The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-09-28
PROPERTY


Reference has already been made
to the synonymity of the terms civil
lization, slavery and property; that
civilization began with slavery, and
that the slave was property. 1t is
true that property existed prior to the
birth of slavery, but it consisted mere
ly of personal belongings, and was
entirely devoid of the attribute of be-
ing means of bringing a revenue to
its possessor, without exertion upon
his part. The owner of such property
could not obtain something for moth
ing, merely by virtue of such owner
ship. With the establishment, how
ever, of slavery the term property
took on new or added meaning. 1t
became possessed of the attribute of
being able to bring to it's owner a rev.
enue, without effort upon his part.
1t became the means whereby the
owner could obtain wealth for moth
ing. His property-slaves-w
produce the wealth. He, as the owner
of such slaves, would merely take the
wealth they produced. Out of that
wealth he would allow the slaves to be
fed, so that they might continue the
process on the morrow. The balance
he would appropriate to his own pur-
poses of comfort and ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
The slave bears the distinction of
being the only sort of property ever
invented that could bring to it's owner
something for nothing. 1t is that
type of property that rules the world
today. There is none other than can
be measured in terms of exchange,
for the very simple reason that there
is none other that can conjure forth
something for nothing, for the owner
thereof. There is no other property
out of which profit can be made.
Consequently there is no other kind
that is worth owning. The slave of
today little dreams that the entire
civilized world worships at his shrine.
But it is fact, nevertheless. The
world worships at the shrine of prop
erty, and the slave is that property.
No god, either Christian or Pagan.
ever had so large and devoted a fol-
lowing.
1t is true that slaves are not now
listed as property in the marts of the
world. In fact slavery is not supposed
to exist in the highly civilized nations
of today. Lands, factories, shops,
mines, railways, steamships and all
similar things are listed as property
and the titles thereto are continually
passing from hand to hand The val
uation of these properties runs up in
to countless billions of dollars. And
yet not a foot of land, not a factory,
a mine, railway, or any other part
or parcel of this alleged property,
| possesses, in itself, an iota of ex-
change value. AS a means, however.
of commanding the services of en-
shaved labor, in the processes of
wealth production, these so-called
properties become immensely valua-
BILE. But they are valuable only be-
cause they become the medium
through which the enslavement of the
workers is effected and their life force
coined into wealth for the owners. It
may be seen from this that the value
which lies within the industrial pro
cesses of modern times, and which is
quoted as resting in the physical prop
critics referred to above, lies solely
within the ranks of the enslaved work
ers. The ownership and control of
the aforesaid physical properties car
ries with it the ownership and control
of the sole wealth producing factor
in human society, the working class.
Stocks, bonds, deeds, mortgages and
such like paper evidences of title to
property, are only title deeds to hui
man slaves, the only sort of property
from which an owner ever did or ever
could procure living without effort