The independent., 1902-11-06
THE DELMARTIAnS.
A Minnssota Man who Don't Like Them
and Has Ssme Peculiar Ideas of His Own.

sue The Independent comments on
Barnebey, asserts that potatoes are
not value; starch is not value" They
are utilities, the jug handle to which
values attaeA themselves. Is there
any serious agreement to that asser-
ton? The Independent adds that HUI
man life is not value" and 1t is
scarcity of potatoes makes them val
uable."
If a plant, especially Vigorous
growing tree, is ever to acquire lts
full healthy growth its roots must be
imbedded in the solid earth OF planet.
IL we are ever to have a solid founda-
tion for an economic system, artihclal
as it must be, it must also, just as nee
essarily as the tree, have its roots IN
the facts of nature as they are in the
universe. We can build houses, con-
triye manufacturing machinery, ETC.,
all the artificial work OF man, ana
man can vary their form and uses,
but he cannot do any of these without
these two preliminary facts or nature
the. material and the human being
himself. Stick pin there. Let Del
Mar and his whole school try their nut
cracking abilities on these postulates.
Material, the planet, it is OF the past
as to present use; it's life as in the tree
cut down is destroyed wnen man pro-
poses it for building purposes. Inc
animal life in use is life OF the present,
but it is not human life. The brute is
not the designer of our economic sys-
TENS. He must not be brought into
class with the class of life that is and
who design these systems for the ben
eft of equity among themselves. HUI
manity is the tree, its roots, economic
ally. are in the material OF the planet
and all this material that can enter IN
to our consideration, unless it is some
thing to be got out of our way, nuls-
ance. possesses and must possess ma
terial utility. All utilities are not in
use at the same time. They are there
that they may be used. Human life is
of the present moment; not OF the past
that is dead not of the future, which
is not yet within our grasp 1t is tne
NOW-another fact in nature. VIII
Del Martians put pin there for their
nut-crackers?
Don't do any lodging by telling us
it is only a point between the present
and the future and that it is relative.
It is. and it is extremely numerical.
Is this giving way to Del Mar? Not
at all. It is demanded of him that he
acknowledg ge the whole truth. He can
not define the human being or the
NOW as only a numerical relation and
nothing more, without laying himself
omen to the charge Of constructing
covers for cannibalism to hide its
hideousness behind, such as natural
facts. postulates of political economy,
material. humanity and its energies.
"Now" is the point of time between
the past and future, numerical rela-
ton, and are utilities, not values, cap
able of existence where human life
does not exist? The business of Del
Martians, if they would retain our re-
spect as honest men, must be to prove
these postulates a fallacy.
Now back to the editors potatoes.
He says. "a scarcity Of potatoes makes
them valuable" If he is correct, if af-
ter the last human being had disap-
peared on this planet the race had left
a number of jugs, but only here and
there one with a handle, the scarcity
of handles would make them valuable.
The editor would insert scarcity in lieu
of humanity in the above postulates.
If this is not seeking cover for canni-
balism, can he explain? In his COM
ments to my letter he says that "thc
abolition of interest and rent will new
er be accomplished until the socialists
demand for the collective ownership
of all the means of production is in
operation" When that is accomplished
I say the bottom of hell has been
touched and we shall all settle down
right there in a comparatively short
time afterwards. We are right here
in the bloody gap that leads right
down to it, an immensely more dan
gerous gap to the race than the one at
Gettysburg. Nor can it be fought out
in few hours. Compromises and ar
bitration are excellent under many
conditions, but under such it Is trea-
son to the race and leads to it's death.
"Only a piece of property" is the
epitaph that must be written above the
tomb of humanity. And the Del Mar
tians are afraid that their epitaph, al
ready written in their scientific system
1,