WHAT THE SOCIALISTS HAVE WON.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1903, 8 June 1892, Page 5

WHAT THE SOCIALISTS HAVE WON.

Engen Riohter, the leader of the German Progressive party, one of the moBt eminent thinkers and speakers the German Reiohstag can show sinoe the death of Windhorst, is a Liberal according to the old meaning of the term. It is fierr Richter's aim in life to propagate the old Liberal ideas, and to combat Socialism as an attack upon freedom. Since satire often convinces where logic fails, Herr Richter has written a pamphlet entitled ' Pictures from the Social Democratic Future,' in whioh, without exaggerating, without forcing the note, he has demonstrated in a form comprehensible to all who run as they read — even to those who have not the most elementary acquaintance with the doctrines of the Socialists — how the Socialistic Btate yearned after by the Collectivißts would be far different from the piotures these demagogues and mistaken dreamers exhibit to the masses. THE SOCIALIST VICTORY ACHIEVED. This pamphlet, which within a fortnight of its publication ran into 160,000 copies, is a sort of converse to 'LookiDg Backwards,' and is the beßt reply to that Utopian work yet planned, because written by a man who has Btudied this question aufond and is not oarried away by romantic fantasy. It is composed in the form of an autobiography, the supposed author being a master bookbinder, an enthusiastic Social Democrat entirely devoted to the doctrines of Liebkneoht and Bebel. This artisan lives on the third floor of a large house in Berlin, together with his wife, his three children, and his father-in-law. The record opens on the day after the Socialist victory has been finally achieved. The red flag of International Social Deinouraoy waves from all the public buildings of the city ; the bourgeoisie and capitalists have fled for their lives across the frontier with such remnants of their possessions as they can lay their hands on ; the army and police are disbanded as useless — the people in future will maintain order. Joy and enthusiasm pervade the entire population. It has been decided that the resolution passed at the Kooial Democrat Congress of Erfurt in IS9I shall form the basis of the new society, and be carried out to the letter. COOD-VYE, CAPITAL. The first proceeding on the part of the Diet which has brought about this glorious state of things, that sends the bookbinder wild with joy, was to declare all mutual obligations concerning property null and void : bank notes, State papers, bills of exchange, cheques, etc., are not worth the paper they are printed on. Thus is cut off at one fell swoop all chance of the reentrance of that monster, private capital, into tho sheep-fold of the equal and fraternal society of New Germany. Agnes Mittler, a milliner, engaged to marry the bookbinder's eldest son — a frugal and hardworking girl, who has placed every penny she has been able to save by a life of persistent self-denial in the State savings bank —is alarmed at the reports she hears as to the intentions of the Government, and goes to the establishment to withdraw her little dowry. She finds the place blocked by an excited crowd, horror-struck at the announcement that their money has been "assumed" for the benefit of the community. In a frenzy they rush into the Diet and demand the reward of their privations. They point out how millions of workmen have deprived themselves of tobacco and drink in order to put aside a little " nest egg"; that they teel it an injustice that they should be put on a footing of equality with those who have been less prudent. One of the deputies replies to them that no true Socialist would dream of economising ; that most of these savings are nothing but the result of their haviDg exploited their fellow-workmen. Angry cries meet this reply. The Chancellor, to tranquillise the excited mob, promises that arrangements shall be made by which the holders of cash in the savings bank shall be indemnified ; meanwhile they must be quiet and have faith in the Diet. These promises produce little effect ; and since the police and the army have been disbanded the firemen have to be called out to keep order. LABORING BY LOT. Meanwhile the official reorganisation of labor is undertaken. Everyone is told to choose what he would liko to be ; but it is found impossible to carry this resolution into effect. Thus there are more demands to be porters than houses to guard, more offers of coachmen thaD carriages to drive. At last it is resolved that drawing by lot flhall be the basis of decision. NO MORE FAMILY LIFE. But what above all is necessary is that the egotism of individualism induced by family life shall be destroyed. All children, therefore, are placed in the public nurseries, all achoolboyß and and girls State schools, while the aged are consigned to the State infirmaries. Though this resolve breaks up our bookbinder's family to whom he is devotedly attached, even this blow does not quench his enthusiasm and his conviction that the new state of society is the right one, Franz, his son, engaged to Agnes, is removed to Leipzig. He is a type-setter ; and the suppression of all journals except one, the official paper which is distributed gratis and furnished with a local supplement adapted to various districts, has greatly decreased the demand for his form of labor. Agnes is sent into a work room as a common semptress, all 'luxurious olothing being sternly abolished in the name of equality. The father, though sent to work as a bookbinder, is reduced to be a common workmaD, and it is found that there is little demand, too, for his kind of labor. His wife goes out as a child -tender, hoping to remain near her youngest-born, who has been placed in a public nursery ; but for fear of partiality, mothers are forbidden to attend in the establishments where their children are placed. Meantime the Diet ia face to face with a new difficulty. Things have gone tanl hien que mcd in the towns ; but the peasants are exceedingly obstinate, and cannot be convinced that they will be benefited by giving up their property. Only a certain class of idle day laborers flock into the ! towns, on the rumor that all manner of good things are to be had there for nothing ; and a troublesome set they prove. | NO MONEY. Very droll is the account of the common table : for each person, whatever be the sex, age, habits, or constitution, must eat exactly the same food ; a form of policeprotectors, as they are called — allowing a certain number of minutes to all, at the end of which they must give place to the next in turn. There is no money ; but each citizen receives fortnightly a book of coupons, good for food, clothing, lodging, washing, and tobacco, as a return for the work ho does for the State. No other want is recognised. Medicine and medical, advice arc gratis. NOBODY SATISFIED. Now, strange to tell, scarcely is everything in working order, when, instead of everyone being contented, no one is satisfied. The first Chancellor is removed because ho is diflcovered to have employed a servant to black his boots and to clean his room, justifying his action by saying that the affairs of Government do not allow him time for such menial offices. His successor tries to content the people by bestowing on them unlimited free amusement. In vain. An attempt to enforce equality by compelling dancers to

