The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-07-23

throwing the great class whose legal
privilege Of ownership enables them
to take from those deprived OF such
ownership all they produce save the
subsistence wage.
When we come to agriculture there
Las been much diversity of opinion
and much misunderstanding from the
side of farmers and wage workers and
socialist theoreticians alike. But all
over the world 1t is coming to be rec
cgntzed that whatever system Of So
cial philosophy is to spring out of
capitalism must take account of the
fact that the great producing class in
agriculture is composed of the men
who still retain a paper title (value-
ess though that title often lis as pro-
I, ction against exploitation) to the
land which they till.
1t is becoming more and more GER
tain that any society that is to spring
fIom capitalism must, in the Eegin-
Ling at least, take account of the
great mass of small farm owners. 1t
L. easily possible, and believe fairly
certain, that when once the mechanical
genius Of the race is turned toward
farming that industry will show
something of the same line of evolu-
ton that has taken place in other
lines OF industry. The evolution of
the small motor which is now being
SC rapidly developed in the automo-
Lille industry offers great possibilities
in this line. The invention CT the
disk pillow with power attached d.
rectly to the disks does away with the
cid objection to the traction engine
and may easily revolutionize this fun
damental portion of farming. New
movements toward intensive culture
with irrigation, or under cloth and
glass are other steps in concentration
and capitalistic structure. So far
however, as anything can be seen to-
day there is no movement Indicating
that these forces will capitalize farm
ing in any near future.
Indeed, there are many reasons to
believe that such concentration and
such utilization of the great forces of
nature cannot take place while capt.
talism lasts. Exploitation which is
the driving motive force Of our pres
ent society does not require that the
farmer should be turned into a wage
slave, or that agriculture, should be
brought under tn, control of machine
facture. In view of these facts the
great bugaboo that used to be held
out before the farmer that the social
lists proposed first of all to take his
farm away from him is ridssulous
hok =
be, as in majority of cases he still
IS, factory wage-worker, it is rather
hard to imagine what he would do
with the farm if he had taken 1t.
Let us look little closer, however.
at the condition of the farmer. While
ne has been allowed to retain the
form OF ownership he has been forced
70 sell his product in the opel mar
iSet where at the same time every i'm
provement in production, every new
machine invented, every new method
o. agriculture, every new strip OF land
opened up to settlement acte,l upon
him and will always continue to act
IN exactly the same way as every |
added increment to the army cf the
unemployed will act upon the wage
orker. That is to say, SO long as
The supply of land relative to the
ossible product is Infinitely Greater
than any demand which capitalism
ran ever hope to have. the farmer will |
always get prices which will keen
him just where the wage-worker is
today.
The same class of owners who take
from the wage-worker all that he
produces save that which is necessary
10 maintain his efficiency as a wage
slave take from the farmer by virtue
1f the same ownership all the surplus
: bove what will maintain his exist
nee. Farmer and wage-worke- alike
belong to the great body of exploited
producers Of wealth.
Juggling with the counters called |
money with which capitalism reckons
it's gains will not affect either. Ma
tional ownership of railroads and |
Eelegraphs but will simply increase the
SUMS falling into the hands of the
owners Of the great industries which
are not nationalized. Only when the
rowers of government are controlled
by the producers of wealth. by the
workers with hand and brain, from |
farm, factory. or office, will eyrloita- |
ton be abolished. When the users of |