Page:American Syndicalism (Brooks 1913).djvu/204

192 confiscated the entire wealth of the nation, and continuously confiscates in a variety of ways the property of the middle class, capitalism has one long record of rapine, bloodshed and wholesale theft.

"The verdict of the court, of the working class, organized and aware of its mission, that will yet thunder forth to capitalism will be: Restore to us, the People, that which is rightfully ours and which you have stolen.

"There will be no 'compensation' about it. Such is the answer of the Socialist Labor Party."

Here owners and non-owners stand over against each other as robbers and robbed. Labor, the creator of wealth, has "Nothing." Capitalistic owners have "Everything." Therefore labor demands "all they have got." "Why? Because they have stolen it from us." We are left in doubt about the use of "force" in this transfer. It may not be "necessary." Labor once "solidly united" will find that the whole capitalistic system "will simply fall of its own weight."

From observations submitted in the last chapter, the conclusion is fairly safe that these brisk iconoclasts will not have their way. They will not have it, because so many of the working class have too much at stake. They will not have it, because it will be seen to be neither fair nor safe. They will not have it, because other methods are now slowly appearing through which the evils of capitalism can be met with decency and good faith.

Before the century is out, ways will be found, largely through more intelligent taxation, to squeeze