British Socialism Part 6

[119] Bax and Quelch, _A New Catechism of Socialism_, p. 7.

[120] _Poems for Socialists_, p. 8.

[121] _Social-Democratic Federation Song Book_, p. 25.

[122] Washington, _A Corner in Flesh and Blood_, p. 14.

[123] _Ibid._

[124] Benson, _Socialism_, p. 5.

[125] Washington, _Nation of Slaves_, p. 11.

[126] Davidson, _The Old Order and the New_, p. 30.

[127] _Some Objections to Socialism_, p. 7.

[128] Davidson, _The Old Order and the New_, p. 45.

[129] Morris, _Useful Work and Useless Toil_, p. 30.

[130] _Some Objections to Socialism_, p. 20.

[131] Keir Hardie, _From Serfdom to Socialism_, p. 52.

[132] Hall, _The Old and New Unionism_, p. 5.

[133] Macdonald, _Socialism_, p. 6.

[134] _The Socialist Annual_, 1907, p. 16 f.

[135] _Facts for Socialists_, p. 5.

[136] _Facts for Socialists_, pp. 6, 7.

[137] _Ibid._ p. 7.

[138] _Ibid._ p. 8.

[139] _Facts for Socialists_, pp. 8, 9.

[140] See _Daily News_, November 28, 1907.

[141] _Facts for Socialists_, p. 7.

[142] See Mr. Quail's paper in the _Contemporary Review_ for August 1907.

[143] Ward, _The Ideal City_, pp. 5, 6.

[144] Keir Hardie, _From Serfdom to Socialism_, p. 15.

[145] Quelch, _Social-Democratic Federation_, p. 5.

[146] _Manifesto of the Socialist Party of Great Britain_, p. 8.

[147] Sidney Webb, _The Difficulties of Individualism_, p. 8.

[148] Keir Hardie, _Can a Man be a Christian on a Pound a Week?_ p. 7.

[149] Joynes, _The Socialist Catechism_, p. 2.

[150] Hazell, _Summary of Marx's "Capital,"_ p. 9.

CHAPTER IV

THE FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINES OF SOCIALISM

In describing the doctrines of Socialism I do not mean to state in detail the whole of the Socialistic theories. Such a statement would fill a volume, it would be excessively tedious to most readers, and it is for all practical purposes quite unnecessary. A statement of the leading doctrines on which the activity of the Socialists is based--the doctrines which are constantly a.s.serted and which are the fundamental dogmas of the Socialist faith--will enable us to obtain a clear view of the foundations upon which the theoretic fabric of Socialism is built, and to judge whether that foundation is scientific and sound, or unscientific and unsound.

The basic doctrine of Socialism, upon which the great edifice of Socialistic theory has been reared, may be summed up in the phrase

"LABOUR IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF WEALTH"

Therefore we read in the celebrated pamphlet "Facts for Socialists,"

of which some important extracts were given in the preceding chapter: "Commodities are produced solely by the 'efforts and sacrifices'

(Cairns), whether of muscle or of brain, of the working portion of the community, employed upon the gifts of Nature. Adam Smith 'showed that labour is the only source of wealth.... It is to labour, therefore, and to labour only, that man owes everything possessed of exchangeable value (McCulloch's 'Principles of Political Economy,'

Part II., section 1). 'No wealth whatever can be produced without labour' (Professor Henry Fawcett (Cambridge), 'Manual of Political Economy,' p. 13),"[151]

This statement is scarcely honest, for it quotes opinions of Adam Smith and others which are erroneous, as will be seen in the following, and which have been generally abandoned. This statement may impose upon the simple by its show of learning, but it is somewhat vague, for it only suggests, but does not distinctly a.s.sert, that manual labour is the only source of wealth. However, in most--one might say in nearly all--Socialist books, pamphlets, and declarations of policy we find the basic doctrine of Socialism a.s.serted in a form which leaves no doubt that according to the Socialist theories the manual labour of the labourer is the only source of wealth.

The founder of modern Socialism declared, "Labour is the only source of wealth,"[152] and his disciples--at least his British disciples--support that declaration. "All wealth is due to labour; therefore, to the labourers all wealth is due."[153] "Labour applied to natural objects is the source of all wealth."[154] The Socialist Party of Great Britain declares: "Wealth is natural material converted by labour-power to man's use, and as such is consequently produced by the working cla.s.s alone."[155] The Independent Labour party a.s.serts: "No man or cla.s.s of men made the first kind of wealth, such as land, minerals, and water. Therefore no man or cla.s.s of men should be allowed to call these things their own, or to prevent others from using them (except on certain conditions), as the landowners and mine-owners do now. The only cla.s.s of human beings who make the second kind of wealth are the workers. Working men and women produce and prepare for us all those things which we use or consume, such as food, clothing, houses, furniture, instruments and implements, trams, railways, pictures, books, gas, drains, and many other things. They produce all the wealth obtained by toil from the land."[156]

Those who maintain that labour, or, as some Socialists a.s.sert, the labourer's labour, is the only source of wealth, look merely at the mechanical factor, but omit the force which directs and controls it.

The Socialistic argument "We can run the mills without the capitalists, but they cannot run them without us"[157] is misleading.

Labour is certainly an indispensable ingredient in production, but it is no more indispensable than is direction, invention, and thrift.

Hence it is as absurd to a.s.sert "All wealth is due to labour" as to say "All wealth is due to invention," or "All wealth is due to thrift." As the brain is more important than the hand, at least in a highly organised state of production, so invention, organisation, management, and thrift are more important than manual labour, because invention, organisation, management, and thrift alone enable manual labour, working with modern machinery, to be highly productive. In fact, it may be a.s.serted that wealth is created not so much by labour as by the saving of labour. A factory-owner who is dissatisfied with the profits of his factory or with its products does not get better workers, but gets a better manager or better machinery, keeping his workers. This fact proves that labour is the least important factor in modern production. The doctrine "Labour is the only source of wealth"

is untenable and absurd.

Another fundamental doctrine of Socialism is that of

"THE IRON LAW OF WAGES"

According to that law, "wages under compet.i.tion can never be higher than that which will just support the labourer and enable him to renew his kind."[158] In the words of La.s.salle, the inventor of the Iron Law of Wages, "the wages of the labourer are limited to the exact amount necessary to keep him alive."[159]

The British Socialist writers tell us: "The average price of wage-labour is the minimum wage--_i.e._ that quantum of the means of subsistence which is absolutely requisite to keep the labourer in bare existence."[160] "The labourer cannot as a rule command more than his cost of subsistence in return for his labour. This principle, that the return to labour is determined by the cost of subsistence of the labourer, is generally known as 'The Iron Law of Wages.' But has not this law been discarded even by some Socialists? There have been attempts in some quarters to demonstrate that this law does not actually operate with the rigidity at first claimed for it; but in truth, it stands as firmly to-day as when insisted upon by La.s.salle."[161] "Capitalism always keeps the wages down to the lowest standard of subsistence which the people will accept,"[162] for "the basis of wages is the cost of subsistence of the labourer. This is called the 'Iron Law of Wages.'"[163] "By the Iron Law of Wages the recompense of the workers always tends to the minimum on which they are willing to subsist. If they are content with water to drink and cabbage to eat, they may be sure that the means of buying whisky or roast beef will very soon be taken from them. Messrs. Rentmonger, Interestmonger, and Profitmonger will speedily scent additional swag, and they will have it, too."[164] "The 'Iron Law of Wages' reduces the wages to as near the level of the means of subsistence as local circ.u.mstances will admit of."[165] If these arguments were correct it would follow that the workers could cause their wages to rise by drinking wine instead of whisky, and by smoking Havana cigars instead of pipe-tobacco.