James Hudson Maurer

“ Each nation strives to monopolize its own home market and unload its surplus abroad. The capitalists of the United States have erected a tariff wall with which to bar out foreign competition, and spend over two hundred million dollars annually for an army and navy whose principal functions are to find a market to unload the surplus goods upon, and once the market is secured, to hold it no matter what the cost to human life. It is estimated that war and preparations for war cost the nations of the earth, called civilized, one-fifth of their total product of wealth. ”

“ Just as an industry struggles for the market of its country, so are the countries struggling for the markets of the world; and just as cheap labor and easy access to raw materials are the very important factors in a competitive war of a nation, so are they in a competitive commercial war between nations.
As mentioned before, the trustifying of industry has in a great measure abolished competition in the United States, and the monopolizing of the means of production and distribution places those dependent upon these means for their very existence at the mercy of the owners. ”

“ In view of the fact that the Capitalist system has well nigh exploited every part of the earth into a sterile condition, it must and will seize the remaining spots and drain them to exhaustion. We as people who are fighting for our very lives under these conditions, must understand the economic result, not only upon the oppressed Chinaman, but upon the entire human race. ”

“ It took the Christian opium merchants more than a century to weaken and debauch the oldest nation on earth.
While the capitalist system has in some countries been in existence for a longer period, it has not as yet brought about such dire results. Capitalism has the whole earth as a field of operation. It is highly developed in Germany, England, Italy, France, Austria, Japan and the United States, and preparations are just being made for its entrance into South America and Russia, while in China it is now making its initial bow. India and Egypt are hopelessly in the rear. ”

“ The factory system and the manufacture for a world market changes the lower classes from slaves and serfs into wage-workers who quickly learn that their interests are the same the world over. The fact that the industries are gigantic in size and require the co-operation of millions of workers to carry on the process from raw material to the finished product, teaches that the means of employment, the lands, mines, mills, railroads and the like, are really social property and should be owned by the people together. ”

“ Women in China are treated as beasts of burden. It is a land where the women wear socks and trousers and the men wear stockings and robes; where a man shakes his own hand, not yours. White, not black is a sign of mourning. Where the compass points south, not north. Books are read backward, not forward. The woman cries when being married and men laugh when they talk of their mother's death.
The Chinese are unquestionably the oldest nation in the world.
They speak the language and observe the same social and political customs that they did several thousand years before the Christian era. ”

“ The wage-workers being more or less free politically, unite into the Socialist Party, to secure the powers of government and thereby take over the industries. Once this is done, the payment of rent, interest, profit and other forms of unearned wealth, is made to cease, and the whole of the people become useful workers, making things for their own enjoyment. Thus begins the coming civilization—Socialism. ”

“ While the captains of industry strive to abolish competition among themselves, they very much prefer it for their workers. The chattel slaves never compete for each others' jobs, as do the wage slaves. ”

“ China is a vast country; its people impoverished and stupefied; the writer who would attempt to analyze the economic condition of this wonderful and mysterious country first hand would be confronted by insurmountable obstacles—at best, after mastering the language, he in all probability, due to a woeful lack of governmental statistics, would be able to record but a small fraction of such a colossal undertaking after years of hard labor. ”

“ Physically the country is surpassingly rich in picturesque mountains and fertile valleys, while the stupendous rivers cau float an enormous commerce, Indeed, China is the most interesting and most important country in the world yet undeveloped, with its several hundred millions of illiterate and superstitions workers whose standard of living is lower than most any other people on earth, Surely China today looks as inviting to the capitalists of the world as it did to the opium feeders of England more than a century ago. ”

“ A very good man may engage in the cigar manufacturing business, erect a model factory in a city, pay the Union scale of wages, and be content with a small profit on his investment. Now along comes another good man and goes into the same business. He erects his factory in a country town and the village fathers hail him as a public benefactor and exempt his factory from taxation. This gentleman will not pay the Union scale, because it is not necessary. His employees can live cheaper than the city workers. ”

“ And what shall be said of China's marvelous railroad enterprises? It is but a few years ago that rails were torn up as fast as they were laid down, and rolling stock destroyed by an infuriated populace who feared the introduction of the foreign iron horse would disturb the spirits of their revered dead. Today there is no more popular public work than the construction of railroads. ”

“ Just as China on pain of extinction had to take the step from Feudalism to Capitalism, so much we of highly developed Capitalist countries, take the next great step from Capitalism to Socialism.
The application of large machinery and the establishment of the factory system, begun little more than a century ago, completely revolutionizes, the. institutions of every civilized nation, and has even aroused such Oriental countries as China from centuries of sleep. ”

“ Legs than twenty-five years after China had taken the unfortunate step, the degrading vice had so debauched, demoralized and weakened the people that they lost not only the power of resistance, but also their productive power. ”

