14
to day, if we had not the communistic arrangement of the mail? Formerly the mail was also a private business in nearly all the countries of Europe, like our express-companies and railroads, and the owners of this institution derived a princely income from it, although its use was very limited. And well arranged, as our postal department may be called—it might be better yet, and will be more convenient in time.
Similar benefits would arise from all branches of human activity. Look at our railroads—might they not be the property of the community at large, as well as the mail, instead of being a monopoly in the hands of private persons, whose sole object is to enrich themselves at the cost of their fellow-citizens? A good many persons cherish this idea, especially the farmers of this country, as is shown by the formation of Granger lodges, and it must and will be realized. In this manner one branch after the other will be organized according to the ideas of communism, perhaps by classes of people, who are far from confessing to the principles of Socialism, of Communism, by classes who are inimical to it—because they do not understand it, and are narrow-minded enough to shut their ears and their eyes to everything, that does not tend to their private interest, But never mind!
Do you not think that the express-companies are next to the railroads? To day they use their influence against the public, pushing through Congress laws for increasing the postage, in order to fill their pockets. So did the mail in former times.
This is not yet enough. All means for transportation, such as ships etc., must come into the hands of the community at large; so must all means for production. This demand of Socialism has been the cause for accusing them of hostility to property, even to the property of those, who own but a little. But who is it actually, who drives the owner of small means from his house, from his soil? Is it the Socialist? It is the large capitalist, the large landowner! As the magnet attracts iron filings, so large capital attracts the small sums around it. And the same capitalists, who plie their tentacles in all directions, in order to seize, what they can get, try to persuade the small owners, to beware of Socialism, this being ready to tear their property from them. What a shameful falsehood! Socialism only teaches the way, in which in a future time people will try to reestablish justice and a more equal condition of life for the whole people, after.the owners of small property will have been robbed of the little they owned, not by Socialists,—they have no power to do so, nor the desire for doing it,—but by the rich capitalists.
And this way is well-organized labor!
This certainly includes expropriation of those, who have expropriated the mass of the people, restitution of all means of production to the community at large. What benefit would it be to the community, to take wagons or carts from the farmers or draymen, if you could not take the farmers and draymen along? Nonsense! Talk of this kind has only been invented to frighten
