among those of your community who had had least to do with its production, after the usual custom, I believe means would be employed ultimately for inducing them to keep it under by increasing the wages of the workers, which is another way of saying that those whose labour had produced the wealth would be allowed to enjoy it, which would be something quite novel."[361]

The Socialist Government would not only diminish the working hours making them from three to five hours a day, but would also double and treble wages, partly in order to get rid of the glut of money flowing into the National Exchequer, partly because the workers would presumably receive the whole produce of their labour (see Chapter IV.) in the form of wages as soon as the private capitalists were eliminated. Repairs, renewals, replacement of capital losses, and the extension of national industry, which are at present effected out of the savings of private capitalists, would, under the Socialist _regime_, apparently no longer be required, and direction, supervision, and distribution would apparently no longer cost anything. The workers are quite seriously told by the philosopher of British Socialism, collaborating with the editor of "Justice": "Under present conditions the total wealth produced would, if equitably divided, amount to a value equal to more than _200l._ per year per family. But to suppose that any mere distributive readjustment is what is meant by Socialism is to entirely misunderstand what Socialism really involves. Socialism means the complete reorganisation of production as well as distribution. With production scientifically and socially organised, the productivity of labour would be quintupled, and the amount of wealth would be increased in proportion."[362] In other words, there would be _1,000l._ a year for each family. Another Socialist more plainly states: "At the present hour it is calculated that the wealth of the United Kingdom exceeds 2,000 millions per year.

This divided among forty millions gives _250l._ per family. It is said that the abolition of waste labour and the absorption of the idle cla.s.ses would quadruple the production. One thousand pounds per year per family is a very good standard of comfort under a co-operative system of living."[363]

The two estimates agree in this, that the Socialist family of five should receive in wages _1,000l._ per annum, or about _3l. 10s._ per working day. In another chapter we shall learn that in the Socialist State only the young and strong would work, and they would work, as we have seen in the foregoing pages, between three and four hours a day.

In other words, the worker who earns now, say, _10d._ an hour, would, under the Socialist commonwealth, receive _1l._ per hour. Who would not be a Socialist?

A leading German Socialist has endeavoured to gauge the effect of Socialism upon the working cla.s.ses. In making his calculations he has borne in mind the necessity of providing for the wear and tear of capital, and for other expenditure, and he has arrived at the conclusion: "A generous sick insurance will have to be set up, as well as an invalid and old-age insurance for all incapacitated workers, &c.

Thus we see that not much will remain for the raising of the wages from the present income of the capitalists, even if capital were confiscated at a stroke, still less if we were to compensate the capitalists. It will consequently be necessary, in order to be able to raise the wages, to raise at the same time the production far above its present level."[364]

The value of high wages lies in the produce they buy. It is of course quite clear that a nation, in order to consume more, must also produce more. It would be interesting to know whether leading Socialists, such as Messrs. Bax, Quelch, and Hazell, who must be acquainted with the sober estimates of the German Socialists, honestly believe that under a Socialist _regime_ _1,000l._ per annum will be available per family, or whether these statements have only been made to obtain supporters on the not very honourable principle, _Vulgus vult decipi, decipiatur_.