Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-10-06
REAL LIBERTY IN SOCIALISM.
Difficulties in the Way of Private Own.
ership of Public COnyeDiences.

'hV'N iioiil i~totftJ' III IoPJ tlipoc
answers that are not entirely convincing,
and take pains not to garble the instruc-
ton so kindly given Mr.. Lloyd finds
music in my name, "Rinctum.' This
also is a promoter of good fellowship,
Music is the oftening element that will
soothe natural asperities and lead men
to higher broth rhood. | intended to
sign a whole chorus but doubted my
talent; for, as | am in 1.-The category of
savages," 1t would most likely have been
weird, savage, war chant. | reCipro-
cate by discovering music in Mr. Lilo, DIS
name. AT school | knew a youth Of
that name who was invariably saluted
with Big l., little |, o, Y, D. If prop
erly sung this has as good Jingle" as
the verse recalled by MIR. Lloyd;
with a rinctum-ray-
And rincty -addyay-
And rinCt um raddy-
And rinctum ray
used to think that the ordinary sound
of "l' applied to the "Lr' did them in
justice, They should be prolonged mu-
sically.
This musical sympathy will tend to
harmonic my doctrinal differences with
Lloyd, if there be any. He thinks | will
become an anarchist, and think he will
become State Socialist, in reality, if the
word State can be cast out. The ed
itor of Liberty disputes with one w. H.
Mcnamara on the doctrine by the AuS-
trdlidn Rddicdl, one deeming it anar-
chistic, the other ate-socialistic. Why
not unite on a name and stop disputing?
But let each side be candid. 1t is not
correct to say of a State Socialist that he
"beheves in increasing the authority of
the State 1t is more service, not more
authority, that we want, We can say
with Thomas Paine that authority is
necessary evil, and still desire enough
for protection of the public service
against like evils. Regarding defence
from criminals Mr.. Lloyd demands the
same. He advocates an
Association of free men to defend against
crime Of the more outrageous sort"
Such organization will define crime,
say what shall be Outrageous, and
assume authority to punish. Yet / am
called a savage because | want invasion
defined by law. Unless am mistaken
this is just what savagery is not; saw
ages have pride in their personal ideas
of right, and deny the authority of all
chiefs, but follow them if they choose.
Each one fights for his own code, hence
savagery is perpetual warfare.
| am sure Mr. Lloyd must own toll
road, He discourages all improvements
of public roads. He will not allow the
element of value to enter into the con-
slderation of public roads, He says;
Public does not necessarily mean belonging
to the people their property in common; it
also, commonly and properly, means open for
| the peoples use, and in that sense ] employed
it. If we can properly call that public hall
which is really owned by a proprietor and
rented at so much night to the ueople, there
is surely no violence in calling a strip of ground
which no one owns, but on which all may
travel, public road"
think this comparison so faulty that
its force turns the argument in my favor,
by proving that road is essentially a
collective concern just as a coat is an in
dlvidual concern. | will let Mr.. Lloyd
prove this:
'Iassert; those who omacadamized roads, flag
ged payements and built massive bridges, must
pay for them unless Others choose to help, and
If men elect TO travel on these without contrib.
uting they must not be hit dered."
'If road is produced by labor it belongs,
not to everybody, hut to those who produced
ito each in proportion to his labor; and he
can forbid any one else to travel on it, or per
nit him to do so under such conditions as it
may please him TO impose. Such is the priva'e
road for private use and the private road for
public use. And tbe right which man pos
sesses in such road by reason of his labor, he
can sell, lease, loan, etc"
Notice that labor that produces hall
or private road gives exclusive owner.
ship, while labor that produces collec-
tive pavements and bridges does not. !
think the distiction between common
and private property is here drawn very
plainly. If it be convenient to declare a
pavement not property, so that may
escape paying for what | cunsume, 1t
may be equally convenient to use a
neighbor's wagon gratis. Use is a factor
of ownership, If a product of labor is
used it must be property. Mr. Lloyd
says the common road is used, yet is
nobody's; be must also say it is not prop
erty or wealth,
Whoever makes stationary improvements
in the ad owns his improvements. il il true,
hut not Z" the exclusion Of their use by other
travellers
Is Jhls luu ownership: ii not, What
is it:
If he a traveller comes to an impossible
place, let him make it pa-sable, or back out, or
remain stuck
| can take up my paving blocks to use
for private road, if | really own them,
hence the traveller must carry a supply
with him. Equal liberty seems to de
mand that men use field rollers instead
of wheels.
1t seems to me that if labor produces
all wealth, all that labor produces is