To produce more is impossible; they can work neither harder nor longer.Shall they take a middle course, and consume five and a half while producing six and a half? They would soon find that with the stomach there is no compromise--that beyond a certain degree of abstinence it is impossible to go--that strict necessity can be curtailed but little without injury to the health; and, as for increasing the product,--there comes a storm, a drought, an epizootic, and all the hopes of the farmer are dashed.In short, the rent will not be paid, the interest will accumulate, the farm will be seized, and the possessor ejected.
Thus a family, which lived in prosperity while it abstained from exercising the right of property, falls into misery as soon as the exercise of this right becomes a necessity.Property requires of the husbandman the double power of enlarging his land, and fertilizing it by a simple command.While a man is simply possessor of the land, he finds in it means of subsistence; as soon as he pretends to proprietorship, it suffices him no longer.Being able to produce only that which he consumes, the fruit of his labor is his recompense for his trouble--nothing is left for the instrument.
Required to pay what he cannot produce,--such is the condition of the tenant after the proprietor has retired from social production in order to speculate upon the labor of others by new methods.
Let us now return to our first hypothesis.
The nine hundred laborers, sure that their future production will equal that of the past, are quite surprised, after paying their farm-rent, to find themselves poorer by one-tenth than they were the previous year.In fact, this tenth--which was formerly produced and paid by the proprietor-laborer who then took part in the production, and paid part of the--public expenses--now has not been produced, and has been paid.It must then have been taken from the producer's consumption.To choke this inexplicable deficit, the laborer borrows, confident of his intention and ability to return,--a confidence which is shaken the following year by a new loan, PLUS the interest on the first.From whom does he borrow? From the proprietor.The proprietor lends his surplus to the laborer; and this surplus, which he ought to return, becomes--being lent at interest--a new source of profit to him.Then debts increase indefinitely; the proprietor makes advances to the producer who never returns them;and the latter, constantly robbed and constantly borrowing from the robbers, ends in bankruptcy, defrauded of all that he had.
Suppose that the proprietor--who needs his tenant to furnish him with an income--then releases him from his debts.He will thus do a very benevolent deed, which will procure for him a recommendation in the curate's prayers; while the poor tenant, overwhelmed by this unstinted charity, and taught by his catechism to pray for his benefactors, will promise to redouble his energy, and suffer new hardships that he may discharge his debt to so kind a master.
This time he takes precautionary measures; he raises the price of grains.The manufacturer does the same with his products.The reaction comes, and, after some fluctuation, the farm-rent--which the tenant thought to put upon the manufacturer's shoulders--becomes nearly balanced.So that, while he is congratulating himself upon his success, he finds himself again impoverished, but to an extent somewhat smaller than before.For the rise having been general, the proprietor suffers with the rest; so that the laborers, instead of being poorer by one-tenth, lose only nine-hundredths.But always it is a debt which necessitates a loan, the payment of interest, economy, and fasting.Fasting for the nine-hundredths which ought not to be paid, and are paid; fasting for the redemption of debts; fasting to pay the interest on them.Let the crop fail, and the fasting becomes starvation.They say, "IT IS NECESSARYTO WORK MORE." That means, obviously, that IT IS NECESSARY TOPRODUCE MORE.By what conditions is production effected? By the combined action of labor, capital, and land.As for the labor, the tenant undertakes to furnish it; but capital is formed only by economy.Now, if the tenant could accumulate any thing, he would pay his debts.But granting that he has plenty of capital, of what use would it be to him if the extent of the land which he cultivates always remained the same? He needs to enlarge his farm.
Will it be said, finally, that he must work harder and to better advantage? But, in our estimation of farm-rent, we have assumed the highest possible average of production.Were it not the highest, the proprietor would increase the farm-rent.Is not this the way in which the large landed proprietors have gradually raised their rents, as fast as they have ascertained by the increase in population and the development of industry how much society can produce from their property? The proprietor is a foreigner to society; but, like the vulture, his eyes fixed upon his prey, he holds himself ready to pounce upon and devour it.
The facts to which we have called attention, in a community of one thousand persons, are reproduced on a large scale in every nation and wherever human beings live, but with infinite variations and in innumerable forms, which it is no part of my intention to describe.
In fine, property--after having robbed the laborer by usury--murders him slowly by starvation.Now, without robbery and murder, property cannot exist; with robbery and murder, it soon dies for want of support.Therefore it is impossible.
FIFTH PROPOSITION.
Property is impossible, because, if it exists, Society devours itself.
When the ass is too heavily loaded, he lies down; man always moves on.Upon this indomitable courage, the proprietor--well knowing that it exists--bases his hopes of speculation.The free laborer produces ten; for me, thinks the proprietor, he will produce twelve.
