November 2, 1916 
LAND & WATER 
17 
was begun, one would be justified in exclaiming with 
the Flemish merchants in answer to Conde, the French 
Statesman, who asked them what he could do to im- 
prove their trade — " Laissez le fairc " ! But supposing 
when the surgeon was half way through his experiment 
he were to leave the patient with a bleeding gaping 
wound ! The application of the " let-alone " policy at 
this stage might result in the patient's death ! 
The stage at which the British Government adopted 
the laissez-faire policy was when certain already 
privileged classes controlled two of the essential factors 
of trade and production, i.e., land and credit, and the 
attitude of the capitalistic class towards labour at that 
time was such that hundreds and thousands of the 
labouring classes died of misery and starvation ! No 
wonder the laissez-faire policy failed ! The theories 
of Mill and Spencer were to the effect that the State 
should confine itself to the duty of protecting the life, 
liberty and property of the citizens. But here again 
nothing was said as to the particular stage of social 
development at which the State could safely relinquish 
all its other functions. And unless or until a system of 
: economic justice is firmly established, by which each 
member of the community is enabled to provide properly 
for the needs of himself and family, the State must 
interfei-e to save society from civil war or anarchy. 
The protection of property has always been regarded 
as a duty of the State co-equal with the protection of 
life. Now what is property ? Probably the two most 
famous definitions of both property and the State origina- 
ted with two Frenchmen. " L'Etat c'est vioi ! " came 
from the lips of the autocratic Louis XIV. " Quest ce 
que la profriete ? " C'est le vol ! " wrote Pierre J. Proudhon 
in his famous Essay on Property. But Proudhon re- 
ferred not to material things, which we term property, or 
commodities, but to the legal right to increase which the 
ancients termed usury (i.e., payment for the use of things), 
and which the modern world disguises under the terms 
interest, rent and profits. 
But there are other reasons which have influenced a 
vast number to advocate a greater control by the State 
over wealth and production. Whilst the nation is an 
aggregation of millions of individuals, it is per se an 
organic whole, and the moral, economic and physical 
condition of the individuals affects the entire organism. 
A nation is weak or strong according as the physical, 
moral and economic condition of the bulk of its popula- 
tion is bad .or good. Men cannot hve wholly to them- 
selves. They must therefore take some interest in the 
condition of their neighbours in order to' enjoy a certain 
measure of safety, comfort and happiness themselves. 
With the vast increase in the population, the question of 
food supplies, transportation, banking facilities, sanitary 
conditions, good housing accommodation, good roads, good 
light, pure water, pure milk, and hundreds of others, are 
of vital importance to every citizen. 
The Roman law regarding property upon which 
European laws are generally based, asserted the right 
of the property owner " to use and abuse " his property. 
And whilst this right exists to-day in regard to most 
articles which are easily reproduced, such as clothing, 
furniture, newspapers, matches, etc., it is not permissible 
with property which is recognised as a public necessity 
and diflicult to reproduce — a railway or canal for instance. 
To-day we should regard anyone who deliberately des- 
troyed good food, oil, machinery, coal, leather or any 
commodity necessary for maintaining our armies or the 
navy, as a criminal. The claims of the nation are be- 
ginning to be regarded as superior to those of the individual. 
And private ownership in its original meaning — especi- 
ally of such things as are essential to society, to wealth 
production, to national defence — is beginning to be recog- 
nised more and more as an anomaly, as a possible menace 
to the community. 
The right to use properly a thing would be generally 
conceded, but tlic right to abuse (i.e., weaken or destroy) 
is now seriously challenged. Society has already for- 
bidden a man to abuse his dog or, his. horse simply on 
rnoral grounds. It is but a short step to forbid the abuse 
(i.e., destruction or even misapplication) of inanimate 
things. In a community where every inch of the soil is 
needed for agriculture for the support of the population, 
it should be a crime to convert acres into a mere game 
preserve. We have recently witnessed two of the most 
important Club buildings in London given up by their 
members readily on behalf of State requirements. 
