Page:Friedrich Adolf Sorge - Socialism and The Worker (1876).djvu/10

 himself an ennemy of common interests, an ennemy of humanity and mankind! Whoever wishes to annihilate communism will have to destroy the common roads, the schools, the churches, he will have to destroy the public gardens and parks, he will have to abolish the public baths, the theaters, the waterworks, all the public buildings, f. i. city-halls, courts, all the hospitals, the alms-houses, he will have to destroy the railroads, the telegraphs, the mail! For all these belong to communism.

Communism cannot be annihilated, it has its origin and root in human nature, like egoism. Everybody, who will open his eyes, must see, that, in the present time, we are under full sail to land in its sheltering harbor. Sheltering? Yes, sheltering! Sheltering for the great majority of mankind, for whom a better time will come, must come, when the common interest, the interest of all will be the rule governing all our vital conditions, when a barrier will be erected for egoism by the regard for the common or public welfare. If it happens now a days, that rich speculators charter railroads and occupy them by empty freight-trains, to prohibit others from transporting grain to places, where it is wanted, if people in such places have to pay exorbitant prices, or suffer, if the speculator makes use of the common calamity to double his wealth, or if railroad monopolists make their own rates for freight, injuring by high prices producers as well as consumers in order to gain a large dividend; or if storekeepers prefer destroying their goods to selling at lower prices,—these proceedings are considered "all right," for everybody can do with his own, as he chooses. But everybody must see that such egoism is opposed to the common interest; and there will be a time, when people will know, how to protect the common interest against such egoism. When that time has come, it will be better for all; all will enjoy life, not only those, who do so now at the cost of their fellowbeings.

If you define communism in this way, some of my readers will say, we do not object to it, quite in the contrary, we must confess to belong to the Communists ourselves. But this is not, what people generally understand by the term "Communism." We were to consider the communism, which the Communists and Socialists want to introduce, the communism with regard to property. We admit, that they do not intend to divide—but do they not intend to abolish property? This is, what we oppose, otherwise we would not object to it.

What is property? "To be sure, that, what a person owns, possesses!" Well! But, now, tell me, are you certain, that the Socialists are, or ever were, opposed to what Peter or Paul owns? Can you show me a sentence or passage from any of all the writings or pamphlets of Socialists, which justifies the supposition, that they intend to attack the property of any person?

You cannot, because such an idea never entered the head of a Socialist. I should not wonder, if you yourself have not thought sometimes, considering the means and ways, by which many amass their riches, it would be only just and right, to take that