The Delta independent., 1918-03-01
DELI rs INTERESTING PAPER
ON ~E MENACE TO SOCIALISM

The fortnightly meeting of the
Round Table club occurred at the old
stamping ground Tuesday evening,
with a goodly number of members
and guests present to listen to the
program, the leading number of
which was an excellent paper prepar-
ed and delivered by DIR. A. c. McClan-
ahan. Limited space prohibits our
reproducing this address in its entire
ty, but we quote excerpts as follows:
IF religion may be defined as any
belief in a universal and superhuman
force. together with an acceptance of
any great ethical principle and faith
in a high social idea, socialism is re-
ligion.
THE events of human history do
not happen fortuitously: they are not
accidental They occur in obedience
to the inexorable laws of an immut-
able force. This force. according to
socialism. is the force of economic
factors
Socialism has been called reli-
gion without god, but this is hardly
true. The god Of socialism is the
blind god OF economic forces working
through the economic order existing
at any given time. In the words o.
Karl Marx. The form. contents and
charges OF every social order are de
termined by the economic basis upon
which such society is built
Not only does socialism find its
god in economic forces. but II has its
bible In the book entitled Capital,
and its prophet In Karl Marx. AS
Christianity grew out OF Jodaism and
Buddhism out OF Brahamanism. so
socialism grew out OF the Snug and
self-satisfied political economy that
preceded II.
Capitalism Is that organization Of
society in which the instruments and
materials OF production are owned by
an exploiting class-oapitalists-
while the workers who use these in
struments and whose work gives val
ne to these materials have no own
ership in either. Furthermore. since
all values are the product of labor.
land has no value and can have none
for 1t Is not the product of labor. II
has a price. but price is not a value.
and there is no ethical justification
for the price.
81 do not recall any of teh argu-
ments by which socialists support this
doctrine. but assuming the correct
ness of the theory of value promul-
gated by Ricardo-who. II mnts be re.
membered. was not socialist-it
follows with absolute syllogistic in
evitability that land has no value and
should have no price.
III there is any ethical pustifica-
tion for the private ownership OF one
hundred acres. II is equally defensi-
BILE TO own a thousand. But II may
righifnlly own thousand acres. I
may rightfully own county. II there
is no moral obstacle to my ownership
OF county. there can be none to my
ownership OF a whole state of a whole
continent or the whole world. And n
! may own the world. there can be no
ethical obstacle to my mailing up
signs on 1t forbidding trespass and
threatening the direst penalties OF
the law against those who fail to keep
off the earth.
THE argument against rent: 1f the
tenant returns the rented property in
condition as good as that in which
II was received. he owes the landlord
nothing. for the landlord has lost
nothing, the property rented has pro
duced nothing. and II there is any
debt owed by the landlord to the ten.
ant for services for which the land.
lord. In the absence of tenant
would have been obliged to pay 9
watchman''