Thousands of privately owned works have been willingly 
placed under State control for munition work. In 
short, we are rapidly approaching a condition when 
private ownership will be transformed into or limited to, 
public trusteeship. 
Germany's Industrial Power 
Another reason why State control is meeting with 
general favour, is due to economic considerations. One 
of the greatest factors in the recent prodigious growth 
of industrial power is organisation. Germany's un- 
paralleled industrial development during the past 40 
years is due to her genius for organisation. The organised 
efforts of 100 men are enormously more effective than that 
of thousands unorganised and operating independently. 
If the millions of men comprising the Italian armies 
had exerted themselves separately and independently, 
not a single gun would have been raised a single foot 
towards the summit of their mountain ranges where our 
brave Ally is now successfully beating back the enemy's 
organised preparedness of 50 years past. Union is strength 
in every department of human activity, whether physical, 
industrial, moral, social, political, financial, or militarv. 
The economic strength of a nation is as much the 
result of organisation as is its military strength. And 
organisation to be effective must be concentrated in few 
hands. How can this be accomplished except through 
the State ?, The State is the only body at present 
existing through which the industrial energies of the 
millions comprising a nation can be organised into a 
united force. Of course, the weakness of State control 
lies in the possibility of its offices being filled by incom- 
petents or something even worse. Theoretically, how- 
ever, State control in economic affairs should stand for 
strength and efficiency. To-day the State is already an 
active participant in most of our industrial affairs, and 
to a degree undreamt of two years ago. Is this par- 
ticipation to continue after the war ? Personally, I 
am inclined to think that it will, through force of circum- 
stances. Our people have been compelled to transform 
themselves from a peaceful indu.strial nation into a mili- 
tant type of society, and the voluntary co-operative 
system has had to -give way to the compulsorv system. 
The aggressiveness of the German character has not 
only forced militancy upon all the nations of Europe, 
but for years past it has completely changed the character 
and conditions of international trade. The peaceful 
character of trade as preached by Cobdcn and his dis- 
ciples, has given place to industrial warfare, and the 
possession of markets are among the professed objects 
for which armies and navies are maintained. It is not 
generally known, but the day that Bismarck established 
the gold-standard in Germany — under the advice of an 
international Jew' moneylender, Bleichroeder — saw the 
end of England's free-trade system. Since then, inter- 
national trade has been a system of warfare — -an inter- 
national struggle for gold as the prize. Prior to 1870 
our trade with Germany was absolutely an exchange of 
labour products. Competition began as soon as Ger- 
many was placed on the same monetary plane. Conse- 
quently from 1874 to-iqoo our exports remained stationary 
— in fact, they actually declined per capita — althougji 
during the previous 30 years our export trade had in- 
creased to the extent of over 500 per cent. ! 
There is every indication that this hostile character 
of Trade will be greatly intensified after the war, and 
hence we shall require the strongest possible system of 
organisation in all our industrial, financial, and com- 
mercial operations. 
Father Nicholas Velimirovic, Professor of Theology in 
the University of Belgrade, is giving two lectures in the large 
hall of King's College. Strand, in aid of the Workers' Educa- 
tional Association. The first, which takes place on Saturday 
afternoon," deals'with "Serbian Arcliitecture and Poetry," 
and the influence they have had on tliat people's education. 
The following Saturday afternoon lie will speak on " The 
Russian Democracy," when the Dean of St. Paul's will be 
in the chair. Tickets for the two lectures, <Ss. 6d. and 4s. 6d., 
can be obtained from Mrs. Hugli Dalton, 39, Cheyne Walk. 
Chelsea ; Mrs. Sanderson Furniss, 14, Red Lion Square, W.C. ; 
or the Hon. Mrs. Alfred Lyttelton, 16, Great College Street. 
