The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-02-18
The Robher Who Takes All

"A Traveller Is WeuuluS Ills way iolhO"
ward. His path Is beset with high
waymen. One stops him, takes part
of his valuables and sends him on.
Another repeats the process. So Goes
third, fourth. and still others on
to the last. This last takes all that
is left, little or much.
In the same way these robbers treat
all travellers who pass chat. way
Query: How can the travellers pro-
tect themselves? BY abolishing the
first robber, the second, the third, or
all Of these?
You answer, BY no means. So long
as the robber who takes all that is left
is permitted to do business, so long
the traveller will reach home as poor
as though all the robbers were left
unmolested.
There you have the difference be-
tween bourgeois public ownership
or state capitalism" and socialism.
Bourgeois public ownership would
leave some of the robbers in full
swing. 1t would take on er, for exam
pie, city gas, water, and, perhaps,
some other public utilities" but
would leave city land In private
hands. Real estate men would then
advertise the superior advantages OF
this city over others; population
would pour in and-up would 90 rents.
What you saved from your public
service monopolists you would lose
to your land monopolists. What
would be gained?
What is true in the city Is true in
the nation. To take over some public
utilities and leave others in private
hands would be saving at one bung-
hole while wasting at another per-
haps all you saved at first. Sc long
as a single necessity of life is left in
private hands SO long tine robber who
takes all that is left can get in his
work, and your public ownership will
prove apples of Sodom turning to
ashes on your lips.
What, then, is necessary to stop
the stealing?
The plundered classes, /. e., the pro-
ducers, must conquer the powers Of
government. They then must take
over ALL the public utilities, ALL
the necessities Of life, and operate
them collectively IN the interest of the
entire people. Nothing short OF this
can possibly do the work.
Is this what socialism stands for !?
II certainly Is.
But after the producers have cons
quered the powers of government, =
h0 rC1
turned the rascals out and begun run
ming things in the interest of the pro-
ducing classes, what then? Will it
be necessary that all private industrial
activity shall be done away, that the
government shall run ALL the
farms, ALL the shops, ALL tie stores,
ALL the theatres, ALL the schools,
and ALL the newspapers, and estab-
lish such system of universal gov
ernmental bureaucracies" as Herbert
Spencer conceived, and described as
the Coming Slavery" the bondage of
the individual to the crowd?
Not a bit Of it. In jumping out OF
the frying pan we don't want to. land
in the fire. It's exactly because in
QItluudllSIlC IdulCdlS, do lhuN W
posed to exploitation and tyranny as
any socialist ean be, think that So
ciallsm stands for this. hat they fight
socialism as a gilded cage and a grave
of freedom.
They hate the tyranny of the CAPT
talist and landlord, but they dread
the tyranny of the majority. To es-
cape the bossism of the plntocrats
the do not propose to substitute the
bossism of the bureaucrt.ts.
Well, what are you talking about
now? You want to abolish the rob-
Der who takes all that s left? I'm
doubtedly.
And this requires puDllc collective
ownership. and democratic operation
and control OF every necessity of life?
Exactly.
And yet. you don't want the public
To own and run all industry and COM
pei the capable workers 10 Join the
civil service or 10 TO jail? Emphat-
icaily not. One of these evils would
probably be as bad as the other
Then where do YOU draw The line
Nothing IL easier. IL we viii look
nj the subject carmly Read the last
half Of the socialist national platform
Ia start with, then remember that
while Some means of PRODUCTION are