Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-01-28
THE DEBATERS CORNER.
MARX IS READ AND UNDERSTOOD.

MARX 10 READ AND UNDeko OOD.
If Karl Marx were alive, and to happen
on the Westminster RerieU for December,
he would there behold criticism Of his
"Capitaln that would convince him that
England can still produce disciples of the
"leather-tongued' Jeremy Bentham.
The first page of that article contains
the statement that the Workingman
reads, marks, learns, and inwardly di-
gests these bulky tones, we must beg
leave respectfully to state our disbelief"
This "disbelief' is well founded if the
workingman' comprehension of "these
bulky tones does not exceed that
exhibited by the Westminster critic.
There are, think, unlnistakable signs
of mental dyspepsia in the following:
cit never once occurs to Marx that a
person adds value to thing by taking it
from where it is not wanted; that this
work of circulation is productive labor,
that the actual commodity possesses
greater value when it passes from the
BRIDESMAIDS hands than when it passed
into his hands" The fact that it oc-
ours" to the RerielC proves its inability
to "inwardly digest" the reply to S. p.
Newman's claim that Commerce = x
may strictly be considered as an act Of
production. Marx says Vol. /, p, 1889:
"But commodities are not paid for twice
over-Once on account of their use value,
and again on account Of their value.
And though the use-value Of conmod-
ity is more serviceable to the buyer, its
money form is more serviceable to the
seller. Would he otherwise sell itI We
might, therefore, just as well say that
the buyer performs strictly an act of
production by converting stockings, for
example, into money"
After confounding capital and capital
ist in the most approved manner, the
ReUieU continues: "A machine, and the
creating value by means of work, and
both rightly demand share of the value
created; the share Of one is called Inter
est, that of the other, wages. 1t is very
difficult to understand how Socialists
can avoid feeling this in the case where
improved production is the result of the
skill and enterprise of acapitalist.'
Socialists donot object to the demand
OF the machine for the interest it de
serves, but, they do object to wages
being considered the fair share of the
man who tends il" They claim he has
right to an Interest in the product Of
his labor. He would then take more i'll
terest in his work; in fact, it would be
more interesting for everybody, except
the capitalistic sponge that now absorbs
all the Interest" The skill and enter
prise Of a capitalist consists i'll buying
labor, and labor saving machinery, at a
fraction of their value, in levying tribute
by the aid of patent laws from the
public, and, in engaging-with his "heec-
ings"-in cut-throae competition.
The Rerieu finds fault because Marx
has never once throughout his book at
tempted to regard production from the
side of the capitalist" As the only
production" of the capitalist is pore'fy,
and this product not being essential to
human happiness, Marx refuses to re
gard it as a commodity.
1t is astonishing that so pretentous a
periodical as the Westminster RerieH
should display an ignorance of Socialism
not to be surpassed by our own Van
Buren, Densiow.
Marx says in his preface that some
Learned and unearned' Germans tried
to Kill Das Kapitar by silence" would
recommend this method to the English
opponents of the Ddrrui of political
economy. FEfER GlBBoNS'