possession?
At $1,000,000, $10,000, $1,000, or $100? Would the decision be reached
peaceably? Would the use and possession of government bonds be allowed?
As the desire to acquire is one of the strongest passions, bitter hatred
would assail the Socialist state, which, Debs tells us, would prohibit
business profits, rent and interest. ["Socialism and Unionism," by
Eugene V. Debs.] How could insurance companies, in which the American
people have invested so much, and which depend on interest, exist under
Socialism? Socialism having ruined the insurance companies, would the
millions of policyholders just sit down and have a good, hearty laugh
over their losses?

The real crux of Socialism is the inability of the Marxians to determine
upon a system of employment and a scale of wages or remuneration
satisfactory both to the government and the working classes.

Remuneration must either be in the form of money, or of goods or labor
certificates entitling the holder to receive goods from the government
stores. As labor certificates would be like money, we shall class them
as "money" when speaking of wages.

Different schemes of employment have been proposed by Socialists. One of
the oldest allows each individual to select the occupation he desires,
provided he can do the work. All citizens, under this system, receive
equal pay or equal supplies for their services.

Such a system is absurd. The more repugnant occupations, no matter how
important for the welfare of the nation, would be neglected. All would
want easy, clean jobs. Bootblacks might prefer to become artistic
decorators; street-cleaners would ask to be put in charge of big
factories; night-workers would prefer day-work. The result would be
endless discontent, jealousy and disorder. As everybody would receive
equal recompense, the system would set a premium on sloth and
inefficiency, and entail state bankruptcy. One of the most serious
objections would be the discontent among skilled workingmen, who would
want skill to be a determining factor in the wage scale. Yet should
their system of equal remuneration not prevail, unskilled laborers, led
by agitators to believe that equal wages would be paid to all, would
become the sworn enemies of the government. A second system, favored by
many Socialists would permit all citizens to choose their occupations
and allow each individual to draw upon the national storehouses
_according to his needs_. [Gotha Programme of the Soc