Untitled

THE NEWEST ANARCHISM 255
new party program
at Erfurt in 1891, the Congress
struck out the section directed against State socialism
and adopted a number of propositions leading to that
end. Again, at Breslau in 1895, the Germans adopted
several State-socialist measures. "At this time," says
Paul Kampffmeyer, "a proposition of the agrarian commission
on the party program, which had a decided Statesocialist
stamp, was discussed. It contained, among
other things, the retaining and the increase of the public
land domain; the management of the State and community
lands on their own account the
; giving of State
credit to cooperative societies the socialization of mort-
;
gages, debts, and loans on land ;
the socialization of chat-
to all
tel and real estate insurance, etc. Bebel agreed
these State-socialist propositions.
He recalled the fact
that the nationalizing
of the railroads had been accomplished
with the agreement of the social-democracy."
(21) "That which applies to the railways applies also
to the forestry," said Bebel. "Have we any objections
to the enlarging of the State forests and thereby the
employment of workers and officials The same thing
applies to the mines, the salt industry, road-making, the
post office, and the telegraphs.
In all of these industries
we have hundreds of thousands of dependent people,
and yet we do not want to advocate their abolition but
rather their extension. In this direction we must break
with all our prejudices. We ought only to oppose State
industry where it is antagonistic to culture and where
it restricts development, as, for instance, is the case in
military matters. Indeed, we must even compel the State
constantly to take over means of culture, because by that
means we will finally put the present State out of joint.
And, lastly, even the strongest State power
fails in that
degree in which the State drives its own officers and