Now that considerable has been said about Socialism in theory, we shall make the transition to Socialism in practice by quoting what may be called George Herron"s dream of Socialist perfection. On page 28 of his booklet, "From Revolution to Revolution," we are told: "Perhaps we shall learn in time, before accentuated capitalism has intensified the universal misery of labor. Socialism is already on its way to the conquest of Europe. And it may be that we shall yet behold that glorious uprising of the universal peoples which is to begin man"s real history, and the world"s real creation--that united affirmation of the world"s workers which Socialism foretells, knowing boundaries neither of nations nor sects nor factions, speaking one voice and working together as one man for one purpose, filling and cleansing the world with one glad revolutionary cry. When the peoples thus come, divine and omnipotent through co-operation, the raw materials of the world-life in their creative hands, no longer begging favors or reforms, no longer awed by the slave moralities or the slave religions that teach submission to their masters, but risen and regnant in the consciousness of their common inheritance and right in the earth and its fullness, of which they are the makers and preservers, then will the antagonisms and devastations of cla.s.ses vanish forever, and the peace of good will become the universal fact."
"Glorious," indeed, have been the uprisings of the Bolsheviki of Russia, the Communists of Hungary and Bavaria, and the Spartacans of Germany, all of whom are Socialists of the most p.r.o.nounced type. These uprisings, instead of being the "beginnings of the world"s real creation," are rather the beginnings of its destruction and ruination. The world"s workers have been "wonderfully united" in Russia, Hungary, Bavaria and Germany since Socialism came into power--and no better proof need be given than the way in which they have been shooting each other down and trying to oust each other from office. Though the Socialists were not supposed to know "the boundaries of nations, sects or factions," but were to "speak one voice and work together as one man for one purpose,"
the Spartacans, it seems, would be better off if they had not only an imaginary boundary to separate barbarians of their type from the rest of civilization, but a barrier of mountains with heights towering in the clouds to divide Germany into two parts, in one of which the Spartacans could rest in peace, safe from the attacks of their beloved brethren of the Ebert-Scheidemann group.
If the Communists of Bavaria had only built half a dozen Chinese walls around Munich, they might still be holding out against the Socialist army that besieged them and overcame them. Lenine"s Government caused such rivers of blood to flow in Russia that it could well dispense with imaginary boundary lines to separate "Bolsheviki Land" from the domains of Socialist Siberia. "One glad revolutionary cry" was to go up from Socialists all over the world, but the cry is: "Workers in anti-Socialist countries, save us from our false, hypocritical, reactionary, murderous Marxian brethren!" Have the Socialist peoples the world over become truly "divine" by their attacks on G.o.d and all religions? Have they become "omnipotent" wherever they are in power--so omnipotent that law, order and decency are no longer needed? The "raw materials of the world were in their creative hands," and yet the Russian people were starving by the millions, and the longer the period since the world war, the worse things became in those vast domains once so famous for their natural resources, wheat, cattle, wool, minerals, oil and wood.
The Socialist dream was one of "no submission to masters;" but, strange to say, the dictator, Lenine, rules "Bolsheviki-Land" just as he pleases; Bela Kun so ruled Hungary; while the supposedly democratic Soviets just issued decrees of murder or plunder, and no national representative body of all the Russians or of all the Hungarians ever seemed to meet. The Socialists of Russia, Hungary and Bavaria were indeed "regnant in the consciousness of their common inheritance,"
provided, of course, that by inheritance, confiscated property is meant.
Yet although "antagonism and devastations of cla.s.ses" were destined to "vanish forever, and the peace of good will become the universal fact,"
somehow or other certain "scientific reformers" forgot that there were such things as fools" paradises and overlooked the old saying that "all that glitters is not gold."
In Chapters X and XI much more will be said about the Lenine-Trotzky dictatorship of Socialist Russia, the Bela Kun administration of Hungary, the criminal Socialist crew of Bavaria, and, of course, the fiery Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg group that at times in certain localities replaced the Ebert-Scheidemann government of Germany.
In "The Call," New York, April 28, 1919, under the caption, "Socialist Government of Yucatan Grapples With the Binder Trust," we read:
"We get vastly less news nowadays from our next-door neighbor, Mexico, than from Europe and Asia, therefore a "Call" reporter, meeting a Comrade who has recently returned from the tropic peninsula, fell upon him and demanded news of the Socialist, labor and co-operative movements there.
