war of the classes-第15章

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this　equity；　society；　as　at　present　constituted；　cannot　give。　　It　is

not　in　the　nature　of　present…day　society　for　men　to　give　like　for

like；　the　same　for　the　same。　　And　so　long　as　men　continue　to　live　in

this　competitive　society；　struggling　tooth　and　nail　with　one　another

for　food　and　shelter；　（which　is　to　struggle　tooth　and　nail　with　one

another　for　life）；　that　long　will　the　scab　continue　to　exist。　　His

will　〃to　live〃　will　force　him　to　exist。　　He　may　be　flouted　and

jeered　by　his　brothers；　he　may　be　beaten　with　bricks　and　clubs　by

the　men　who　by　superior　strength　and　capacity　scab　upon　him　as　he

scabs　upon　them　by　longer　hours　and　smaller　wages；　but　through　it

all　he　will　persist；　giving　a　bit　more　of　most　for　least　than　they

are　giving。







THE　QUESTION　OF　THE　MAXIMUM







For　any　social　movement　or　development　there　must　be　a　maximum　limit

beyond　which　it　cannot　proceed。　　That　civilization　which　does　not

advance　must　decline；　and　so；　when　the　maximum　of　development　has

been　reached　in　any　given　direction；　society　must　either　retrograde

or　change　the　direction　of　its　advance。　　There　are　many　families　of

men　that　have　failed；　in　the　critical　period　of　their　economic

evolution；　to　effect　a　change　in　direction；　and　were　forced　to　fall

back。　　Vanquished　at　the　moment　of　their　maximum；　they　have　dropped

out　of　the　whirl　of　the　world。　　There　was　no　room　for　them。

Stronger　competitors　have　taken　their　places；　and　they　have　either

rotted　into　oblivion　or　remain　to　be　crushed　under　the　iron　heel　of

the　dominant　races　in　as　remorseless　a　struggle　as　the　world　has　yet

witnessed。　　But　in　this　struggle　fair　women　and　chivalrous　men　will

play　no　part。　　Types　and　ideals　have　changed。　　Helens　and　Launcelots

are　anachronisms。　　Blows　will　be　given　and　taken；　and　men　fight　and

die；　but　not　for　faiths　and　altars。　　Shrines　will　be　desecrated；　but

they　will　be　the　shrines；　not　of　temples；　but　market…places。

Prophets　will　arise；　but　they　will　be　the　prophets　of　prices　and

products。　　Battles　will　be　waged；　not　for　honor　and　glory；　nor　for

thrones　and　sceptres；　but　for　dollars　and　cents　and　for　marts　and

exchanges。　　Brain　and　not　brawn　will　endure；　and　the　captains　of　war

will　be　commanded　by　the　captains　of　industry。　　In　short；　it　will　be

a　contest　for　the　mastery　of　the　world's　commerce　and　for　industrial

supremacy。



It　is　more　significant；　this　struggle　into　which　we　have　plunged；

for　the　fact　that　it　is　the　first　struggle　to　involve　the　globe。　　No

general　movement　of　man　has　been　so　wide…spreading；　so　far…reaching。

Quite　local　was　the　supremacy　of　any　ancient　people；　likewise　the

rise　to　empire　of　Macedonia　and　Rome；　the　waves　of　Arabian　valor　and

fanaticism；　and　the　mediaeval　crusades　to　the　Holy　Sepulchre。　　But

since　those　times　the　planet　has　undergone　a　unique　shrinkage。



The　world　of　Homer；　limited　by　the　coast…lines　of　the　Mediterranean

and　Black　seas；　was　a　far　vaster　world　than　ours　of　today；　which　we

weigh；　measure；　and　compute　as　accurately　and　as　easily　as　if　it

were　a　child's　play…ball。　　Steam　has　made　its　parts　accessible　and

drawn　them　closer　together。　　The　telegraph　annihilates　space　and

time。　　Each　morning；　every　part　knows　what　every　other　part　is

thinking；　contemplating；　or　doing。　　A　discovery　in　a　German

laboratory　is　being　demonstrated　in　San　Francisco　within　twenty…four

hours。　　A　book　written　in　South　Africa　is　published　by　simultaneous

copyright　in　every　English…speaking　country；　and　on　the　day

following　is　in　the　hands　of　the　translators。　　The　death　of　an

obscure　missionary　in　China；　or　of　a　whiskey…smuggler　in　the　South

Seas；　is　served；　the　world　over；　with　the　morning　toast。　　The　wheat

output　of　Argentine　or　the　gold　of　Klondike　are　known　wherever　men

meet　and　trade。　　Shrinkage；　or　centralization；　has　become　such　that

the　humblest　clerk　in　any　metropolis　may　place　his　hand　on　the　pulse

of　the　world。　　The　planet　has　indeed　grown　very　small；　and　because

