The Labor enquirer., 1886-11-20
The Visit and Addresses Of
! Our English Comrades
in Chicago:
The Doctors Definition Of So.
cialism-Our Correspon-
dents Review.
Local Option in the Control Of Public
Institutions One Of the Merits
Of Socialism,

Standing room was at 9 premium,
with no visible supply, at the hall
of the Chicago Secular union last Sum
day evening when We we're favored by q
visit from DR.. Edward Aveling and
Eleanor Marx Aveling. Both are fin.
ished speakers, and the latter more than
ordinarily prepossessing; and l might
venture to say charming. If We regard her
first as the daughter of Karl Marx, we
cannot help it. But soon we regard her
for her own talents, and finally, as fit
ting companion and aid to the able gen.
tleman who is propounding the doc
tr1nes of which her father was the
founder.
Dr. Aveling is an easy but distinct
and impressive speaker He briefly
outlined the doctrine of Socialism, after
which he answered questions and crlti-
cisms.
Socialism, said DR.. Aveling, is an ex.
act science, because it has been devel-
oped by the proper formula, namely !:
observation, experiment, recordal, re-
hection and generalization. AS the law
of natural selection" was verified by
Darwin, 80 was the theory of surplus
value" the generalization which is the
basis of Socialism, verified by Karl
Marx. This surplus value is now
taken by the capitalist, and is the
unpaid labor of the producer. The
value of an article depends entirely
upon the labor required to produce it !;
therefore any part of that value kept
from the producer is unpaid labor. The
remedy suggested by the facts ls,
clearly, that private ownership of the
means of production must cease, and
capital acome the common property OF
the people The results of labor also
will be accessible to all alike, yet each
will hold what he needs as private
property.
The latter point was criticised ad-
versely by few individualists. and by
one naturally lazy man who works only
on compulsion; also the point that un
der Socialism no one can use his wealth
to buy land or labOr-would not be al
lowed to employ any one.
In the opinion of these critics the So
cialism of Karl Marx is not sufficiently
seasoned with individualism. Freedom
of contract would alloH one man to en-
ploy another, and the removal OF au-
thority would leave conditions in which
extortion of surplus value would be I'M
possible. The answer is, that the pros
pect of grabbing this surplus value Is
the only reason for the wage system; If
such grabbing be stopped, no man would
employ another.
We might we'll inquire whether this
difficulty Is not to be overcome by de-
fnihg the sphere of the state and that
of the individual. Perhaps all capital
need not be public; only that which ls
used in public affairs. If we could
classify capital into public and private,
the pubic capital could be controlled by
the state and private capital left as 1t Is.
This would solve the question as re-
CARDS production.
1t offers peaceful solution, because
enterprises could be tab en- by the state
only as fast as they are placed, by the
public will, in the category OF public
capital. 1t is hardly possible That The
state would infringe on the sphere of
the individual, because whenever an In
dustry is proposed as proper enter
prise for the state, indlvldualism will
have possession, and the force OF custom
in its favor. The state would assume
the industry only after agitation had
convinced large ma jority that it was
properly state function. BEGINNING
with railroads, telegraphs, canals, etc,
the public nature of which no one Can
deny, the quota of national affairs will
soon be made up. Then local interests
will be taken in charge by local govern,
ments. The first will be streets, water
gas, schools and libraries; but whether
manufacturing shall be done by public
administration, is matter of puUllc op-
ton. | never understood thai the Da-
t1onsl government should take charge
of local affairs.
Some wears ago certain Socialists in
Chicago agitated The question of public
rect car Lines. Was the street car sys
tenn to be controlled by the Q. s. gov
ernment, or the state of Illinois, or the
county, or even the town. Not at all
The city corporation was to assume con
troll and ownership of street car lines,
new or purchased. Any Socialist in
that movement will confirm this OLhel
cities might follow the Example, but II
the general government undertook t3
establish governmental street cars IL
every city simultaneously, and If any
city were opposed to such a system, il
would sayor of tyranny. Local option
is one of the chief merits of Socialism
and the criticisms based upon govern
mental authority over local affairs, have
no foundation.
To prevent monopolization Of surplus
value is the main object; the details