The daily state chronicle., 1890-07-13

society the poverty of the laborers and
thelr oppression by the capitalist is as
inevitable as the motions of the heavenly
bod1es. The German socialists value
Ricardo most highly, and the most ortho-
doX forms OF political economy become
the corner stone of their social structure.
The vitality Of German socialism is due
''to the logical and philosophical
strength of the system on which it is
based" and ito the patience and indomi-
table perseverance Of its leaders,
KARL RODBERTUS.
There have been three great leaders
Of German Socialism. Kari Rodbertus
Q9O5-1S75), Karl Marx QS13-1ss2). and
Ferdinand Lassalle 1S25- 1879. Rod
bertus is the best representative of pure
theoretical socialism and he has been
called the Ricardo Of socialism. His
first work, called "Our Economic Con
dltlon' appeared in 1S42, about the rise
OF the German school. Rodbertus saws
there are two evils in our economic life
which are the cause of the most of the
others. These are pauperism and COM
merclal and financial crises. All eco
nOmlc goods he says are the product Of
labor and cost nothing but labor; the
capitalist and landlord classes can exist
then only because private property in
land and capital are allowed to exist.
Hence comes the oppression of labor and
from oppression comes poverty. Cries re-
suit from the continued relative decrease
OF the laborer's share of all the economic
goods produced. As the share decreases.
CO0Snm nfJOn tho ~e IL
decreases; but capitalists and landlords
90 not increase their consumption of
luXurles PARI PAssU with the diminishing
6cSonsumptlon on the part Of laborers.
lney put their savings into factories;
goods such as the laborer needs and
wants, but IS unable to buy, are heaped
up and crash is the result. Poverty
ana panlcs can be avoided by some
agreement under which the laborer re-
celyes his proportionate share Of the
economic goods made This can be OBJ
tanned only by the interference of the
State.
KARL MARX,
The greatest Of the socialist leaders
was Karl Marx. He was the more i'm
mediate theoretical founder Of social
democracy and was for many years it's
leading representative. His writings be
tween lo43 and 1S45 are among the most
powerful exroslti0ns of the early forms
or German socialism In 1913 his prin
clples forced him to leave Germany. and
IN 1910 be was expelled from Paris. He
went to London and in 1S47 reorganized
as the Communistic League BODY of
socialists who had been attracted by his
theories. They published manifesto
III which the overthrow of the whole
present system is boldly proclaimed and
Where the ''proletarians of all lands"
are called to unite.
The great work of Marx is DAs KAPI
Tai, an exposition and criticism of CAP
ltal, OF which the first volume appeared
IN 1867. This book has been called the
Bible OF socialism and such it is. Marks
followers boast especially of two Of his
olsco,verles, the correct theory Of the
development of history and his theory
OF value. Marx says history is a deyei
opment and that it is shaped by the
economic life Of the age and people. bv
the manner in which goods are produced
ana distributed. In ancient times pro
ductlon was by slave labor. Plato and
Aristotle believed that slavery was law
OF nature; but it has passed away. In
the Middle Ages production was by the
labor OF serfs; but feudalism and serf
dom had to make room for the BOUR-
GEoIsIE, the growing third estate, under
whose guidance wealth was increased
ana labor organized. In the present
age the governing idea is capitalistic
production, and the capitalist class tends
to fuse into one the wage Garner of to-
Gay and his forerunner, the serf, BDt
land and capital, two important func-
tlons, are to be no longer regarded as a
law of nature, but as only institutions of
positive and changeable law Private
IN the means of production
can be abolished as property in slaves
mas been. 1t is now time for the pro
letarlans, the new fourth estate, to take
1ne m management into their own hands.
1he historic evolution of capital is GOV
erned then by laws which are ALWAYS
more liberal in their terms and the iney-
ltao!e tendency Of which is towards
socialism. The key to the economic
doctrines of Marx is his theory of value
lie distinguishes between value in use
ana value IN exchange, and through this
distinction, the exploiting of laborers
oy capitalists can be seen. This
means that when the laborer has
oeen paid the wages necessary
Tor the support of himself and his fam
ny IN accordance with their "Standard
OF Life, the surplus produce of his la
Dor goes to the employer in the form of
capital and can be used for further ex-
ploltatlon. In the socialistic State this
surplus value vanishes. The whole pro
1uct belongs to the producer.
FERDINAND LAssALLE.
The work of Lassalle was to popularize
me economic writings of Rodbertus and
Marx, to put them into such form and
20 clothe their thoughts in such words
as the common people could understand
1ls career as an organizer and emanci-
pator lasted only two years and a half.
out IN that time he issued about twenty
ouohcatlons consisting of speeches and
pamphlets, and many of his speeches ara
71oqueht sermons On texts from Mark
bis . most difficult task was to arouse tha
derman sr laborer from his phlegmatic in
1l1ference; but his efforts were sncooss
:ul and on May %, 1868, German social
democracy was brought into beino IN
Lelpslc by the organization of the I'm.
7ersal German Laborers' Union, DER All
5emelne Deutsche Arbeiteryerein ! Its