of　this；　no　vital　movement　can　remain　in　the　clime　or　country　where

it　takes　its　rise。



And　so　today　the　economic　and　industrial　impulse　is　world…wide。　　It

is　a　matter　of　import　to　every　people。　　None　may　be　careless　of　it。

To　do　so　is　to　perish。　　It　is　become　a　battle；　the　fruits　of　which

are　to　the　strong；　and　to　none　but　the　strongest　of　the　strong。　　As

the　movement　approaches　its　maximum；　centralization　accelerates　and

competition　grows　keener　and　closer。　　The　competitor　nations　cannot

all　succeed。　　So　long　as　the　movement　continues　its　present

direction；　not　only　will　there　not　be　room　for　all；　but　the　room

that　is　will　become　less　and　less；　and　when　the　moment　of　the

maximum　is　at　hand；　there　will　be　no　room　at　all。　　Capitalistic

production　will　have　overreached　itself；　and　a　change　of　direction

will　then　be　inevitable。



Divers　queries　arise：　　What　is　the　maximum　of　commercial　development

the　world　can　sustain？　　How　far　can　it　be　exploited？　　How　much

capital　is　necessary？　　Can　sufficient　capital　be　accumulated？　　A

brief　resume　of　the　industrial　history　of　the　last　one　hundred　years

or　so　will　be　relevant　at　this　stage　of　the　discussion。

Capitalistic　production；　in　its　modern　significance；　was　born　of　the

industrial　revolution　in　England　in　the　latter　half　of　the

eighteenth　century。　　The　great　inventions　of　that　period　were　both

its　father　and　its　mother；　while；　as　Mr。　Brooks　Adams　has　shown；　the

looted　treasure　of　India　was　the　potent　midwife。　　Had　there　not　been

an　unwonted　increase　of　capital；　the　impetus　would　not　have　been

given　to　invention；　while　even　steam　might　have　languished　for

generations　instead　of　at　once　becoming；　as　it　did；　the　most

prominent　factor　in　the　new　method　of　production。　　The　improved

application　of　these　inventions　in　the　first　decades　of　the

nineteenth　century　mark　the　transition　from　the　domestic　to　the

factory　system　of　manufacture　and　inaugurated　the　era　of　capitalism。

The　magnitude　of　this　revolution　is　manifested　by　the　fact　that

England　alone　had　invented　the　means　and　equipped　herself　with　the

machinery　whereby　she　could　overstock　the　world's　markets。　　The　home

market　could　not　consume　a　tithe　of　the　home　product。　　To

manufacture　this　home　product　she　had　sacrificed　her　agriculture。

She　must　buy　her　food　from　abroad；　and　to　do　so　she　must　sell　her

goods　abroad。



But　the　struggle　for　commercial　supremacy　had　not　yet　really　begun。

England　was　without　a　rival。　　Her　navies　controlled　the　sea。　　Her

armies　and　her　insular　position　gave　her　peace　at　home。　　The　world

was　hers　to　exploit。　　For　nearly　fifty　years　she　dominated　the

European；　American；　and　Indian　trade；　while　the　great　wars　then

convulsing　society　were　destroying　possible　competitive　capital　and

straining　consumption　to　its　utmost。　　The　pioneer　of　the　industrial

nations；　she　thus　received　such　a　start　in　the　new　race　for　wealth

that　it　is　only　today　the　other　nations　have　succeeded　in　overtaking

her。　　In　1820　the　volume　of　her　trade　（imports　and　exports）　was

68；000；000　pounds。　　In　1899　it　had　increased　to　815；000；000　pounds；…

…an　increase　of　1200　per　cent　in　the　volume　of　trade。



For　nearly　one　hundred　years　England　has　been　producing　surplus

value。　　She　has　been　producing　far　more　than　she　consumes；　and　this

excess　has　swelled　the　volume　of　her　capital。　　This　capital　has　been

invested　in　her　enterprises　at　home　and　abroad；　and　in　her　shipping。

In　1898　the　Stock　Exchange　estimated　British　capital　invested　abroad

at　1；900；000；000　pounds。　　But　hand　in　hand　with　her　foreign

investments　have　grown　her　adverse　balances　of　trade。　　For　the　ten

years　ending　with　1868；　her　average　yearly　adverse　balance　was

52；000；000　pounds；　ending　with　1878；　81；000；000　pounds；　ending　with

1888；　101；000；000　pounds；　and　ending　with　1898；　133；000；000　pounds。

In　the　single　year　of　1897　it　reached　the　portentous　sum　of

157；000；000　pounds。



But　England's　adverse　balances　of　trade　in　themselves　are　nothing　at

which