THE CALL OF THE LAND 



While socialism would have little if any 

 power for good it would have vast power 

 to inflict injury. 



In my judgment the lax socialism of 

 which I have been speaking would beget 

 four appalling evils, any one of which would 

 be a fate heading out more hydra-like with 

 woes than the existing system itself. 



i. It would inevitably degenerate into 

 communism. The system, if set up, would, 

 of course, be administered by its advocates 

 and these, you notice, when not avowed 

 communists, are people who lay greater 

 stress on equality than on justice, minimiz- 

 ing distinctions in men's productive ability 

 and making light of Rodbertus's painstaking 

 effort to secure justice between individual 

 producers. 



This trend of everyday socialism toward 

 communism is not wanton but natural. 

 Study of Rodbertus convinces many social- 

 ists, as it has me, that socialism not involving 

 communism would be to say the least very 

 hard to administer. Not a few already say 

 what, upon trial, everyone would echo: 



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