[MD] Speaking of intellectuals

[Ant McWatt]

Platt Holden stated April 23rd:

“Those who work have a right to own what they work to produce.  Otherwise, 
they are slaves.  Your work is compensated for its value to others in a free 
market where goods and services are exchanged through the medium of money 
rather than through a restrictive and awkward barter system.”

Platt observed April 23rd:

“I wonder what happened to all the labor of my poor English family and why 
they handed nothing down to me.”

David Morey also observed April 23rd:

“Just wondering what happened to all the labour of my poor Irish family and 
why they handed nothing down to me, but those English landowners & factory 
owners seem to be doing quite well.”


Ant McWatt comments:

It was strange to see recently that Platt not only put forward George Orwell 
as one of his intellectual heroes but to also agree with the great socialist 
writer, Robert Tressell, that “those who work have a right to own what they 
work to produce.”

However, in a capitalist system this worthy ideal that Tressell and Platt 
share is impossible.  In the following selection from Tressell’s novel, the 
“Great Money Trick” (pasted below), shows that it is “the medium of money”, 
of all things, which ensures _in a capitalist system_ that “those who work” 
never “own what they work to produce”.  That other than a lucky few, the 
majority of workers in the Western world are what Platt would deem "slaves"!

The “Great Money Trick” also shows what happened to that “inheritance” from 
Platt’s and David’s  British Isle ancestors!!!

Best wishes,

Anthony.


THE GREAT MONEY TRICK

Crass did not feel very satisfied with the result of this machinery
argument, but he consoled himself with the reflection that he would be
able to flatten out his opponent on another subject.  The cutting from
the York Obscurer which he had in his pocket would take a bit of answering!
When you have a thing in print - in black and white - why there it is,
and you can’t get away from it!  If it wasn’t right, a paper like that
would never have printed it…

He turned roughly on Owen:

‘The other day, when we was talkin’ about the cause of poverty, you
contradicted everybody.  Everyone else was wrong!  But you yourself
couldn’t tell us what’s the cause of poverty, could you?’

‘I think I could.’

‘Oh, of course, you think you know,’ sneered Crass, ‘and of course you
think your opinion’s right and everybody else’s is wrong.’

‘Yes,’ replied Owen.

Several men expressed their abhorrence of this intolerant attitude of
Owen’s, but the latter rejoined:

‘Of course I think that my opinions are right and that everyone who
differs from me is wrong.  If I didn’t think their opinions were wrong
I wouldn’t differ from them.  If I didn’t think my own opinions right
I wouldn’t hold them.’

‘But there’s no need to keep on arguin’ about it day after day,’ said
Crass.  ‘You’ve got your opinion and I’ve got mine.  Let everyone
enjoy his own opinion, I say.’

A murmur of approbation from the crowd greeted these sentiments; but
Owen rejoined:

‘But we can’t both be right; if your opinions are right and mine are
not, how am I to find out the truth if we never talk about them?’

‘Well, wot do you reckon is the cause of poverty, then?’ demanded
Easton….

‘Well, money, for one thing.’

This extraordinary assertion was greeted with a roar of merriment, in
the midst of which Philpot was heard to say that to listen to Owen was
as good as going to a circus.  Money was the cause of poverty!

‘Money is the cause of poverty because it is the device by which those
who are too lazy to work are enabled to rob the workers of the fruits
of their labours.’

‘Prove it,’ said Crass.

‘All right,’ Owen replied.  ‘I’ll show you how the Great Money Trick is
worked.’

Owen opened his dinner basket and took from it two slices of bread but
as these were not sufficient, he requested that anyone who had some
bread left would give it to him.  They gave him several pieces, which
he placed in a heap on a clean piece of paper, and, having borrowed
the pocket knives they used to cut and eat their dinners with from
Easton, Harlow and Philpot, he addressed them as follows:

‘These pieces of bread represent the raw materials which exist
naturally in and on the earth for the use of mankind; they were not
made by any human being, but were created by the Great Spirit for the
benefit and sustenance of all, the same as were the air and the light
of the sun….’

‘Now,’ continued Owen, ‘I am a capitalist; or, rather, I represent the
landlord and capitalist class.  That is to say, all these raw
materials belong to me.  It does not matter for our present argument
how I obtained possession of them, or whether I have any real right to
them; the only thing that matters now is the admitted fact that all
the raw materials which are necessary for the production of the
necessaries of life are now the property of the Landlord and
Capitalist class.  I am that class: all these raw materials belong to me.’

‘Good enough!’ agreed Philpot.

‘Now you three represent the Working class: you have nothing - and for
my part, although I have all these raw materials, they are of no use
to me - what I need is the things that can be made out of these raw
materials by Work: but as I am too lazy to work myself, I have
invented the Money Trick to make you work FOR me.  But first I must
explain that I possess something else beside the raw materials.  These
three knives represent - all the machinery of production; the
factories, tools, railways, and so forth, without which the necessaries
of life cannot be produced in abundance.  And these three coins’ –
taking three halfpennies from his pocket - ‘represent my Money Capital.’

‘But before we go any further,’ said Owen, interrupting himself, ‘it
is most important that you remember that I am not supposed to be
merely "a" capitalist.  I represent the whole Capitalist Class.  You
are not supposed to be just three workers - you represent the whole
Working Class.’

