a million
copies. The Socialist periodicals have a considerable circulation.
"The circulation of the 'Clarion' alone is 74,000."[1187]

The danger of British Socialism lies not only in its rapid increase
among the workers, but also in the fact that it is making converts
among the large class of people who possess no settled conviction of
their own, and who are easily carried away by a plausible catch-phrase.
The persons who count are the multitude of loose thinkers who are
drifting towards Socialism without knowing it. "Politicians who have no
suspicion that they are Socialists are advocating further instalments
of Socialism with a recklessness of indirect results which scandalises
the conscious Social-Democrat."[1188] "Year by year more legislation is
proposed of which the effect is to draw upon the earnings of the
efficient for the benefit of the inefficient. Year by year Parliament
makes life harder for those whose labour benefits the State and easier
for those who are a drag upon it."[1189] "There is in fact no definite
and declared Socialist party in the present House of Commons, and yet
what may be called the spirit of Socialism pervades the whole House to
a greater extent than in any previous Parliament."[1190] For instance,
Mr. Rutherford, M.P., in an anti-Socialistic speech brought forward a
"Democratic Tory Programme" which, in the words of a Socialist
periodical, was "cribbed almost bodily from the Socialist programme. He
advocated among other reforms-nationalisation of the railways, State
provision of work for the unemployed, payment of Members, manhood and
womanhood suffrage, the suppression of adulteration, town planning on
the German system, crime to be treated as a disease, compulsory closing
of slums, taxation of site values, and State powers to purchase any
site at the price on the rate-book, a national system of insurance
against accident and sickness, feeding and clothing poor children, free
opening of secondary schools and universities."[1191] In giving
prominence to this "anti-Socialist" speech the "Labour Leader"
sarcastically remarked: "The items do not, of course, take us quite as
far as we Socialists would go; but they are fairly good to be going on
with. Ours is to once again cordially welcome Mr. Rutherford as
champion against Socialism."[1192]

A further danger consists in this, that many Socialists in Parliament
and out of it like to sail under a false flag, in accordance with the
tactic