The Labor enquirer., 1884-07-12
The B0uRGEOIslE.
A Record of the Past Misdeeds
Of the capitalistic
Class.
A Lecture Delivered in Scotland BY
THE Enquirer's" Special
Correspondent.

~ b.. 10 ~ + II y r s. - = K.
This lecture was delivered at meet
ing of the Edinburgh branch of the
Democratic Federation, by ]. L. Mahon
w. Howard Campbell, chairman of the
University Socialist society, in the chair
The lecture was forwarded to THE EN-
oUIRER for publication.1
FRIENDS AND COMRADES Il am to speak
to you tonight of the deeds, past and
present, of the bourgeoisie. The title Of
my lecture would seem to indicate that
wished to address that class alone; it is
not so; although freely confess that ]
should feel great pleasure in telling
them of the misery they created in the
past; of the wrongs they infict to-day
But / merely wish to relate the story Of
the misdeeds and mis- -deings of the most
corrupt and Infamous class of social
tyrants that ever darkened the annals of
history. Understand that although 1
confne myself to our own country's his
tory, much the same state of things ex-
lists in every civilized nation. The deeds
of the bourgeoisie becloud the glory of
all the great achievements of modern
progress. Our object is to remove that
cloud, that the great strivlngs, inven-
tions and researches of the mighty men
of the days that are gone, and the days
that are, may help to brighten the bleak
ness of the laborer's life.
Society is divided into two distinct
classes, the bourgeoise and the prele-
tariat although not English terms, these
are the most suitable we can get, there
being no equivalent for them in English.
These names are historical, and their
sound is sure to arrest the attention OF
the middle-class, as they are associated
with the great Revolutionary agitations
on the continent in which Marx, Engles,
Lasalle, Bakounine and host of others
took part. In order to make my mean
ing clear 1 will give definition, as lucid
as can, of these two terms: "Bour-
geoisie" includes all who live by the con-
fiscated labor of others, confscated in
the shape of rent, profit or interest.
Burnette Haskell and other prominent
Socialists are wont to give shorter def
robbers" But I am not dis
posed to accept this as it is only condi-
tionally true. One must Intentionally
steal in order to earn the epithet, "thief," ,"
and l am not disposed to give the aver
aye bourgeois credit for possessing suffi-
cient intelligence to understand the
social problem. If he does understand
it and fails to raise his voice against the
system then he may justly be termed a
robber. Let me illustrate: The Duke
of Argyle and Jay Gould belong to the
peculatiy1 class, but Individually are not
robbers, because their ignorance of 7co-
nomics prevents them from fully under
standing the relations Of the laborers to
the land and capital lords. On the other
hand Mr.. Hyndman or Mr.. Morris, who
do understand the question might fairly
come under Mr. -Haskell's expressive, if
not elegant, term, but that they do most
vigorously raise their voices against the
iniquitous system of which they are an
unwilling part. A capitalist cannot
sever himself from capitalism, and ben
eft the workers in doing so. But it is
his duty not only to denounce capitalism,
but to devote his energies to procuring
it's destruction.
The "proletariat" means the disinher-
tied, the working wage-slaves of the
bourgeoisie, who get for their labor sum
merely sufficient to maintain them in
stead of the full value of the articles
rhev produce. Proof of this is found in
the fact that wages are not regulated by
the increase or decrease in the value Of
products, but by the abundance ol
scarcity of unemployed laborers in the
market.
This brief departure into the Internal
regions of political economy may appear
to be an uncaled for DEPRESSION but al
we proceed you will find its utility.
The rise of the bourgeoisie Is synony
nous with the introduction of ma
.chinery, and the employment of laborer'
by private proprietors of the apparatu:
of production. Formerly the mass o
the. people were employed as farHaer'
and agricultural laborers; or craftsmen
such as weavers, carpenters, masons
smiths, tailors and shoemakers. Organ
lied industry as we see it to-day, in large
factories. with hundreds and even thou
sands of workers, was unknown. There
were employers of labor who paid thell
workmen wages, but there is wide diff
ference between the position of maste
and workman, then aud now. Prevlou
10 the rise of the bourgeoisie the larges
employer of labor had only feW mel
under him, and these men had wage
which put them almost on a leVel wiz
their master; they got nearly the ful
value of the goods they produced, tn
master having but little profit OF thei
tlabor The master could not force wage
down to the merely subsistence point be
canse the amount of capital required t.
start business was so small that any work
man could start for himself with the re
snlts of a few months or a few years
4 saving Another circumstance whicl
/ ,nIaDopdann