The Labor enquirer., 1885-02-07
NE MA F!ESY(A
Issued BY the Provisional Council
Of the Socialist League Of
Great Britain
Showing the Evils Of the Present sys-
tenn Of Competition and Pointing 3
Out the Wayto Relief.

Out the Way to Relief.
Following is the manifesto issued by
!. the new Socialist oreanizat don, the So
cialist League, of Great Britain, the
formation of which was related in Com
rade Mahon's letter in hast weeks paper
The document has been fOfwsrded fol
publication in THE ENouIRER. And it is
recommended for the careful considera.
ton of all:
FELLOW CITIZENS We come before
you as body advocating the principles
of Revolutionary Interna ional Socisl.
ism; that is, We seek change in the
basis of society "a change which would
destroy the distinctions of classes and
nstionalities.
As the civilized world is at present
constituted there are two classes Of
society, the one possessing, wealth and
the instruments of its production. the
other producing wealth by means OF
those instruments, hut .only by the leave
and for the use of the possessing classes.
These two classes are necessarily in
antagonism to one another. The pos
sessing class. or non producers, can only
live as class on the unpaid labor Of the
producers the more unpaid labor they
can wiring out of them, the richer they
will be; therefore the produciog class
the workers-are driven to strive to
better themselves at the expense of the
possessing class, and the conflict between
the two is ceaseless. Sometimes it takes
the form ofopen rebellion, sometimes of
strikes, sometimes Of mere widespread
mendicancy and crime; but it is always
going on in one form or other, though it
may not always be obvious to the
thonghtless lookersson.
We have spoken Of unpaid labor; it is
necessary to explain what that means.
The.sole possession of the producing
class is the power Of laber inherent IN
their bodies; but since, as we have
already said, the rich classes possess all
the instruments of labor that is, the
land, capital and machinery, the pro-
ducers or workers ssre forced to sell their
sole possession, the power of labor, on
such terms as the possessing class will
grant them.
These terms are, that after they have
earned enough to keep them in working
order, and enable Them to beget children
to take their places wher they are worn
out, the surplus of their earnings shall
belong to the possesso.s of property
which bargain is Eased ON the fact that
everv man working in {. civilized COM
munity can produce more than he needs
for his own sustenance. I
This relation of the possessing class to
the working class is the essential basis
of the system of producing for a profit,
on which our modern sacietv is founded
The way in which it works is as follows
= The manufacture produces to sell at a
profit to the broker or factor, who in his
turn makes profit ouS of his dealings
with the merchant, who again sells for q
profit to the retailer, wao must make bis
profit out of the generas public, aided by
various degrees of fraud and adulteration
and the ignorance OF the value and
quality of goods tb which this system has
reduced the consumer. ss-
The profit, grinding system is main
1tained by competition, or veiled war
not only between the conflicting classes
but also within the cl,.sses themselves
there is always war among the workers
for bare subsistence, and among thcil
masters, the employers and middle-men,
for the share of the profit wrung out OF
the workers lastly. there is competition
always, and som stimes open war, among
the nations of the civilized world for
their share of the world market. Fol-
now, indeed, all the rivalries of nations
have been reduced to this one, q degrad'
ing struggle for their share Of the spoilt
of barbarous countries to- be used at
home for the purpose of increasing the
riches of the rich and the poverty OF the
poor.
For. owing to the fact that goods are
made primarily to sell ana only seconda-
riIv for use, Iab5r Is wasted on all hands
aimee the pursuit of Iroft compels the
manufacturer competing with his fell
lows to force his wares on the
markets by means Of their cheapness
whether there is any real demand fol
,har, or not In the words of the Com