Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-03-29
COMMUNICATIONS.
Scientific Socialism.-A Reply to
Hugh d. PentecOst.

every man whose mind was trained
in the school of the giant thinker, the
great social economist, Karl Marx.
But as here in America only a
few are acquainted with his great
work, the epoch making "Capital"-
this rock of truth, on which the
angry waves of imbecile prejudice and
capitalistic dishonesty break in impotent
rage-it may be well to explain what
the essence of Socialism is and in what
relation it stands to the labor movement.
Socialism is science. 1t formulates
the laws of modern production; it shows
the end to which the development of
this production is tending. With iron
logic and positive data it mathematic
ally calculates the phenomena of capital.
istc production, and with geometrical
precision it draws the line of social pro
gress. The last conclusion arrived at is,
that the means of production, formerly
the private property of the laborers, now
ers, will be socialized through the uni.
versal cooperation of workingmen, Or
ganized by the very mechanism of
capitalist production itself. This last
conclusion is generally understood when
we speak of Socialism.
Along with the constantly decreasing
number of magnates of capital" says
Carl Marx, who usurp and monopolize
all the advantages of this process of
transformation 0he transformation of
the instruments of labor into instru-
ments of labor only disable in common),
grows the mass of misery, oppression,
slavery, degradation, exploitation; but
with this, too, grows the revolt of the,
working class, a class always increasing
in numbers, disciplined, united and Or
ganized by the very mechanism of CAPT
talist production itself. The monopoly
of capital becomes a fetter upon the
mode of production which has sprung up
and flourished along with and under it,
Capitalization of the means of produc-
ton and specialization of labor at last
reach point where they become incom.
patible with their capitalist integument.
This integument is burst asunder. The
kneU of capitalist private property
sounds. The exproprators are expro-
priated.
The capitalist mode of appropriation,
the result of the capitalist mode of pro-
duction, produces capitalist private prop.
erty. This is the first negation of in
dividual private property, as founded
on the labor of the prov rietor But
capitalist production hegets with the in
exorability of law of Nature its own
negation. 1t is the negatlon of mega
ton.
This does not re-estabiish private
property for the producer, but gives
him individual property based on the
acquisitions of the capitalist era: 4. e. =,
on cooperation and the possession in
common of the land and of the means
of production. The transformation of
scattered private property, arising from
individual labor, into capitalist proper
|
more protracted, violent and difficult
than the transformation of capitalistic
private property, already practically
socialized property. In the former case
we had the appropriation of the mass of
the people by few usurpers; in the lat
ter ice hare the appropriation Of a feac
llSurpers by the mass Of the people
The labor movement expresses the in
nermost needs, wishes and longings
of the working people; 1t Is essentially
: voluntary. Therefore the last act of the
labor movement-after the transforms
ton of capitalist private property into
socialIzed property-will be voluntary
act. and the universal cooperation OF
laborers, based on Specialization of the
means of production, will therefore be d
VOLUNTARY cooperation of free laborers.
Our duty a. Socialists is to help the
workingmen IN the difficult process OF
organization and to aid with all our
might the labor movement in its various
phases of development.
A brief reference to the origin of mo
dern Socialism may also facilitate the
understar ling Of its subsequent develop.
ment AID present spirit.
In the beginning of this century, when
the capitallstic mode of production was
1 still in Its infancy, there appeared high
/ minded men, called utopian socialists
| such as st. Simon, Owen, Fourier etc
: who appealed to the upper classes to aid
them IN their schemes of social reform.
/ They looked naively FOR help to the
/ wealthy, to the tyrants, to the emper-
t ors. They wanted the rich to overturn
the capitalistic system of competition