The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-05-11

LONDON, May 2.-'Vltal parts OF
the capitalistic order of society are
in a state of disintegration. A deep
gap Of irr >concilable conflicts Is
widening before our eyes," says The
Spectator leading conservative week
ly of Great Britain.
"A keen observer, however, can
not fail to see that the main aspects
of the social problems can not be
solved by solving the international
problems alone. And then, in the
older capitalistic countries, no solu-
ton of the international problems
seems possible unless the solution is
based on a rapid transformation OF
the economic foundations of capital
istic national units, making them
first of all the servants of the para
mount interests of the society as a
whole.
Not one of the partners in the
game is strong enough to completely
subdue the other that the victor on
the strength of his victory could COM
pei the loser to pay the expense &C.
count of the winner. Such a course
would be physically impossible.
1T would be a dream of a maniac
to assume that Germany could COM
pei the workers Of England, of
France, of Italy, or of Russia to pay
the war bill of Germany, or that she
could make them submit to condi-
tons which it would be necessary to
maintain in order to cXtricate such
sums at the cost of an unwilling
world.
Germany Can Not Pay.
''On the other hand the admission
is beginning to take root that Ger
many by no means would be able to
pay the boundless expenses OF her
enemies. Such a payment would be
Theoretically possible only at the
cost of tying Germany, it's people
and it's wealth to political and econ
omic deeds Of mortgage, which in
themselves would so handicap the re-
Mobilization of it's economic life as
to make any payments almost impos-
sibe.
And even if it were possible to ar
range for some kind of tremendous
and remunerative penal labor, the
very conditions of such labor would
become an inexhaustble source Of
new bitterness and conflicts through
out the world.
Debts have grown so big, so in
comparably immeasurable, that the
assets Of the capitalistic society,
alongside with the debts, verify may
be counted as naught.
State Admits Danger.
Germany may be taken'as an il
lustration. The material indebted
ness, charged against Germant's fu-
ture, is somewhere in the neighbour
hood of 120,000,0Oo,000 marks $780,
000,000,000). This is admitted by the
German government itself. 1t means
that the capitalistic society of Ger
many, in order to maintain itself,
must be prepared to meet the pay
nents of the principal and of the in
terest of this gigantic Indebtedness
economic laws of the capitalistic So
ciety.
"Out of the aforementioned in
| debtedness of 120,00O,000,000. marks,
sum of 1000 marks ($500) would
be apportioned to each and every
man, woman and child Of Germany
an average Of 10000 marks ($2,500)
! to each and every family. The in
! terest on the Indebtedness, at rate
! of per cent, would make 500 marks
; (s125) to each family-about SO per
! cent of the average annual earnings
! of the industrial laborers Of Ger
! many.
! Taxation Is Inadequate.
"In addition to that, there will be
regular state and municipal expendi.
! lures, and many extra ordinary ex.
! penses. The maintenance of the in.
valids and the orphans alone will de-
! mand hundreds of millions. Other ex
penses of the state and of the munic'
qualities, added thereto, would NEAR
i that almost two-thirds of the average
| wage earnings would be taken b,
the state and municipal treasures
: either by direct or indirect taxation
ITO alleviate this situation, it Nigh
be possible to consider a heavy taxa
ton of big business profits. Yet there
is a limit of the feasibility of sucl