unto this last-第12章

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by　the　wealth　is　the　same　in　both　cases；　but　by　injustice　it　is



put　all　into　one　man's　hands；　so　that　he　directs　at　once　and　with



equal　force　the　labour　of　a　circle　of　men　about　him；　by　the　just



procedure；　he　is　permitted　to　touch　the　nearest　only；　through



whom；　with　diminished　force；　modified　by　new　minds；　the　energy　of



the　wealth　passes　on　to　others；　and　so　till　it　exhausts　itself。



　　　　The　immediate　operation　of　justice　in　this　respect　is



therefore　to　diminish　the　power　of　wealth；　first　in　acquisition



of　luxury；　and；　secondly；　in　exercise　of　moral　influence。　The



employer　cannot　concentrate　so　multitudinous　labour　on　his　own



interests；　nor　can　he　subdue　so　multitudinous　mind　to　his　own



will。　But　the　secondary　operation　of　justice　is　not　less



important。　The　insufficient　payment　of　the　group　of　men　working



for　one；　places　each　under　a　maximum　of　difficulty　in　rising



above　his　position。　The　tendency　of　the　system　is　to　check



advancement。　But　the　sufficient　or　just　payment；　distributed



through　a　descending　series　oF　offices　or　grades　or　labour；（11*）



gives　each　subordinated　person　fair　and　sufficient　means　of



rising　in　the　social　scale；　if　he　chooses　to　use　them；　and　thus



not　only　diminishes　the　immediate　power　of　wealth；　but　removes



the　worst　disabilities　of　poverty。



　　　　It　is　on　this　vital　problem　that　the　entire　destiny　of　the



labourer　is　ultimately　dependent。　Many　minor　interests　may



sometimes　appear　to　interfere　with　it；　but　all　branch　from　it。



For　instance；　considerable　agitation　is　often　caused　in　the　minds



of　the　lower　classes　when　they　discover　the　share　which　they



nominally；　and　to　all　appearance；　actually；　pay　out　of　their



wages　in　taxation　（I　believe　thirty…five　or　forty　per　cent）。　This



sounds　very　grievous；　but　in　reality　the　labourer　does　not　pay



it；　but　his　employer。　If　the　workman　had　not　to　pay　it；　his　wages



would　be　less　by　just　that　sum：　competition　would　still　reduce



them　to　the　lowest　rate　at　which　life　was　possible。　Similarly　the



lower　orders　agitated　for　the　repeal　of　the　corn　laws；（12*）



thinking　they　would　be　better　off　if　bread　were　cheaper；　never



perceiving　that　as　soon　as　bread　was　permanently　cheaper；　wages



would　permanently　fall　in　precisely　that　proportion。　The　corn



laws　were　rightly　repealed；　not；　however；　because　they　directly



oppressed　the　poor；　but　because　they　indirectly　oppressed　them　in



causing　a　large　quantity　of　their　labour　to　be　consumed



unproductively。　So　also　unnecessary　taxation　oppresses　them；



through　destruction　of　capital；　but　the　destiny　of　the　poor



depends　primarily　always　on　this　one　question　of　dueness　of



wages。　Their　distress　（irrespectively　of　that　caused　by　sloth；



minor　error；　or　crime）　arises　on　the　grand　scale　from　the　two



reacting　forces　of　competition　and　oppression。　There　is　not　yet；



nor　will　yet　for　ages　be；　any　real　over…population　in　the　world；



but　a　local　over…population；　or；　more　accurately；　a　degree　of



population　locally　unmanageable　under　existing　circumstances　for



want　of　forethought　and　sufficient　machinery；　necessarily　shows



itself　by　pressure　of　competition；　and　the　taking　advantage　of



this　competition　by　the　purchaser　to　obtain　their　labour　unjustly



cheap；　consummates　at　once　their　suffering　and　his　own；　for　in



this　（as　I　believe　in　every　other　kind　of　slavery）　the　oppressor



suffers　at　last　more　than　the　oppressed；　and　those　magnificent



lines　of　Pope；　even　in　all　their　force；　fall　short　of　the　truth



　