“ She seemed indeed blind to the fact that the same economic force that moved China to action also moved the Christians. That it is not ideals and morals that determine man's actions, but that the development of the material conditions under which man lives, determines his ideas and morals. When the material productive forces of society change, the institutions of human society change to suit them. ”

“ The object of giving this brief sketch of a single industry is to show that no matter how good or benevolent a business man or company may be, or try to be, philanthropy can have no place in business if the business is to survive. The system sets the pace. Those without any conscientious scruples are most likely to succeed; and what is true of the cigar industry is practically true of every other industry. There may be different methods, for example, the labor-displacing machine, the Taylor speeding-up system, woman and child labor, etc. ”

“ The majority of the people are in favor of a republic. From the preference of the people's hearts the will of heaven is discernible. How could we oppose the desires of millions for the glory of one family?
Therefore, we, the dowager empress and the emperor, hereby vest the sovereignty of the Chinese empire in the people. ”

“ Few of us realize that the Chinese Empire contains 440,000,000 of people, about one-third the population of the entire globe. China is larger than all Europe and contains mere natural wealth than any other single nation. An eminent geologist makes the claim that a single province in China would be able to supply the entire world with coal for one thousand years. Millions of tons of iron ore abound in many parts of the empire—of a higher grade than the very best ore found in the United States. ”

“ Capitalism is moving into China, and the money kings have come to the conclusion that debauching and killing the Chinamen with opium is not as profitable as letting them live and exploiting the race as wage slaves. ”

“ Lin knew what China needed and was striving to save her, but he did not seem to know that the British aristocracy needed money and that one of the many ways they had of getting it was by exploiting the toilers of India, and if the product of India could not be disposed of, then there would be less money, hence less idleness, fewer luxuries, mansions, castles, gowns, jewels, horses, servants, pleasure jaunts, etc., for the pampered, blue blooded nobility. ”

“ The opium smoker cannot work hard: he finds it difficult to apply his mind to a problem or his body to a task. As the habit becomes firmly fastened on him, there is a perceptible weakening of his moral fiber; he shows himself unequal to emergencies which make any sudden demand upon him. If opium is denied him, he will lie and steal in order to obtain it.
Opium smoking is a costly vice. ”

“ No matter if some of the loans are made through the banking houses of Germany, France, England, and the United States, all the great financial institutions of the world are a part of the great banking system of the house of Rothchilds. ”

“ England did not set out to ruin China. One finds no hint of a diabolical purpose to seduce and destroy a wonderful old empire on the other side of the world. The ruin worked was incidental to that Far Eastern trade of which England has been so proud. It was the triumph of the balance sheet over common humanity. And so it is today British India still holds the cream of the trade, for the Chinese-grown opium cannot compete in quality with the India drug
The British-India government raises the poppy in the rich Ganges Valley. ”

“ Thousands of prominent men are ruined every year.
Everywhere along the highroad and in the cities and villages of Shansi you see the opium face. The opium smoker, like the opium eater, rapidly loses flesh when the habit has fixed itself on him. ”

“ Capitalism will harness these hundreds of millions of cheap toilers to the most modern tools of production, and this cheap labor, surrounded with seemingly inexhaustible natural resources, will come in direct competition with the workers of the Western world. ”

“ The best people in China, realizing the perils of the opium habit, appear to be obstinately determined to oppose, by every possible means, the spread of an evil which, in spite of official edicts, extends its ravages day by day. ”

“ The tools used in the homes were mostly owned by the users, they being simple, crude and cheap. The most humble toilers could in time become owners of the tools necessary to their existence or the making of things essential to their comfort.
But to own a machine or a number of them, house them in suitable buildings and purchase the raw materials necessary to feed the machines required more than ordinary means. The small factory or mill could be owned by a small capitalist. The larger industries naturally required greater capitalists to own them. ”

“ The wage slave hunts the master and can be had without the consideration of a purchase price, besides the master need not care for these slaves—he has no money invested in them, The wage may be ground down until the slaves are underfed and become too weak to work, when the muster simply turns them out; the masters have nothing to lose if they work their wage slaves to death so long as a fresh supply can be secured. That's why they encourage the workers to raise large families. ”

“ But the Christian gentlemen were far from satisfied. India must produce mete opium and China must consume it. Capital must have its profit even if the largest and oldest nation on earth must be destroyed. ”

“ It was at first thought that some natural prejudices would limit the expected receipts from passenger traffic, but the Chinese have taken readily to railway travel, and it is not an uncommon sight to see the second and third class coaches packed with passengers three or four hours before the schedule time for the train to leave. Some arrive at the station the night before and sleep on the platform until the train backs in, when they get aboard. They seem to derive as muck pleasure from sitting in the cars when the latter are stationary as they do when under way. ”