On Reconstruction 1918
Report of a speech by Kingsley on the topic “Reconstructing Society” at a Federated Labor Party meeting in Vancouver’s Rex Theatre on 13 October 1918.
Kingsley Preaches Gospel of Freedom
“Reconstructing Society” Is Stirring Subject of Address at Rex. No Function of Government to “Wet-Nurse” Bunch of Slaves
Probably the best evidence of the unwaning popularity of E. T. Kingsley was to be seen in the fact that the Rex Theatre was crowded in every part for last Sunday evening’s meeting when “the old man” was billed to speak upon “Reconstructing Society.” Charles Lestor as chairman opened the meeting with some pertinent references to some of the up-to-date methods that were being employed to suppress every attempt to tell the truth or to act in accordance with it. Quoting an old story of William Morris of a farmer who gave his fowls the privilege of how they should be cooked, and the protestations of one rooster that he did not wish to be cooked at all, Lestor said this fellow “must have been a Bolsheviki.” Referring to the German money humbug, he stated that if there were any German money loose in this country, so adept had certain classes of the Flavelle variety and kindred “patriots” become in annexing surplus values that there would be mighty little chance for any mere working man to get near the trough.
Mr. Kingsley prefaced his speech with the statement that “no civilization based upon human slavery can long exist.” The ancient empires of Greece, Rome, Carthage, Egypt, Babylon and the long list of others had all perished through corruption which was inherent in the system upon which they were founded. Present day civilization was following precisely in the same footsteps as the cornerstone of present day society was the slave, and every organized effort was based upon the exploitation and enslavement of the producers. From this there was no escape until the slaves understood their position, but thus equipped they would be in a position to act intelligently.
Definition of Property
We speak of property—property! What is property? We read of the accumulation of the wealth of nations running into the billions of dollars till we become dizzy by merely looking at them. What is this thing of such enormous magnitude? Not property, as property is something which can bring revenue to the owner without any effort on his part and there is only one animal that can be so classed—the human animal in bondage! Bonds, stocks, interest, dividends, etc, can come from no other source; nothing is rated except the slave, all of these things are predicated upon his ability to bring forth wealth for nothing. Real estate values without the presence of the slave are worth nothing—but the more of them there are the greater the value of the real estate.
Referring to the C. P. R. and the U.S. Steel Corporation as huge dividend-earning corporations, the speaker quoted figures in regard to these dividends and declared that the stockholders were merely carrying paper titles based upon the continued willingness to labor or the enforced labor of so many thousands of producers. Their dividends were received for an absence from work and an ability to sting those who did work. The speaker had heard of a certain story of manna coming from Heaven, and of a whole people being fed without working; but so contrary was this to all human experience that he suspected there were somewhere around some almighty slaves closely connected with the proposition.
He remembered the case of a man who had worked during one winter for his father, who was a tenant farmer, for his board only. At that time he had thought that his father got this man mighty cheap, but since he had himself grown up he discovered that the workers were working for nothing and paying their own board, and he had concluded that the man who had worked for his board alone was owing still.
Cannot Produce by Order-in-Council
By order-in-council the government can yoke all slaves to whatever proposition they choose; but the inanimate things which they needed could not be got by order-in-council. They were obtained by circulating “promises to pay,” which in turn were based absolutely upon the retention of the worker in the bondage of the present system.
The world’s wealth consists of food, clothing and shelter, and there can be no “accumulation” of real wealth, only an accumulation of figures—promises to pay—which was an immortal thing and in the last analysis really unredeemable. Sometime perhaps it would require a bale of it to buy a toothpick. It was not so long ago that $75 per month would buy what required $150 to buy today. There was plenty of currency in the Southern States during the Civil War, but it required $100 to buy a pair of boots. In Russia today it was much the same and financial collapse was what was facing every nation.
No people can carry freedom to another people if they do not possess it themselves, and if Hun autocracy had to be disposed of it would have to be done by the German people themselves. Some governments were promising to the workers a greater share in the conduct of industry, but this implied little, if anything, as no government would ever wet-nurse a bunch of slaves. Some of the antics of government were really funny, as no amount of legislation could ever prevent an animal from balking in harness if it felt like it. The speaker never advised anyone to strike industrially, as the only effective strike was at the ballot box. What they wanted was the reconstruction of society by the exercise of reason, intelligence and concerted action.
—“Kingsley Preaches the Gospel of Freedom,” British Columbia Federationist, 18 Oct. 1918, 4.