The Labor enquirer., 1886-03-13
UNION AND LIBERTY.

i
They Must be One or Civilization VIII
Continue to be
Failure.
For the Enquirer
Much is said of late obpua ones owning
what he produces and about individual
right and independence. Should like to
add a few words to the subject.
Many seem to entertain the idea that
| if each could own all the land he wanted
to use, and have as his own all he could
produce, the world would be happy and
we'll fixed. Such condition would be
suitable for squirrels, birds, or for the
lowest order of human beings, but it
would be no paradise for intelligent
people; as it is easy to show. l..
In an ignorant condition with conse-
quent simple wants each person can and
| will be slack of all work." for they
will clothe themselves with skins of
wild beasts, live oa wild fruits, game and
fish, and make holes in the ground or
build rude structures for houses and for
travelling they will walk or enslave some
ANIMAL to carry them. But the moment
Intelligence Increases their ambition,
they are forced by nature to divide their
| employments, one doing one branch of
work and another another branch.
| A gives his whole life and attention to
agriculture, B confines himself to me-
chanics, and G gives histime to transpor-
tation. In this way are the three great
branches improved, then subdivided
and farther improved. But under the
private property system, the moment
men cease to be Jacks of all work"it be-
comes absolutely necessary to establish
a system of exchange or barter trade, be-
cause if the one who made boots could
not exchange them with the farmer for
| food, one would starve anil the other
would freeze, Eve1 exchange would be
no robbery, but this cannot be main
tanned.
To illustrate, let US suppose that pair
of boots are worth on correct average
estimate, Just as much as bushel of 10.
tatoes. A is the farmer, B the shoe
maker. If A is talented and gets good
ground and B is only an average shoe
maker, then A will produce two bushels
of potatoes to BIS one pair of boots. This
y gives A the advantage. Reverse it and
make A the ordinary farmer on poor
!, land, and B a skillful shoemaker in a
good position and B can produce two
pairs of boots to AS one bushel of pota.
toes. This gives B the advantage. We
know that no two people are alike in
, skiu,-ln opportunities or In luck, there.
fore we know that. eqnslity is an impos.
sibility under separate estate or pri'
vate property system.
But this is not all. Each person being
obliged to confne himself to what he
; can get out of lis own products, it oper.
ates as constant sJimulant to his
selfshness, for upon that alone depends
Il his success. It results IN this way: E
goes to A with boots to exchange for po.
tatoes, but A is well fixed with surplus
and B can Just make boots enough from
day to day to keep him aliye. B SAYS tt
| A, Here are the boots, want bushel
of potatoes" A saws, II can waita few
DAYS for the boots, but if you must have
potatoes to-day, I will, to accommodate
ycu, give a half b1shel of potatoes fol-
/ the b0ots." B is hard up and must sell
, his boots at the half price offered ol
starve. Thus A becomes capitalist an
B slave. L.. --.-.s ADDE'S. w..
We see that by the very law ofnaturt
> A and B could not advance in ciViliza
!, I ton until A gave all his time to agricul
ture and B gave all his time to mecban
ical art and by owning the results o
their labor separately they could not liv'
, without trading and guided by human
selfishness thus stimulated, they could
not trade without proft-mongery, and
they could not have proft.mongery
: without its resulting in ones becoming
3 master and the other becoming &
slave.
Therefore we know that nine enthI
of the world are practically slaves anc
the other one, tenth are their MASTER
, because A and B insisted on owHin.
the results of their labors as separate
properties. Had the potatoes raised b'
A and the oots made by B been held a
one property bg A and B together
, neither could have made slave OF th'
!, other. It is this false doctrine tha
! Each shonld own what he produces
| that has made. and is still making, a!
e the misery. Aud it is this false doctrine
i that we must get rid If before equality
and personal Independence ca be DOS
sible to civilized life. As we stated above
l this doctrine of personal property o
, private property or individual estates O
, lby whatever name it may be called, il
all right for birds. animals and the loves
condition of man. but when men ris
above the Jack of all work" condition
: of living, they must begin to work to
. gether as one body and make the variou
results of their labor one property, O.
the great majority must suffer. Thisis
; natural, strict and unyielding law Q
civilizstion's advancement and / i
, worse than useless to contend against i.
!, Under civilization. "unlon and liberty
: is and must be one or civilization canno
be.
Il We must have and hold all the Vari
: ous results of our labors as one property
or be slaves There is no escape from
!, this If we insist on being civilized AMI
! having the results Of civilization,
Il G. 8. GRIFFIN.