‘All right, all right,’ said Crass, impatiently, ‘we all understand
that.  Get on with it.’

Owen proceeded to cut up one of the slices of bread into a number of
little square blocks.

‘These represent the things which are produced by labour, aided by
machinery, from the raw materials.  We will suppose that three of
these blocks represent - a week’s work.  We will suppose that a week’s
work is worth - one pound: and we will suppose that each of these
half pennies is a sovereign [old English term for a gold coin worth a 
pound].
We’d be able to do the trick better if we had real sovereigns,
but I forgot to bring any with me.’

‘I’d lend you some,’ said Philpot, regretfully, ‘but I left me purse
on our grand pianner.’

As by a strange coincidence nobody happened to have any gold with
them, it was decided to make shift with the halfpence.

‘Now this is the way the trick works -’

Owen now addressed himself to the working classes as represented by
Philpot, Harlow and Easton.

‘You say that you are all in need of employment, and as I am the
kind-hearted capitalist class I am going to invest all my money in
various industries, so as to give you Plenty of Work.  I shall pay
each of you one pound per week, and a week’s work is - you must each
produce three of these square blocks.  For doing this work you will
each receive your wages; the money will be your own, to do as you like
with, and the things you produce will of course be mine, to do as I
like with.  You will each take one of these machines and as soon as
you have done a week’s work, you shall have your money.’

The Working Classes accordingly set to work, and the Capitalist class
sat down and watched them.  As soon as they had finished, they passed
the nine little blocks to Owen, who placed them on a piece of paper by
his side and paid the workers their wages.

‘These blocks represent the necessaries of life.  You can’t live
without some of these things, but as they belong to me, you will have
to buy them from me: my price for these blocks is - one pound each.’

As the working classes were in need of the necessaries of life and as
they could not eat, drink or wear the useless money, they were
compelled to agree to the kind Capitalist’s terms.  They each bought
back and at once consumed one-third of the produce of their labour.
The capitalist class also devoured two of the square blocks, and so
the net result of the week’s work was that the kind capitalist had
consumed two pounds worth of the things produced by the labour of the
others, and reckoning the squares at their market value of one pound
each, he had more than doubled his capital, for he still possessed the
three pounds in money and in addition four pounds worth of goods.  As
for the working classes, Philpot, Harlow and Easton, having each
consumed the pound’s worth of necessaries they had bought with their
wages, they were again in precisely the same condition as when they
started work - they had nothing.

This process was repeated several times: for each week’s work the
producers were paid their wages.  They kept on working and spending
all their earnings.  The kind-hearted capitalist consumed twice as
much as any one of them and his pile of wealth continually increased.
In a little while - reckoning the little squares at their market value
of one pound each - he was worth about one hundred pounds, and the
working classes were still in the same condition as when they began,
and were still tearing into their work as if their lives depended upon it.

After a while the rest of the crowd began to laugh, and their
merriment increased when the kind-hearted capitalist, just after
having sold a pound’s worth of necessaries to each of his workers,
suddenly took their tools - the Machinery of Production - the knives
away from them, and informed them that as owing to Over Production all
his store-houses were glutted with the necessaries of life, he had
decided to close down the works.

‘Well, and wot the bloody ‘ell are we to do now?’ demanded Philpot.

‘That’s not my business,’ replied the kind-hearted capitalist.  ‘I’ve
paid you your wages, and provided you with Plenty of Work for a long
time past.  I have no more work for you to do at present.  Come round
again in a few months’ time and I’ll see what I can do for you.’

‘But what about the necessaries of life?’ demanded Harlow.  ‘We must
have something to eat.’

‘Of course you must,’ replied the capitalist, affably; ‘and I shall be
very pleased to sell you some.’

‘But we ain’t got no bloody money!’

‘Well, you can’t expect me to give you my goods for nothing!  You
didn’t work for me for nothing, you know.  I paid you for your work
and you should have saved something: you should have been thrifty like
me.  Look how I have got on by being thrifty!’

The unemployed looked blankly at each other, but the rest of the crowd
only laughed; and then the three unemployed began to abuse the
kind-hearted Capitalist, demanding that he should give them some of
the necessaries of life that he had piled up in his warehouses, or to
be allowed to work and produce some more for their own needs; and even
threatened to take some of the things by force if he did not comply
with their demands.  But the kind-hearted Capitalist told them not to
be insolent, and spoke to them about honesty, and said if they were
not careful he would have their faces battered in for them by the
police, or if necessary he would call out the military and have them
shot down like dogs, the same as he had done before at Featherstone
and Belfast.

‘Of course,’ continued the kind-hearted capitalist, ‘if it were not
for foreign competition I should be able to sell these things that you
have made, and then I should be able to give you Plenty of Work again:
but until I have sold them to somebody or other, or until I have used
them myself, you will have to remain idle.’

‘Well, this takes the bloody biscuit, don’t it?’ said Harlow bitterly.  
‘Workin’
our guts out like a lot of slaves for the benefit of other people, and
then as soon as they’ve done with you, you’re chucked aside like a
dirty rag.’

Selection from Chapter 21, “The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist”, 1906,
by Robert Tressell.

(full text available on-line at: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3608)



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