What would become of
society, if it had to discharge these liabilities and settle all
these bankruptcies? What, in turn, would become of the
responsibility and dignity of the laborer, if, secured by the
social guarantee, he could, without personal risk, abandon
himself to all the caprices of a delirious imagination and trifle
at every moment with the existence of humanity?
Wherefore I conclude that what has been practised from the
beginning will be practised to the end, and that, on this point,
as on every other, if our aim is reconciliation, it is absurd to
think that anything that exists can be abolished. For, the world
of ideas being infinite, like nature, and men, today as ever,
being subject to speculation,--that is, to error,--individuals
have a constant stimulus to speculate and society a constant
reason to be suspicious and cautious, wherefore monopoly never
lacks material.
To avoid this dilemma what is proposed? Compensation? In the
first place, compensation is impossible: all values being
monopolized, where would society get the means to indemnify the
monopolists? What would be its mortgage? On the other hand,
compensation would be utterly useless: after all the monopolies
had been compensated, it would remain to organize industry.
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