take their partners by lot instead of by choice proves equally unsuccessful. The theatres, being overcrowded, have to be reduced from free entrance to entrance by payment of State certificates. The obligatory country excursions, forcing the towndwellers to emigrate from their houses once a week, nq matter what the weather, in order to leave room for the country folk to come into the towns, arouses general grumbling In short, failure all round of the people's amusement experiment, A TERRIBLE STATE OF AFFAIBS. In the meantime the affairs of the book* binder's family go from bad to worse. Agnes, restive of restrictions and monotonous labor, writeß complaining letters to her betrothed, who escapes from Leipzig without permission, and after many vioiseitudes flies with her to America. The little girl dies in the public nurseries for want of tender care ; the mother breaks down from grief, and her old family dootor has no time inside his fixed eight hours to visit her. This official describes the terrible state of affairs prevailing, from the immense number of suicides and attempted suicides ; for death, and expatriation, sternly prohibited, are soon found to be the only issues from this terrible prison existence. The school where tiro younger son haß been placed proves most unsatisfactory ; for the boys, knowing that the State must keep them in any case, refuse to take pains to learn. The same spirit prevails in the national workshops ; the men grow idle and insubordinate, and consequently the wo> k ordered by the State is either not done or done in the most perfunctory and negligent fashion. Foreign countries refuse to accept the German merchandise because it has grown so bad ; and, in consequence of the order to repudiate all debts with foreign States, war threatens the country. The new Diet opens with a turbnlent sitting, in which various extremely unpopular measures are proposed in order to obtain a revenue. Thus the dinner rations are diminished, and the hours of labor raised to twelve. ANARCHY WITHIN AND WAX WITHOUT. While things are in this state the French concentrate their cavalry on the western frontier of Germany, and on the north oast hovers a horde from Russia. The National Guards are ordered out; but it is found that the military stores have been sold to cover the expense of living. Meanwhile strikes have broken out in the different trades. Everything is in disorder. Our bookbinder, uneasy for his family, makes an attempt to reach the institute where his youngest son is placed, and ia shot down in the attempt. The book closes with a letter from this boy to his brother, announcing that he has been able to get safely into Holland, whence he hopes to reach America and live in an organised society. He describes the terrible condition in which he has loft Germany: anarchy within and war without. At the last meeting of the Diet of whioh he had cognisance, one deputy, and one only, had the courage to expose what the boy thinks is the real cause of the evil. He stated that the deficit in the public funds was not due to the enemies of the State, as had been said ; the true source of the diminution of production was idleness. Work had become a corvie ; the equality of salaries, the impossibility of improving one's condition by activity, had broken the mainspring of all endeavor. Competition being extinct, there was also lacking the motive to improve the woik turned out. All scientific and economic progress had ceased with the disappearance of this much-abused free competition. The orator finally ended his address withs •• Down with the social galleys ! Long live liberty I " LIBERT? IS TIIE SOCIAL MAINSPRING . Oar short sketch gives but a faint idea of this able satire. The character of the enthusiastic bookbinder, with his perpetually recurring texts from Bebel, and his visible reluctance to acknowledge the meaning of the facts around him, is excellently drawn. It is needless to dwell on the moral enforced by this pamphlet.