The Irish standard., 1914-05-16

\
stantly. and on all matters affecting
the efficiency Of production. In short,
the management of the industry
must be by kind of federal ar
rangement between the State and the
guild. The board of direction must
consist of representatives both of the
State and the guild, and this joint
board must itself be ultimately re-
sponsible to chamber, representa-
tive of the whole community.
The authors of these ideal COM
monwealths have not thought out
their plans with anything approach
ing completeness of detail, and 1t
would be easy for destructive critic
to point out ten thousand difficulties
in the way of their realization. But
to an observer of social movements,
the interest Of the several schemes
does not depend on the question
whether they will ever be practical
BILE. To all who have been interested
In the great issue between capitalism
and Socialism. the rise Of these new
schemes is a phenomenon of the
most eloquent significance. 1t is sig
niacant. in the first place, of the fact
that Socialism is now palpably lost
cause. a forlorn hope. The driving
force behind the Socialist movement
has always been the discomfort of
the proletariat with their subsection
to the control Of the capitalist class.
The goal Of Socialism has been the
transfer Of the ownership and con-
troll of the means of production from
the hands Of the capitalists to the
hands of the State. 1t was thought
that with such a transfer must come
the emancipation Of labor from the
domination Of capital. But when
the attainment Of the goal came
within view, labor recoiled. It be-
came evident that Notwithstanding
all the supposed safeguards of demo-
cratic elections, State control might
be no Improvement on capitalist con-
troll. The first signs of the reaction
were shown by the State employees
In France, and Syndicalism was born.
In spite Of misgivings the move
ment towards Socialism might have
continued to press forward, if State
ownership had remained the only al
tentative offered to capitalist owner
ship. The attractive attentive OF
Syndicalism. however, served to turn
the eyes Of the workers in fresh d.
rection, and Socialism ceased to hold
the undivided allegiance of the class
conscious proletariat. Under the
test Of sustained criticism, Syndical-
ism has shown itself to possess ele-
ments Of vitality. for Guild Social
ism and Economic Federalism are
merely notifications of Syndicalism.
At the present time State Socialism
is more and more falling into disre-
pute. whilst Syndicalist ideas are
gaining in favor. Whether they will
be checked is a question which only
the future can determine; but it is
not likely that State Socialism will
ever again appeal as an ideal system
to the proletarian Imagination.
The supersession of Socialism
brings no solace to the champion of
things as they are. Indeed. it is one
Of the most significant features of
the present situation. that disillu-
sionment has led to no disposition
for reconciliation with capitalism.
BY capitalism mean the present
system of the concentration Of pro-
ductive property in the hands of
small class. with the mass of the peo-
pie working for the profit and under
the direction of the owning class.
The legislative regulation Of capital
ism. protecting the workers from the
harsher evils of their proletarian
condition, is the policy now favored
by sympathetic upper class desir-
GUS of lettering the lot of the poor,
without sacrificing their own posi-
ton Of privilege and power. This is
the policy generally dignified by the
title of practical social reform, which
has ousted the old policy of laissez
faire. 1t has been pursued for over
forty years, and though it may have
made social conditions effectively
better than they were. it has certain
ly not led to any diminution of dis
content among the working masses.
There is no reason to think that this
ameliorative policy will be any more
successful in producing contentment
under capitalism in the future. In
all industrial countries there has
been in recent years an enormous
and unprecedented output of social
legislation; yet labor unrest" re-
mains as acute now as ever. Do not
these facts suggest that to make our
socia lsystem more tolerable to the
mass of workers, some fundamental
changes are needed? The system of
capitalism has not had very long
history as yet; but whenever and
wherever 1t has been in existence,