Workmen's advocate., 1890-12-13
THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIALIST
 LEAGUE.
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES.

The Australian Socialist League k founded for the purpose of spreading the principles, and working for the real illtion of Socialism, by every means within it's power.
 The capitalist form of society in which we at present exist. and which the capitalists would fight 10 uphold, is based upon class supremacy and class robbery;s maintained by class govern ment, through the private ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange
 This economic power, this possession by the landlord and capitalist class of the whole forces of wealth production, puts the working class in complete sub jectlOn to this said dominant class, and thus deprives the working class-the great mass of the peope-of any voice m the vital question of, How the wealth, 1 by which we alone can live, should be produced and distributed:
 As the present system is thus based 1 upon class antagOnism and injustice and as the capitalist class will only per init the wage earning class to produce wealth in tbe form of commodities for sale, and pay to them as wages but one third of the wealth so produced, and 1 take for themselves the other twO.thirds as profits, surplus value or unpaid labor, the aforesaid mode of production for proft should be superseded by the national or collective production of wealth for use.
 Therefore, we Socialists decIare:- l That the day for blind production, com 1 petition and private enterprise has gone 1 by; and that the source and instruments of wealth production and distribution ! should be declared and treated as com. ! mon property, That is to say:-The 1 land, the mines, the factories and ma | chimes, the raw materials, the shipping, l the wharves and warehouses. and all | the other factors used in the production and distribution of wealth should be natiOnalized: Thus, in it's accomplish ment, reaching the next inevitable stage in the history of human society when the requirements of sOCl2l life shall be rat,onally produced and eqult- ably distributed.
 By Parliamentary and Municipal ac- tion the Socialist League will strive for the following measures as paliatlves of existing evls:--
 l. All education. higher as well as elementary, to be free, secular, indus trlaI and compulsory for all alike,
 , All children to attain the age of fifteen years before being permitted to engage in any wago.earnlng OcCupa- ton.
 8. Legislation by the people in such wise that no project of law shall become legally binding until submitted to and accepted by majority vote of the peO pie.
 The adoption of the Referendum
 principle as a means to this end.
 !. C., That (say) one tenth of the
 electors shall upon signing requi-
 sitiOn demand and have taken a
 vote of the whole people upon any
 proposed law that the legislators
 may have decided upon, and accept
 it or reject it, as the majority may
 decide.
 4. The expenses of the administration of justice 10 be borne by the State.
 D. Adult suffrage (male and female) abolition of plural voting; all elections to take place on the same day.
 6. The speedy resumption of land; anC the prevention of any further ahena ton of the public lands,
 :. That all revenue be raised by direc taxation ny a land tax, and cumula tive income tax on all incomes over fixed minimum. not exceeding G3u0 pc annum.
 s. All Government and munjcipa work to be performed by the Govern ment and municipalities without the in tervention of the contractor.
 9. Municipal control of gas and sim liar works; municipal construction 0 dwellings, to he let at rents to cove cost of construction and maintenance alone
 l0 Free railways and tramways. , Ii. All factories ani mines 10 be full inspected by duly qualified inspector. , elected by the operatives themselves i 1. their respective districts, by ba lot; tn expenses to be borne by the State . There is no function the capitalist perform that the people organized couI not better perform for themselves.