The Socialism of to-day

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 835096955

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-28834

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Laveleye, Émile de

Title:: The Socialism of to-day

Place of publication:: London

Publisher:: Field & Tuer

Year of publication:: 1884

Scope:: 1 Online-Ressource (XLIV, 331 S.)

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

COLLECTIVISM AND LAND NATIONALIZATION. 2$$ if he is not a proprietor, by virtue of his being a man and a worker, he can produce, he can live, only by the permission of his fellow-men ; he must fall into a veritable slavery. It has been said, and it cannot be said too often, property is an absolute condition of freedom. Why, then, out of a general right, build up a monstrous privilege ? Why refuse to recog nize in humanity the first, the most sacred title to the possession of things ?” * According to Huet’s system, the natural right to property would be realized in the “ right to patrimony,” by virtue of which every person in a position to labour would obtain a share in the general wealth. “ Every year a division should be made of the patrimonial property left ownerless through deaths. All the young people of either sex, who during this year reach the age of either fourteen or twenty-five years, should obtain a share, the share of each person of full age being double the share of each minor.” The right of hereditary succession is abolished, but gifts by will or infer vivos are authorized. Each person, however, can dispose only of pro perty acquired by his own labour, and not of that received by Way of gift or legacy. This goes to increase the common patrimony. “ Continuously fed from an inexhaustible source, ^be general patrimony would be composed, at any given time, of all the ancient patrimonial property and of all the subsequent accumulations of capital ; for as these accumulations could only once change hands by way of gift, at the deaths of the donees they would go to swell the mass of the original patrimony. Levelling Socialist as Huet is when he claims for all an equal right of accession to property, he is a thorough indi vidualist on the question of the organization of labour. He rejects all State intervention; he does not like even cor porations holding industrial capital The individual, put in possession of “his patrimony,” may work by himself, or in partnership with others, provided he do so freely, without any privileges or close corporations. * In support of his thesis, Huet cites numerous authorities, and amongst others, Chateaubriand. “ Wages are only a prolonged slavery ” (Ess. Hist. ^ I-iti. Angl., t. ii. p. 392). “Without individual pro¡)erty nobody is uee. Whoever has no property cannot be independent. Property is Nothing else but liberty ” (Mémoires doutre-tombe).

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: The Socialism of to-day

Monograph

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation