Page:Property and Improperty.djvu/12

 armaments which threaten war is the subject-matter of these chapters.

The failure of Labour and Socialist parties in this and other countries to make a clear distinction between the right and wrong sorts of property, between the sorts which in their origin and uses are expressive of personal effort and personal satisfaction, and the sorts which proceed from looting, oppressive bargains, gambling and cunning, and are put to luxurious expenditure or waste, is the chief barrier to sound economic reform. Effective remedies for this maldistribution of incomes, seen to be responsible for the failure of the present capitalist system to produce the goods, can only be based upon an intelligent acceptance of the distinction between property and improperty.