Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/721

EVOLUTION OF SOCIALIST PROGRAMME IN GERMANY 699 the more serviceable and effective for practical agitation. Thus Marx had not grounded his inferences concerning social action on that principle of justice, which once in the time of the great French revolution had proved effectual to inspire the masses and set the world aflame. He was second to none in showing nothing but grim scorn and sarcastic contempt for axioms like that of 'justice ?ternelle.' In his eyes Communism was simply the natural inevitable product of the economic evolution of civilized humanity. But the Communistic propaganda could not afford to reject a catchword so vigorous and effective in its appeal to just rights and all the powers of higher morality as witnesses, and for which the ideas of Marx, too pale and abstract to serve a?tators in canvassing the people, had furnished no adequate substitute. Hence the reasoning in the remainder of the Gotha programme has the true ring of philosophic jurisprudence, viz.: since labour of general utility is possible only tkrougk society, therefore to society, that is to all its members belongs the collective product of labour, labour being a universal duty, every man having equal rights, and each receiving according to his rational ,reeds. Then follows more concerning the constitution of this State of the future, based presumably on the principle of justice :--the means of labour (land and capital) would have to be the common property of society, and the collective labour regu- lated on principles of fellowship (genossenschaftlich), 'the returns of labour being applied to the general good, and distributed according to justice.' Hastily as the future order of society is sketched in this design, its form reveals distinctly the marks of the specifically Communistic ideal. Work in it is the duty of every one, and every one receives through a superior social tribunal his share of what the general labour of society produces, corresponding to his 'rational' needs. This notion is not unambiguous. The most obvious interpretation of. this part of the Gotha programme is, that every citizen of the future will be provided by the upper social tribmml with dwelling, clothing, food, &c., and thus the Future State will be, as it were, a great hostelry, where su?ient accommodation stands ready for every one. That this conception is mest consonant with the minds of those who created the Gotha programme is borne out by the official party-pamphlet, Social and Private Property, a contribution to the elucidation of the Socialist programme, ? which ?ppe?red l?ter. There ? descrip- ? Gesellschaftliches und Private?genthum? ein Beitrag zur Erlduterung des sozialis. t i?chen Programms.