Page:Peter Alexeivitch Kropotkin - Socialism and Politics (1903).djvu/7

Rh for fighting against their brother workers—such facts of revolt are doing infinitely more for the spreading of true Socialism than anything that has been, or will ever be, said by those Socialists who seek their inspirations in economical metaphysics. Of course, it is those Anarchists whom the would-be Socialists hate so much for not having followed them in their middle-class "evolution"; of course, it is those blessed Anarchists who have their hand in these labour movements, and go to prison like Bertoni in Geneva and scores of our brothers in France and in Spain. Yes. it is true they have a hand in these labour movements, and 8,000 workers on strike in Madrid shouted, the other day: Long live Anarchism! This is true. But they are proud to see that the workers trust them more than they trust their gloved "representatives."

We have seen in our last article how Socialism has been circumscribed and minimized since it became the watchword of a political party, instead of as formerly, the popular labour movement. Nowaday, when Socialism is spoken of. all that is meant is: State railways. State monopoly of banks and spirits, perhaps, in a remote future, State mines, and plenty of legislation intended to slightly protect Labour—without doing the slightest, harm to Capitalism—and at the same time bringing Labour as much as possible into a complete submission to the present middle-class Government of the State. State arbitration, State control of the Trade Unions. State armies for working the railways and the bakeries in the case of strikes, and like measures in favour of the capitalists, are, as is known, necessary aspects of "Labour legislation,'"' in accordance with the well-known programme of Disraeli, John Gorst, "The People," and like Tory Democrat swindlers.

To understand Socialism, as it was understood thirty years ago,—that is, as a deep revolution which would free man by reconstructing the distribution of wealth, consumption and production on a new basis,—is now described by the "Neo-Socialists" as sheer nonsense. We have now "scientific Socialism," and if you would know all about it, read a few