""We are facing a very much tangled-up situation down there,"
answered the man from Yucatan. He is W. Elkin Birch, a well-known American Socialist and business man, who has lived in Mexico several years. He came up to "the States" on a business trip, and is returning to Yucatan, where he is prominent in the Socialist and co-operative movements.
""The forces of capitalism in Mexico are so strong, and the commercial system is so vicious," he began, "that I am not very optimistic about the future of Socialism in Yucatan."
""But we thought that Alvarado had established almost a paradise down there," cried the reporter. "A year ago we learned that you had elected a complete Socialist administration in Yucatan; then, a few months since, we heard that it had not put any part of the Socialist program into effect. We wondered what was the reason, but hardly any news comes through now."
""Alvarado did work a wonderful transformation, and much of the good he did remains. It is true, we have an administration of Socialists, but we find that that is a very different thing from a Socialist administration. Yucatan is still in the grip of the commercial interests, and the game is blocked at every move. As fast as the radicals devise some means of stopping the robbery of the people by special privilege, the privileged interests find a way of circ.u.mventing the radicals by apparently yielding, but really maintaining their domination.
""Alvarado took over the Reguladora, through which the henequem, Yucatan"s princ.i.p.al product, is sold for export; he took over the railroads, and the line of steamships running to the States....
""The government still controls the Reguladora, but, as I said, it is in a deadlock with the powers who control its market. We still have government-owned railroads in Yucatan, but government ownership merely takes the public utility out of the hands of private capital and places it under the control of a political organization. And private capital already has secured control of that political organization, and graft and robbery are running riot. Government ownership of railroads has increased the cost of operation 100 per cent. The payrolls are packed with friends of officials and friends of friends. If a man can control a few votes, they reason, why shouldn"t he have a job? What"s the railroad for, if not to provide jobs? The folks down there are very much like people in other countries, you see."....
""But why doesn"t the Socialist administration take control of industry and commerce, and put the interests out of power?"
demanded the reporter, determined to uphold the faith in the face of disappointing facts.
""Well, of course, that sounds easy; but Socialists are just people, after all, and when a Socialist gets into office he finds it quite as hard as ordinary folks to resist the subtle influences that surround officials. A man can"t be sure that he is a real Socialist until he is put to the test of being a part of the government. The commercial interests offer him opportunities to make money; they give him and his family social advantages. He begins to see that capitalism has its good points, after all." Mr.
Birch smiled half-satirically, half-tolerantly. "Some members of the a.s.sembly have made fortunes during their year of office. One member, who handles concessions, illegal and otherwise, has cleared over a million pesos."
The February, 1918, issue of the "International Socialist Review,"
Chicago, was suppressed by the authorities of the United States government, and, as a consequence, it is probable that not very many copies are in circulation. The author of "The Red Conspiracy," however, has in his possession a copy of this edition, in which there is a very interesting article, beginning on page 414, ent.i.tled, "Your Dream Come True."
"A Land of practical Socialism in active operation.
"Nearly 4,000,000 people without one cent of money in circulation; and where no man owns a foot of land or the tools of production--trades unionism, industrialism, single tax and socialism all rolled into one.
"Ninety thousand square miles without a policeman; where gold rings are placed in the public markets in large baskets, to be had for the asking.
"A work day of two hours for the strong; of play for the young, middle-aged and old. A land where there is plenty of candy for the kiddies, playgrounds for all; and from which the spectre of want has departed.
"Land of peon-slaves awakened from centuries of capitalist misrule to the glories of co-operation, without master or landlord.
"This is no dream, but an actualized verity right here in America--in southern Mexico. Shades of Thomas Moore, Edward Bellamy and William Morris arise and rejoice, for your wildest visions have become facts.
"Across the miles I stretch my hand in fellowship with Mexico"s great democrat--Zapata. Don"t forget that name. The capitalist press has not told much about him--for obvious reasons. He is putting into practice the basic principles of co-operation. The golden rule is being translated into action.
"General Zapata now absolutely controls 90,000 square miles, comprising parts of Morelo, Jalisco, Chapas, Quintana Roo and Tabasco. This land is well under cultivation. The population (on a rough estimate, without the advantages of a scientific census) is from three to four millions. The inhabitants are nearly all peons, who for centuries had existed in a degrading state of slavery. More than ninety-five per cent. can neither read nor write.
"Zapata"s control began in 1910, but only in the three years past has the co-operative system been placed on its present basis. The greatest development has been made during the past two years.
"Methods of propaganda have been simple and effective. Direct action is the keynote. The people awoke to a knowledge of their slavery and the realization of their heritage--and took what belonged to them. The only message sent to the people was somewhat similar to the I. W. W. preamble, but much shorter than that cla.s.sic doc.u.ment.
