The Labor enquirer., 1884-05-17
J. |. MAHON.
An Able Lecture Delivered by
this Scientific Socialist in
Watt University
An lrrefutable Argument Against the
Absurdity Of the Malthu-
sian Theory. :.


School of Arts, Edinburgh, Scotland, By
~. L. .Mahon, regular correspondent o
The ENQUIRER. The. lecture was re-
ceived with due appreciation by the
students, and no serious attempts at re
ffuting the statements and doctrines
enunciated were made by the critics. Il
affords THE ENQUIRER great pleasure tc
be able to give its readers the benefit o
this able lecture - >v---
| .- REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALISM. N=s
The social tendency of to-day is to di
vide society into two distinct groups, the
wage-earners, or proletariat, who actually
produce the wealth, and the capitalists
and their onhangers, or bourgeoisie, who
hold as private property the wealth in
course of exchange, the machinery and
other means of producing wealth, and
the natural material from which, by the
application of labor. wealth is drawn.
Some time must yet elapse before the
true position of these two classes can be
clearly seen. The remains of the feudal
system have not yet entirely disappeared
before the onward march of capitalism
Monarchy and aristocracy still exist and
squander annually a few millions Of
pounds which of right belong to the
starving wage-earners but their real
influence is in a state of irreGoverable
decay; the monarch displays no further
sign of official vitality than that involved
in occasionally athxing signature to an
act of parliament, while the aristocraCy
are completely controlled by the capital
lists, and, individually are fast becoming
part of the capitalist system.
In social as in political spheres the
same tendency towards Capitalization OF
wealth and power is plainly observable
Manufactures and commerce are rapidly
drifting into the hands of large com.
panies to the extinction of small makers
and traders.
The present social system is essentially
competitive, and under it mankind is
continually engaged in an internecine
war in which the object of contention is
| the means of subsistence.
The re construction of society adYo
Gated by Socialists is on the contrary
essentially cooperative; under it man,
kind would be organized for mutual aid
in producing and exchanging wealth.
Before touching upon the principles Of
Socialism, glance at the constitution
and results of the competitive system is
necessary.
The bourgeoisie practically exploits
the proletaire, buying and selling him in
the public market like piece of mer
chandise, ie., for the cost of his produc
ton and maintenance. By the opera
ton of economical laws, wages can never
rise above the means of subsistence
The increase of population and labor
saving machinery creates surplus o.
labor in the market, with the result thai
competition for work is constantly
going on. The laborers out of work viii
sooner accept wage which will merely
maintain them than 60 idle and starve
The effect.is to keep wages generally a
minimum which will give but bare
subsistence. This law of wages bring'
to light an example of the gross injustice
of the competitive system.
If certain piece of work is to b.
performed the greater, the number o
workers the more easily can the task b.
accomplished. Society, we are told, is {
number of individuals combined fo
mutual benefit. The most importan
object of the combination, one woult
imagine, is to produce the necessities o
life; and yet the greater the, number
producers the more miserable become
their condition. The condition of tn
proletari at under modern civilization i
immeasurably worse than that of tn
slave in ancient times. A slave holde
always kept his slaves we'll supplied witt
food, if only in order that they nigh
the better perform his work. But tn
bourgeoisie of the enlightened nine
teenth century, by the power of his Gun
ming, a cunning invariably masked witt
culture, takes advantage of the inferio
intelligence of his fellow man, reduce
him to a state of servitude, makes
, profit out of his necessities, and surreE
titiously deprives him of the produce
his labor, which he squanders in riotou
luxury and debauchery, while his victir
languishes for lack of the common es
sentlals of existence.
: l must here refer to a theory expo
nented by the Rev. Mr.. Nautilus, an
: supported by large number of prom
3 nent political economists. 1t may b
. well, however, to remember that job
!. Stuart Mill, one of the ablest OF tn
: malthusian advocates, lately gave up th
theory by adopting Socialism.
, The malthusian proposition wit
!. which we have to deal is that "popul'
ton tends to increase faster than tt
means of subsistence with the cons
ouent deduction that the cause of soci
: misery is the overstocking of the labt
market. The idea of oyerstocking IL
. labor market is seen to be absurd whe
) we reflect that density Of population is
decided advantage to production