Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-05-07
SIXTEEN PAGES
SUNDAY. MAY Z. 1899.
CAPITAL PROMOTING SOCIALISM,

,sssg THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT has been
saAlone for a long time in the position
THAT capital, which regards socialism
s the communism as the dealest foes
scR itself and enlightened society and
sterilization, has been encouraging and
Z prom6t1ng those isms and clearing the
Il way for the establishment of one or
both Of them by its syndcatcs, CONSOLE
q dations. trusts, associations, combines
sand monopolies. whereby its absolutely
Is refutes all the chief stock arguments
1. against communism and furnishes ex-
amples of how socialism can work to
J the common benefit, or general welfare,
I. of oil concerned. THE VIRGINIAN-
4 PILOT hasl steadily insisted for years
rhat Sffe~ Itllrond. express, banking,
manufacturfSE,- aud business solidari-
ties have not only been teaching the
masses by object lessons how beneficial
or profitable Gin n material way) are
monopoly and the suppression of COM
petition to all III q combine, and how
injurious they are to all outside of the
solidarity: thus at once alluring and
driving the people to socialistic or
communistic government, where all will
\ be for all. and none excluded from the
benefits of q governmental monopoly.
without competition; and operating
with all the resources ana power of the
commonwealth.
In this, as well as i'm other positions,
this paper. as before said has stood
alone until recently, because it had the
Cn,1rapo Of {tc rnpvictInpc nnJ haca,,,o
so many prefer to believe that capital
is all-wise, as well as all-powerful.
But now the glaring facts in these
matters are forcing the recognition of
the intelligence of the world, no matter
how stubbornly conservative it may be.
and even, at last Harpers Weekly,
without ever having seen our articles
on the subject, perhaps. fully concurs
44sa-e,lr Views on the help socialism and
communism are deriving from the mis-
taken policy of capital. 1t says (and
we hone 1t will be heard in this, if we
nre noO, that Nothing is so likely to
promote socialism as trusts that COM
mand all trade" We find also. that
lola. the famous social philosopher and
realistic novelist Of France, entertains
and expresses fully the same convic-
ton to which Harncrs Weekly has
come; and in his story OF Money he
puts the following language into the
mouth of Sigismund Busch, one of his
characters,-an advanced socialist. lie
and q broker are standing at a window.
looking out upon the Paris Hoursc,
when the latter asks:
when do you sweep all that away"
referring to the BOurse.
Busch replies:
What Is the use? You are demolish-
ing 1t yourselves. Yes, yes. You are
working for us beyond a doubt You
are usurpers. who disposscss the
masses, and when you shall have be-
come gorged, it will be our turn To
dispossess you;-all monopoly, all cen
tralization, leads TO colectivism. You
are teaching us the practical lesson that
the great properties absorbing the land.
the great producers devouring tho lab
oring man, the great banking houses
and the great stores killing all coInpe-
fjtion. fattening on the ruin of the snnu
/ banks and the small shops. are IL slow
but certain tending towards the new
social state-we only wait until every
thing goes to smash. until the present
methods of production shall have,
proven intoIerable. Then the bourgeois
and the peasants will help us"
What is this collectivism?" asks the
broker, one Saccord.
"Collectivism," responds Busch. ais
4 the transformation of private capital.
& living in the struggle or competition.
into single social capital employed for
the use OF all.--think of 1t, society in
which the Instruments OF production
are the property of all. in which every
one works. according to his intelligence
ind his strength, and In which the pro-
ducts OF that social cooperation are
: distributed to each pro rata with his
work Can anything be more simple?