"Having aroused the slaves to realize their status by saying in substance: the rich unjustly possess the land; we want all that is ours and are not willing that any man should possess that which is not his--Zapata would lead his army into some rich valley and simply dispossess the wealthy "owners." Then the peons on the land would be given the use of the land. Not one man in the ninety thousand square miles holds a t.i.tle to one foot of land. After getting the new territory, the land was cultivated and the district organized.
"When strong enough the army--the propaganda branch of the revolution--held another convention in some other fertile valley and benevolently a.s.similated some other opulent set of slave-driving usurpers of the land....
"Every citizen of each community is given a little bra.s.s citizenship tag. It is necessary to show this only in strange towns. It is his pa.s.sport for whatever he needs for food, clothing and shelter. Each person goes into the stores and gets what he needs for the simple asking.
"We have heard endless discussions as to the nature of the future medium of exchange. Many volumes have been written on the subject.
Zapata isn"t worrying over these problems. He is leaving them where they belong--to the philosophers. There isn"t any medium of exchange in Zapata"s land. Why should there be on a free earth? If a man wanted ten pairs of sandals or shoes he could have them, but why would he want them? He can always go--in Zapata"s country--to any store and get a pair when he needs one. So with all other provisions. In practice, in the few years the plan has been in operation, the peons have not abused the privilege. They are producers, and realize it. Why rob themselves? There is not one idea of profit in all that 90,000 square miles, and human nature is just as it was when Adam delved and Eve spun.
"Travelers are not being admitted freely just now, in these unsettled times, because of the lying reports carried away by spying emissaries of capitalism. But when one is given permission to visit the country, his route is marked out and listed on the pa.s.sport given him. He pays the government and then is provided freely on all the travels over the designated route.
"No women or children are to be found in any line of manual labor in mill, field or factory.
"The young and middle aged men alone work. They work from one and one-half to three hours a day. Some will work more steadily for a week and then go away to some town for two or three weeks to enjoy their country. For the first time in history the workers have a country that is really theirs. Workers? Yes, for all are workers.
There are no landlords or "bosses" and overseers to prod them into exhausting toil. And these people are simple enough to believe that man should enjoy life--that all people should find pleasure in living.
"Of course there are foremen and superintendents in the administration of industry. But they receive no wages, just what they need to live on, and every man, woman and child gets that. The men will work two hours and then go out to play hand-ball and other games in the plaza or courts.
"When the fields need attention, men go from ranch to ranch wherever help is needed. In like manner all industry is carried on.
"One example will show something of how matters are managed. One big sugar refinery formerly employed 2,500 men, working them fourteen hours a day. Employees now work two hours a day. The refinery still is in operation fourteen hours daily. There are seven shifts of workers. All told, there are 25,000 employees of that refinery. All are happy and have all of the food, clothing and shelter the land affords. The children have big sticks of candy as large as they can carry--and there is no talk of conservation of supplies anywhere.
"Access to the land and co-operation did it. There isn"t any regular freight and pa.s.senger service. The trains operate as required. Production for profit has ceased on 90,000 square miles of this planet and the mills and mines are run to manufacture products for use only. When goods are needed anywhere, the trains haul them. Occasionally a few hundred men, women and children will be taken into the mountains by the trainload for a few days"
outing. It is all a part of living--no fares to pay....
"The churches are being used as schools, for lecture centers, as play houses and for similar useful purposes. There is no liquor sold. This is not the result of any decree or election. The people had so little desire for booze that they quit its manufacture....
"It is not to be inferred that Zapata has solved all of the problems of society. Everything can"t be done at once, even by the magic wand of his propaganda. Still, his achievements make the genii of Alladin"s lamp look pretty small and cheap. In three years every worker has been united into one industrial union; all t.i.tles to land and ownership of the tools of production swept away; labor"s hours shortened to the minimum; the entire population fed, clothed and sheltered--all through cooperation on a free earth."
This is the kind of "stuff" that is served up to the "learned,"
"scientific Socialists," who place so much confidence in the leaders who are supposed to be honest and worthy of leading them into the Marxian Paradise. This is the way they spoke of "Socialism" in Mexico some years ago, and today they are speaking of it in Russia in much the same way.
Act the Second
Scene--A large photo of Zapata--4 by 6 inches, in "The Call," the Socialist paper of New York City, April 24, 1919.
Under the photo there is the following inscription: