The Washington herald., 1912-09-29

the nation $s00,000.O0o to N,000, 900. 600 an
nually more than the present labor cost
for our transportation?
Cost Would Double.
Furthermore, Mr.. Kopelin. would not
coal and everything else cost double II
we reduced the working time to four
hours a day?
Then what about the nonproductive
workers, namely. the strictly govern
ment officials? VIII 1t not require the
service of 100000 boards Of arbitration
and several million bookkeepers to keep
track of the hours, income, and skill Of
each worker, in order to determine
whether the Socialist nation is robbing
somebody or paying too much to every
body? And who but the workers, the
real toilers, will pay all these bills?
II we are now able to produce only
$3.50 per worker per year by working
eight to ten hours per day, how will we
produce 5000 per worker per year by
working four hours per day? How are
the Socialists going to get possession of
all the land, railroads. business blocks,
church and school properties. and ma
chinery? VIII the Socialists confiscate
or purchase all capital now used in pro-
duction and exchange? VIII the man
who invents a machine worth millions
of dollars to society be paid a life in
come "a new form Of royalty, or how
will he be rewarded?
Is IL not true. Mr.. Kopelin, that OF the
1.50S, 900. 600 people on earth no two are
alike? One man Is success, the other
failure One is Industrious the other
spendthrift. One sober, the other a
drunkard. Will the sober, industrious,
and saving man be willing TO help sup
port the lazy man. the drunkard, and the
spendthrlfts
Again, Mr. Kopelin. what will the So
cialists do with the farming lands and
the 100000 owners of these lands? VIII
they divide the land into five. ten. ~or
fifty acre tracts and parcel 1t out to
each farmer, and will each farmer De
compelled to account to the State for
what he raises? VIII the thrifty. intelli-
gent farmer receive the same income as
the lazy or ignorant farmer? Will an
account be kept Of what each farmer
produces and the quality? II so, will it
not require an army Of expert book
keepers to see that each farmer gets the
full reward of his labor? Or will the
Socialist State farm the lands in large
tracts. with Socialist farm bosses and
Socialist farm hands? And who is to
decide who shall be bosses and who
farm hands?
As farmers now work with she best
machinery, Mr.. kopelin, and produce
an average OF 800 per capital per year.
will il not reCsIire the services of twice
as many farmers to produce the same
amount Of farm wealth II we reduce
the working time one-half? Or will not
food cost double what IL now costs?
VIII the single man be compelled to
labor as many hours as a married man
with six children. or how will the So
cialists arrange this? And II the single
man had less work compared with the
married man. would not most men desire
to remain single? And would not this
destroy the family. the foundation, and
life of the human race?
Will the great inventor, the great
writer, and the great organizer. be re-
warded for their superior services TO So
ciety and who will determine what and
how much such reward should be? II
highly rewarded. will not the same
produced? Or if all are TO be placed on
the same equality. will 1t not destroy
all ambition. remove all incentive? VIII
not the race degenerate?
Until clear and convincing statements
II the Socialist'c. solutions to these prac-
teal questions are furnished. Socialism
will remain a utopian, fantastic dream;
absurd. and utterly impossible and i'm
practicable as an economic theory. And
no reasonable person can suppose that
the great mass of sane men will ever
vote for such a system.