SUPPOSED TENDENCIES TO SOCIALISM. 5 8i 



"because the capitalists of a given country will not be, as Marx 

 prognosticated, a small number, but hundreds of thousands, prob- 

 ably millions, who would oppose a very powerful resistance to 

 state occupation of a given industry, unless where such occupa- 

 tion was manifestly beneficial for the great majority. 



The great multitude interested, the great number of owners of 

 capital, whether in large or small portions, including the more 

 intelligent artisans, would certainly make it difficult or impossi- 

 ble to expropriate them, would indefinitely delay the process, and 

 only those industries could be taken over by the state the func- 

 tions of which were discharged to the detriment of the com- 

 munity. 



If indeed every province of production, distribution, and 

 transport were occupied by syndicates and monopolies; if they 

 abused the natural strength of the monopolist's position by rais- 

 ing prices to the utmost, and especially prices of the prime neces- 

 saries, while at the same time trying to reduce wages to the low- 

 est point ; if, in short, they were animated solely by egoism, and 

 without conscience, or humanity, or public spirit, the public out- 

 side the industrial world, the large and intelligent middle class 

 outside the industrial class, would probably side with the laboring 

 class in pressing on the Government the suppression of the worst 

 of them and the undertaking of their functions. 



But, in the first place, the universal occupation of the indus- 

 trial field by monopolies, and the extinction of competition, is 

 very far off ; in the second place, where any large combinations 

 show too much corporate selfishness they can be pulled up by 

 state supervision, and in certain cases great potential combina- 

 tions can be nipped in the bud, their formation can be prevented 

 by the state refusing permission to the companies to unite as 

 " contrary to public policy " or to public interest ; because a com- 

 pany is, in a certain sense, a creation of the state, as is likewise a 

 union, and neither should exist, or receive permission of the state 

 to come into being, if deemed likely to prove inimical to the gen- 

 eral weal, so that the state could always check early or altogether 

 the formation of possibly objectionable unions. Where, as in a 

 case like that of railways, they were necessary, it would not 

 be desirable to prevent their formation ; they could always be 

 checked if they abused their position, and conditions should al- 

 ways be attached to the concession of powers and privileges to 

 them. It is, therefore, extremely unlikely that the industrial 

 field will ever be occupied by a few colossal and irresponsible 

 syndicates, or that the state will be driven to substitute itself for 

 them, save possibly in a very few cases. 



Lastly, the syndicates would have to be devoid not only of 

 conscience, humanity, public spirit, but also, what we can less 



