ed but reorganization. They could not continue their
method of producing surpluses. The capitalistic system, so far as they
were concerned, had hopelessly broken down.

The reorganization of these countries took the form of revolution.
It was a time of confusion and violence. Everywhere institutions and
governments were crashing. Everywhere, with the exception of two or
three countries, the erstwhile capitalist masters fought bitterly for
their possessions. But the governments were taken away from them by the
militant proletariat. At last was being realized Karl Marx's classic:
"The knell of private capitalist property sounds. The expropriators
are expropriated." And as fast as capitalistic governments crashed,
cooperative commonwealths arose in their place.

"Why does the United States lag behind?"; "Get busy, you American
revolutionists!"; "What's the matter with America?"--were the messages
sent to us by our successful comrades in other lands. But we could not
keep up. The Oligarchy stood in the way. Its bulk, like that of some
huge monster, blocked our path.

"Wait till we take office in the spring," we answered. "Then you'll
see."

Behind this lay our secret. We had won over the Grangers, and in the
spring a dozen states would pass into their hands by virtue of the
elections of the preceding fall. At once would be instituted a dozen
cooperative commonwealth states. After that, the rest would be easy.

"But what if the Grangers fail to get possession?" Ernest demanded. And
his comrades called him a calamity howler.

But this failure to get possession was not the chief danger that Ernest
had in mind. What he foresaw was the defection of the great labor unions
and the rise of the castes.

"Ghent has taught the oligarchs how to do it," Ernest said. "I'll wager
they've made a text-book out of his 'Benevolent Feudalism.'"*

* "Our Benevolent Feudalism," a book published in 1902 A.D.,
by W. J. Ghent. It has always been insisted that Ghent put
the idea of the Oligarchy into the minds of the great
capitalists. This belief persists throughout the literature
of the three centuries of the Iron Heel, and even in the
literature of the first century of the Brotherhood of Man.
To-day we know better, but our knowledge does not overcome
the fact that Ghent remains the most abused innocent man in
all history.

Never shall I forget the night when, after a hot discussion with ha