The evening times., 1897-12-25
BIBLE ECONOMICS AND CIvICS
BY JOHN N. GREGORY. Ii. D.
PRoPERTY PRoBLEMs

IROf Ell t'fSOBASEMc.
In the Struggle for Existence the first
battle vas for the means of subsistence
food and shelter. The second was for
personal libery-freedom to live as one
wishe: The third is for equaiity-equai
opp ortunity and privileges.
Man wishes TO live, even IL he lives a
slave. Life secured, he would be free to
live ss his tastes and talents dictate.
caring little for the acti ons or opinions OF
his fellows. Life and liberty secured ne
revoits at being held inf e rior to others. and
the native sense of justice asks at least
equal chances In life and equal enjoyment
OF the privileges that nature offers, or
that the progress of mankind has achieved.
The first struggle is purely econofaic.
1t is work TO Eatisfy personal neefis. In
the second. also economic, the first social
or civic element appears. The worker asks
to be left alone and left from the Con-
troll OF his fellows. The third pats civics
to the front. Economic wealth ha VIM, in
creased to Cyershadowing power in the
hands OF its possess0rs. the worker re-
coils from the degradation which he sees
coming on his labor, and the oppression
threatening himself. Man sought So
ciety as a safety and en}oyment:i it bee Jmes
a taxmaster and oppress0r. His economic
struggle is not ended, but n social strug-
gle fas been added-a struggle f,r civil
government which may protect his rights.
Our Revoiutionary sires included all hree
Of the objects of mans enieavor in the
inaliena BILE rights OF life, liberty and
the pursuit OF happiness which they
laid down as the corner stone OF lust
government.
Through the ages / hese three have
emerged In succession The anci ent
Greeks and Romans considered slavery
as the ma aturai condition OF cert ain
classes Of lien, such as captives taken in
war. In the later middle ages Iuen Ie
gan to claim liberty as a natural right,
ard established their ella i'm by long and
severe oobfi.cts. The struggle for
equality L. .tow on-ior equality citi-
zens ana as u.en: for equal rights and
privileges. The socialists go further, and
demand equality OF property; or, rather,
would allow no private property to Ire
employed as capital Such is the col
lectivistu of Gari Marx aGd the Germans;
as alsu OF al. Beiiamy, rs expressed In 7pe
title OF his last LOOK, Equality" By
forhidding all private capt. al and hand
ing over to the Government aIl branches
of industry, binding it to give employ
ment to eli its citizens, with equal AMI
enipie stipends for each, they would make
the Rccunulsi ion OF private property
needless. AM, thus abolish all Unequal
ity OF possessions. The fallacies, mingled
with their truths, cannot he discussed in
this papcr.
THE RIGHTS OF PROPERTY
II seems to many revolutionary and dan
gerous tC call the rights OF property into
question; bn the debate is already be-
gun aud must go on. We may guide, but
stop IL.
Property has three distinct aspects: l. II
is a product. Result of some mans la
bor either III finding or forming it. z. 1t
is a posse ssh n, someone owns IL. 3. 1t is
Is usef ul: IL can satisfy directly or indi-
rectly some need. These three are the
rssenris, actors OF property, bat each may
al 5ttentiou TO itself The worker
IL the toll it cost him; the POSSES or
re-o.--. "A owning a.; the user delights in
The qualification 1T yields. These three.
the producer, the possessor and the Con-
sum.r. each makes his own estimates OF
he value of property.
Another distinction OF wider and far
re eaching iinTnrtance is that which lies be-
tween property in the threefoid aspect
above ststed and property as capital. Or
We altt uSe;i in production 1t Is ca pitaI. not
mere riches, which is stirring society TO its
II is capital which has armei |
he industries with their enormous power |
" Production. and which gives 10 the |
and the nlonopoiist their dread |
ii sway and Influence 1t is this dreaded |
,ower of wealth as capital which has |
aised the question as TO the rights of |
Both sides of this social economic prob |
EN- here con- { into view /. The economist, |
studying the means of the creation Of |
wealth, welcomes the power which ca ,)dli |
ends tt the Industries. 2. THE socia st,
studying the well being of society. and |
especially that of the weaker and poorer |
Iasses, denounces the tyrannic sway which |
,apita' exercises over labor. 1t is :ot |
,riyate property, but private capitalism |
vhici, modern socialism condemns.
Till near the close of the last century |
held that the right of property |
vas GRATED by law. Jeremy B.ltham, |
lgereing with Montesquieu, said: Prog
,rty does not exist In nature; it is cnnsc
Iucntly the product OF tie laws" Mirl-
eau said: The law alone constitutes |
Proudhon went furtt,r Chd |
denounced property as theft; for such ii |
was in the einicdie ages, when fortunes were |
gained by craft or taken by force. The
abor which: produced property WAS she
abor of serfs, or slaves, andtheir toll gave
hem nj light Of possession. Today ,he |
light Of property follows the right to .:bor
u remain idle. Such seems the simplest |
light Of private property. But tue right |
% live in idieness may be questioned, rs
his might imply the right to SIT at other
mems tables without helping provide the
east.
The right to produce property by other
ien's labor is essential in modern inius-
.ies OF the large scale; but It imp plies the
uli consent and fair com pensa ton of
he laborer. 1t involves also the right of
apitai to its share in the products. Be-
ween these two lies the complex probi IN
wages and profits: the unsettled dis
ute between labor and capitalize lis
ute which breaks forth necessarily in la
OF trorb!es and strikes. and which lends
, socialism its revolutionary power. This
uestion n'ust he left for another paper
sOCIETY'S SHARE.
Labor can produce nothing without INA
.rials. ard TIE source of all raw M e.
al belongs to mankind at large. Men
all them the gift OF nature. The Bible
Ills them the gift OF God. After the
ood the Crea tor OF all. renewing the char
cter given first in Eden said to NOAH ami
is sons, the sires Of a new race: BE cr.Iit-
IL and multiply and replenish the earth.
nd th fear OF you and the dread OF You
hall b.. upor every beast of the earth
nd upon every fowl of TIE air, with ail
herewith the ground teemeth, and all
ie fishes of tie sea, into your hand are
,ey delivered. Genesis tx: 2, revised |