A SIX HOUR LAW. 269 



proletariat and their slaves, so as to compel them to 

 cultivate and manage their large estates in a manner 

 that would destroy and swallow up the small land- 

 holders, and thereby to practically make the whole 

 people slaves, they would have been powerless, and 

 there would have been no great estates. This is the 

 dominant factor that is left out of the discussion of 

 these matters by economists of the feudal stamp. 

 Without a large amount of idle or half employed 

 cheap labor, or slaves, that can be used at the pleas- 

 ure or convenience of the great proprietors, there 

 would be no great estates, nor swallowing of small 

 landholders. The effective weapon of destruction, in 

 the hands of the plutocrat, is competitive idleness ; 

 without that he is powerless. Indeed, he would cease 

 to exist. But with the Romans their slaves and the 

 proletariat became the club with which they beat 

 down the smaller and weaker landholders, and thus 

 they were enabled to rule and ruin. It was with 

 them as with us, a mad consuming competition ; the 

 strong against the weak ; the weak went down, and 

 the real strength of Rome was buried with them. 



By this means have the great landed interests con- 

 trolled in all ages and among all peoples. So it is in 

 Europe to-day ; so it was in the Southern States, be- 

 fore the rebellion, when the negro was the slave club, 

 whilst in the Northern States the large landholdings 

 were practically unknown. And so it is now through- 

 out our whole country, under the plutocratic competi- 

 tion and monopoly that are making practical slaves 

 of our whole people. 



But by the operation of the six hour law the great 



