The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-10-02
By H. NJ. WICkS

subject OF MarXlSm To-Day, IHo-
fessor Harold ]. Laski, approaching
the question in the manner of a
typical liberal intellectual, tells US
that it is much more usual either
to praise or to blame Marx than to
understand him."
Such an approach serves double
purpose in appealing to readers
whose minds are saturated with lllu-
sions of fairness, justice and other
bedraggled shibboleths. 1t gives
the impression that the author is
unbiased and that he alone under
stands Marx. The first thousand
words of his article are skilfully de-
signed to create the notion that the
author is a creature reared In the
atmosphere of lofty idealism; a
product of kindness, sweetness and
! light.
In the most contemptibly patron
ling manner this dabbler In bour-
geois sophistry discusses 1.-THE Value
and Defects of the MARKHAM Phil
osophy." Laski says the questions
of the adequacy or inadequacy OF
surplus value, of whether the ar
rival of the proletarian revolution
in Russia is or is not fulfillment
of MARKHAM prophesies, important
as they are, Gin the general signifi-
canoe of Marxism they are of schoi-
astic interest rather than of prac-
teal hearing" The essence of
Marxism, declares Laski, from the
angle of our generation, must be
sought in other directions" The
angle from which it must be APP
preached is the recognition that:
TT is, above ALL philosophy
of history, and. as a corollary
thereto, a prophesy of the lines
of social development And, In
the second place. IT is social
tactic intended to give substance
in the event to the prophesy
Marx made.
"The MARKHAM philosophy of
history is the argument that
at any given time the primary
is the system of production
which obtains To it's require
ments all other forms of social
effort necessarily adapt them
selves 1t follows, therefore,
on the MARKHAM view, that those
who control a system of produc-
ton have in society a position of
special authority. They are, in
sober fact, the effective govern
ment; and what we call the state
is the weapon they possess for
securing the service of their in
terest."
Laski then dwells for time upol
the division of society into tw'
classes, the masters, who own TIN
Instruments of production and tr.
to purchase labor as cheap as pos
sible, and the workers, who try t.
sell labor as dear as possible. H
emphasizes the fact that Marx con
sidered this antagonism thus gen
Grated as fundamental and irrecon
cilable. The divorce of the worker
from the means Of production keep
them in subsection to the capitals
regime.
Finally the workers create a rev
clutionary party which insists upo
seizure of the state, so they seiz
ain open warfare the institutions o
the state and establish dictator
. ship of the proletariat, which, b
S its iron rigor, controls the transi
2 ton from a capitalist to Commu
e mist society"
d Nov Comes the Objections.
After thus stating, with all tn
arrogance of an Oxford snob, wha
e he imagines is the MARKHAM inter
. probation of history, the eminen
e professor proceeds to deliver a lee
q ture on the shortcomings of Marx
His Interpretation of history
S in the first place, gives too little
q room to the significance of nom
economic factors. Religion, race
. nationality, these have their
j ideologies which shape, even as
= they are shaped by, the economic
environment.
Every stage. moreover, of the
4. tactic of revolution as Marxism
conceives 1t, is dubious In the
S modern time
Like all opponents of Marxisn