　〃Yet；　to　be　just　to　these　poor　men　of　pelf；



　Each　does　but　HATE　HIS　NEIGHBOUR　AS　HIMSELF：



　Damned　to　the　mines；　an　equal　fate　betides



　The　slave　that　digs　it；　and　the　slave　that　hides。〃







　　　　The　collateral　and　reversionary　operations　of　justice　in　this



matter　I　shall　examine　hereafter　（it　being　needful　first　to



define　the　nature　of　value）；　proceeding　then　to　consider　within



what　practical　terms　a　juster　system　may　be　established；　and



ultimately　the　vexed　question　of　the　destinies　of　the　unemployed



workmen。（13*）　Lest；　however；　the　reader　should　be　alarmed　at　some



of　the　issues　to　which　our　investigations　seem　to　be　tending；　as



if　in　their　bearing　against　the　power　of　wealth　they　had



something　in　common　with　those　of　socialism；　I　wish　him　to　know



in　accurate　terms；　one　or　two　of　the　main　points　which　I　have　in



view。



　　　　Whether　socialism　has　made　more　progress　among　the　army　and



navy　（where　payment　is　made　on　my　principles）；　or　among　the



manufacturing　operatives　（who　are　paid　on　my　opponents'



principles）；　I　leave　it　to　those　opponents　to　ascertain　and



declare。　Whatever　their　conclusion　may　be；　I　think　it　necessary



to　answer　for　myself　only　this：　that　if　there　be　any　one　point



insisted　on　throughout　my　works　more　frequently　than　another；



that　one　point　is　the　impossibility　of　Equality。　My　continual　aim



has　been　to　show　the　eternal　superiority　of　some　men　to　others；



sometimes　even　of　one　man　to　all　others；　and　to　show　also　the



advisability　of　appointing　such　persons　or　person　to　guide；　to



lead；　or　on　occasion　even　to　compel　and　subdue；　their　inferiors；



according　to　their　own　better　knowledge　and　wiser　will。　My



principles　of　Political　Economy　were　all　involved　in　a　single



phrase　spoken　three　years　ago　at　Manchester。　〃Soldiers　of　the



Ploughshare　as　well　as　soldiers　of　the　Sword：〃　and　they　were　all



summed　in　a　single　sentence　in　the　last　volume　of　Modern　Painters



　〃Government　and　co…operation　are　in　all　things　the　Laws　of



Life；　Anarchy　and　competition　the　Laws　of　Death。〃



　　　　And　with　respect　to　the　mode　in　which　these　general



principles　affect　the　secure　possession　of　property；　so　far　am　I



from　invalidating　such　security；　that　the　whole　gist　of　these



papers　will　be　found　ultimately　to　aim　at　an　extension　in　its



range；　and　whereas　it　has　long　been　known　and　declared　that　the



poor　have　no　right　to　the　property　of　the　rich；　I　wish　it　also　to



be　known　and　declared　that　the　rich　have　no　right　to　the　property



of　the　poor。



　　　　But　that　the　working　of　the　system　which　I　have　undertaken　to



develope　would　in　many　ways　shorten　the　apparent　and　direct；



though　not　the　unseen　and　collateral；　power；　both　of　wealth；　as



the　Lady　of　Pleasure；　and　of　capital　as　the　Lord　of　Toil；　I　do



not　deny　on　the　contrary；　I　affirm　it　in　all　joyfulness；　knowing



that　the　attraction　of　riches　is　already　too　strong；　as　their



authority　is　already　too　weighty；　for　the　reason　of　mankind。　I



said　in　my　last　paper　that　nothing　in　history　had　ever　been　so



disgraceful　to　human　intellect　as　the　acceptance　among　us　of　the



common　doctrines　of　political　economy　as　a　science。　I　have　many



grounds　for　saying　this；　but　one　of　the　chief　may　be　given　in　few



words。　I　know　no　previous　instance　in　history　of　a　nation's



establishing　a　systematic　disobedience　to　the　first　principles　of



its　professed　religion。　The　writings　which　we　（verbally）　esteem



as　divine；　not　only　denounce　the　love　of　money　as　the　source　of



all　evil；　and　as　an　idolatry　abhorred　of　the　Deity；　but　declare



mammon　service　to　be　the　accurate　and　irreconcileable　opposite　of



God's　service：　and；　whenever　they　speak　of　riches　absolute；　and



poverty　absolute；　declare　woe　to　the　rich；　and　blessing　to　the



poor。　Where　upon　we　forthwith　investigate　a　science　of　becoming



rich　as　the　shortest　road　to　national　prosperity。　







　〃Tai　Cristian　dannera　l'　Etiope；



　Quando　si　partiranno　i　due　collegi；



　L'UNO　IN　ETERNO　RICCO；　E　L'ALTRO　INOPE。〃







Ad　Valorem







　　　　We　saw　that　just　payment　of　labour　consisted　i