Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1908-04-24
is SOCIALISM INEVITABLE?
1t Cannot Be While Led. or Even Tainte
bV the Cpir;t of A.,..L:

1t Cannot Be While Led. or Even Tainte
by the Spirit Of Anarchism.
II We're asked this question l thin
l would be compelled to answer in tn
affirmative. According to Karl Marx
Socialism is a stage in the eyolutio,
OF society which could not arrive til
the conditions necessary to 1t hav,
Deen established" Those condition,
in my opinion have not yet arrived
and 1t depends upon the capitalistit
class as to the time to elapse before
those conditions are brought about
The work of Marx is simply an ex
position and criticism of capital. II
is also, indirectly, an exposition OF
Socialism, inasmuch as the historical
evolution OF capital is governed by
natural laws the inevitable tendency
OF which Is toward Socialism. The
nrst and most conspicuous result of
the capitalistic system is that, while
production Is a social operation car.
ried on by men organized and asso-
ciated In factories. the product is ap.
propriated by individual capitalists:
1t is social production and capitalistic
appropriation. Another important re-
suit Is that, while We have this or.
ganizatiOn In the factories, we have
outside of them all the anarchy of
competition. We have the capitalistic
appropriation of the product of labor
contending for the possession Of the
market, without systematic regard to
the supply required by that market
each one filling the market only as
dictated by his own interest, and try
Ing to OutdO his rivals by all the
methods Of adulteration, bribery and
intrigue-an economic war harmful to
the best interests Of society. With the
development of the capitalistic system
machinery Is more and more perfect.
ed. for to neglect In improvement is
to succumb in the struggle; the i'm
proved machinery renders labor super
fiuous, which is accordingly thrown
Idle and exposed to starvation. But,
as the technique improves, the pro-
ductive power Of industry increas es.
and continually tends more and more
to surpass the available needs of the
market, wide as it Is. The conse-
quence Is that the market tends to be
overstocked even to absolute reple-
ton; goods will not sell, and a com.
mercial crisis Is established. in which
We have the remarkable phenomenon
OF widespread panic. misery and star
vation resulting from a superabund-
ance of wealth. Thus the process
goes on in obedience to its own in
herent laws. Production is more and
more concentrated in the hands of
mammoth capitalists and colossal
Joint stock companies. under which
the prOletariat are organized and
drilled into vast industrial armies.
But, as crisis succeeds crisis, until
panic. stagnation and disorder are
universal. it becomes clear that the
bourgeois are no longer capable of
controlling the industrial world. The
incompatibility between social produc.
tion and anarchic distribution decid.
edly declares itself. With the pro-
gress Of Democracy the proletariat
seizes the political power, and through
it at last takes complete control over
the economic functions Of society. He
exprOpriates the private capitalist. and
appropriates the means of production
and manages them in his own interest
which is the interest of society as a
whole; society will pass into the
socialistic stage. through a revolu-
tion determined by the natural laws
OF social revolution, and not by a
merely arbitrary exercise OF power.
This | think will be the inevitable
result unless the capitalists them
selves see their error and voluntarily
capitaulate, or the government takes
the bull by the honrs and compels
them to contribute to the government
In proportion to the benefits they re-
ceive. ]. C. Cos.