The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-10-12

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articles on the poorest land in for that pur-
ably contend that there is still surplus. If SO,
he will ask where does ii 90? He must not
fail TO consider that the productive laborer must
supply the unproductiye laborer, and in the lat
ter class might be mentioned municipal, county,
state and national officials educators, domestic
servants, railway employees, walters and street
cleaners and many other engaged ON public WORKS.
There are those who produce for the world and
who keep the world in repair mentally, physi-
cally and morally For example, We will say that
the man in the factory produces IS a day and re-
celyes 81 for his labor Outside the factory the
street clearer must receive his 81 day although
he produces no wealth. From whom does the
street cleaner obtain his wages. From the capt.
talist through taxation
Socialism is founded the theory of sur
plus value, Labor creates all value, is the So
calistic way of expressing the idea. Labor does
not create all value. Usefulness, demand and
labor create value To illustrate: ship is load
ed with logs cut some Pacific isle. These
logs are taken to Europe At a European port
more will be paid for the mahogany logs than
for the pine logs. Why? Because there is
for the mahogany logs that the pine logs will
not fill And yet the same amount of labor
required to obtain the pine logs. Again: man
might make pair OF gloves from glass or pair
of boots from cardboard, but there would be no
for them and therefore, no demand and con-
sequenty no value. man might build ship
on Pixies peak, but it would be worth nothing
Ii should be evident, therefore, that labor does
not create all value. Again laborer has a
family There are four dependents on the aver
age to every workman. 1t is evident that he
must produce not only for himself but for others
As civilization advances the proportion of I'M
productive laborers increases. Take, for example,
the men required on the railways city
transit lines They produce nothing, but they
create a vast demand, which adds to consumption
and thus aids industry.
Mr. Obenchain bases his entire argument up
on the theory-for ii is merely a theory--that
labor derives only oneifth of the profit of pro-
duction, while four.ffths goes to capital Many
years ago Marx propounded the same theory
predicting that result of the concentration
OF wealth and the increasing pauperization there
would come the universal collapse of society be-
fore the close OF the nineteenth century. History
refuted Marx and will answer Obenchain There
has been increasing pauperzation in
spite of this preposterous law which socialists
are SO fond of propoInding, but which uuon in
vestigation turns out to be law of chaff So
doubtful is the law even among socialists them
selves that Bernstein opposed this view The
sist of what he says is this: Neither the small
radespeople nor the peasantry are on the noint
OF disappearing, nor is it true that in civilized
countries there is an increase of misery servi-
tude and decadence. On this point Engles has
this to say: 1T is not correct to assert that the
misery of the proletariat is increasing The
growth of organization will, perhaps restrain the
growth of misery; thing is certainly growing
the Insecurity of the proetarans existence"
Mr. Obenchain calls attention to my state
ment that SO per cent of the entire population
are toilers and he Immediately converts this into
an assertion that 90 per cent are wage-earners
and that, therefore only four per cent are cant
talists. moments consideration would have
shown Mr.. Obenchain that 90 per cent of the
POPULATION could not be waee-earners | merely
wished to Indicate that practically all men were
workers. Comparatively few of the women and
eh 'Gren in the world are wageearners and vet
most OF them are toilers. The children toll NJ
school and the women at home Moreover a
n htee percentage of the aericuturiss are
capitalists. IL B. MAXWELL