THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. 
84 
of his correspondence with L#assalle, published by A. W agner, 
he shows in what respect he may be called conservative. 
“ Our ways of understanding law and the philosophy of history, 
he writes, in speaking of Lassalle, “ were similar, in that we 
did not consider the succession of social and political forms 
as exhausted by the establishment of the constitutional or the 
representative system. We were both convinced that, by 
placing ourselves at the point of view of a philosophy of law 
more ideal and rigorous than that received to-day, we should 
observe imperfections in property as at present applied to land 
and capital, and we should discern a form of appropriation 
purer and more equitable, by virtue of which the share of 
each would be proportional to services rendered. In practice 
we were unable to agree," adds Rodbertus. Lassalle, as we 
know, wished to change the condition of working men in a 
short time, by making them join associations of production, 
founded by means of State aid. I wished to preserve the 
principle of wages, while supposing a reform to be undertaken 
by the State. Lassalle wished to make a political party out 
of the Socialist party, and for this purpose he demanded 
universal suffrage. I wished to confine its action to the purely 
scientific and economic ground.” 
Lassalle was an ardent agitator who believed the goal 
would soon be reached, while Rodbertus understood so well 
the slowness of social transformations, that it was only after 
the lapse of five centuries that he looked for the realization 
of his ideal—property in proportion to labour. Rodbertus 
approached the present “ Agrarian ” party in that he defended 
energetically the agricultural interests, which he maintained 
were sacrificed to the financiers. As he himself farmed his 
property at Jagetzow, he, like Von Thuenen, understood 
thoroughly all questions relating to rural economy, but, unlike 
the “ Agrarians,” he did not hope to re-establish the régime of 
times past. 
The most retrograde shade of Conservative Socialism was 
* Briefe von Ferdinand Lassalle an Karl Kodberíus-Jagetzow mit einer 
FinUitunz von Adolph Wagner. Berlin, 1870 (Letters of F. Lassalle to 
K Rodbertus-Jagetzow, with an introduction by Adolph Wagner).