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

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290 SOCIALISM IN ENGLAND. connected with more than one newspaper, first as a compositor and afterwards as managing editor.* As early as 1869 Mr. George made the land question his special study, and in 1871 he published a pamphlet entitled “ Our Land and Land Policy.” Many of his peculiar economic theories—those, for instance, on the laws of wages, interest, and population—are, perhaps, largely due to a hasty generalization from what he saw going on in California, where there was originally fertile and even gold-producing land to spare, but where small settlements were rapidly developing into towns and cities, and “ the tramp was appearing with the locomotive.” In 1878 a minor official position gave him leisure to develop his theories in his great work, “ Progress and Poverty.” In October, 1881, Mr. George came to this country as correspondent of the Irish World, a paper which represents the revolutionary Separatists among the Irish-Americans. In June, 1882, he lectured in the Rotunda, Dublin, on the Irish Land Question ; but as he advocated the abolition of private property in land as opposed to a peasant proprietary, the aim of the Land Leaguers, he did not succeed in making many converts. Early in the present year (1884) Mr. George again visited England in order to undertake a lecturing campaign under the auspices of the Land Reform Union. A large meeting was held in St. James’s Hall, London, on the 9th of January, when the chair was taken by Mr. Labouchere, M.P. Mr. George also addressed meetings in Plymouth, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edin burgh, Leeds, Oxford, Cambridge, and other places ; but although he frequently carried his audience with him, the lecturing tour * About this time (1865) Mr. George drew up a set of rules for his future conduct in the form of a little essay, which is published by his admiring biographer as “throwing so much light” on the character and career of his hero. In it he says :—“ I am constantly longing for wealth. . . . Wealth would bring me comforts and luxuries which I cannot now obtain ; it would give me more congenial employments and associates ; it would enable me to cultivate my mind, and exert to a fuller extent my powers ; it would give me the ability to minister to the comfort and enjoyment of those whom I love most; and therefore it is my principal object in life to obtain wealth, or at least more of it than I have at present.” He then expresses disgust at the little progress he has made in the past towards attaining this end, and makes the good resolution to amend his ways in the future.

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