Workmen's advocate., 1889-11-23


 those who are able to work, while the weak, the old and the disabled will | receive the care they are entitled to in u high state of civilization. It is also ex- pected 1. that perfect knowledge l of requirements will regulate produc- tion; 2. that the standard of require ments will be raised so high as to afford every natural aptitude an opportunity of developing and employing itself to its fullest extent; 3. that much less toll will produce far greater abundance than is the case under the wasteful system of Capitalism; and 1, that this abundance, by destroying the incentive to selfish ness and despotism in a community where no one can monopolize the instru ments of production, will constantly raise the moral standard of the people; so that all the advantages claimed by Com munsts and Anarchists for thelr re- spective systems will be gained without endangering the natural course of evo- lution by the despotism of the first or the confusion Of the second.
 Again, our correspondent thinks that,
 for the present at least, our demands should be limited to the naturalization
 of the means of communication and transportation, and to graduated tax | on incomes. A literal understanding of | his words would even make it appear | that in his opinion, if these two de-
 mands were granted, justice, fair play,
 comfort and happiness would reign
 throughout the land, and the ends of
 Socialism would practically be reached. | Now, these two demands figure in our
 platform and we have no desire tC
 minimize their importance. But, like
 the reduction of the hours of work
 the compulsory education of children
 the regulation of female labor, and any
 other demand in the second part of thai
 platform, they are to be considered only
 as first and necessary steps in the direc
 tion of our ultimate object. Logically
 there is no reason why the machinery
 of transportation should be national
 ized to the exclusion of all othe
 machinery. If it is best that the nation
 as q corporate body, should transpor
 the products of industr', it is best als, that the nation, as a corporate body should produce and distribute them } That it could do this and do it well i shown by the experience of the Post Of l flee, through which business is carrie on of far greater proportions as a whol - and of far greater minuteness in deta than any other monopolized industr or trade. Did it ever occur to our c0l $ respondent that no retail grocer [ making up packages of as little valu f as the price charged by the Post Otlic
 for the delivery of newspaper?
 l In the same manner as a tax on Ian l. values would defeat its own purpose g made the "single tax" the natonaizI 2 ton of railroads, good in itself as tir' . step in conjunction with many other r. would prove of little benefit to th :, masses of the people, and might eve Il under certain circumstances prove mol |. hurtful than beneficial, if the process l. standardization should stop there. R e lieved of the necessity of investing i s profits in the construction of railroad j. capital would moncpolze with increase 7, vigor in other directions. Such is Il Il case in Germany, where the absorptio e of the railway system by the State h. J not in any respect decreased the depen :. ence of labor upon capital.
 Il True, our correspondent advocates IT addition a graduated tax on income < and If this tax were high enough on u
 ! E.,