what is property-第43节

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o　has　produced　as　in　the　past；　to　suffer　by　the　withdrawal　of　the　proprietor。　　The　latter　must　take　the　consequences　of　his　own　idleness。　　But；　then；　the　proprietor　becomes　poorer　for　the　very　reason　that　he　wishes　to　enjoy；　by　exercising　his　right；　he　loses　it；　so　that　property　seems　to　decrease　and　vanish　in　proportion　as　we　try　to　lay　hold　of　it；　the　more　we　pursue　it；　the　more　it　eludes　our　grasp。　　What　sort　of　a　right　is　that　which　is　governed　by　numerical　relations；　and　which　an　arithmetical　calculation　can　destroy？

The　laborer…proprietor　received；　first；　as　laborer；　0。9　in　wages；　second；　as　proprietor；　1　in　farm…rent。　　He　said　to　himself；　〃My　farm…rent　is　sufficient；　I　have　enough　and　to　spare　without　my　labor。〃　　And　thus　it　is　that　the　income　upon　which　he　calculated　gets　diminished　by　one…tenth；he　at　the　same　time　not　even　suspecting　the　cause　of　this　diminution。　　By　taking　part　in　the　production；　he　was　himself　the　creator　of　this　tenth　which　has　vanished；　and　while　he　thought　to　labor　only　for　himself；　he　unwittingly　suffered　a　loss　in　exchanging　his　products；　by　which　he　was　made　to　pay　to　himself　one…tenth　of　his　own　farm…rent。　　Like　every　one　else；　he　produced　1；　and　received　but　0。9

If；　instead　of　nine　hundred　laborers；　there　had　been　but　five　hundred；　the　whole　amount　of　farm…rent　would　have　been　reduced　to　fifty；　if　there　had　been　but　one　hundred；　it　would　have　fallen　to　ten。　　We　may　posit；　then；　the　following　axiom　as　a　law　of　proprietary　economy：　　INCREASE　MUST　DIMINISH　AS　THE　NUMBER　OF　IDLERS　AUGMENTS。

_　　_This　first　result　will　lead　us　to　another　more　surprising　still。　　Its　effect　is　to　deliver　us　at　one　blow　from　all　the　evils　of　property；　without　abolishing　it；　without　wronging　proprietors；　and　by　a　highly　conservative　process。

We　have　just　proved　that；　if　the　farm…rent　in　a　community　of　one　thousand　laborers　is　one　hundred；　that　of　nine　hundred　would　be　ninety；　that　of　eight　hundred；　eighty；　that　of　one　hundred；　ten；　&c。　　So　that；　in　a　community　where　there　was　but　one　laborer；　the　farm…rent　would　be　but　0。1；　no　matter　how　great　the　extent　and　value　of　the　land　appropriated。　　Therefore；　WITH　A　GIVEN　LANDED　CAPITAL；　PRODUCTION　IS　PROPORTIONAL　TO　LABOR；　NOT　TO　PROPERTY。

Guided　by　this　principle；　let　us　try　to　ascertain　the　maximum　increase　of　all　property　whatever。

What　is；　essentially；　a　farm…lease？　　It　is　a　contract　by　which　the　proprietor　yields　to　a　tenant　possession　of　his　land；　in　consideration　of　a　portion　of　that　which　it　yields　him；　the　proprietor。　　If；　in　consequence　of　an　increase　in　his　household；　the　tenant　becomes　ten　times　as　strong　as　the　proprietor；　he　will　produce　ten　times　as　much。　　Would　the　proprietor　in　such　a　case　be　justified　in　raising　the　farm…rent　tenfold？　　His　right　is　not；　The　more　you　produce；　the　more　I　demand。　　It　is；　The　more　I　sacrifice；　the　more　I　demand。　　The　increase　in　the　tenant's　household；　the　number　of　hands　at　his　disposal；　the　resources　of　his　industry；all　these　serve　to　increase　production；　but　bear　no　relation　to　the　proprietor。　　His　claims　are　to　be　measured　by　his　own　productive　capacity；　not　that　of　others。　　Property　is　the　right　of　increase；　not　a　poll…tax。　　How　could　a　man；　hardly　capable　of　cultivating　even　a　few　acres　by　himself；　demand　of　a　community；　on　the　ground　of　its　use　of　ten　thousand　acres　of　his　property；　ten　thousand　times　as　much　as　he　is　incapable　of　producing　from　one　acre？　　Why　should　the　price　of　a　loan　be　governed　by　the　skill　and　strength　of　the　borrower；　rather　than　by　the　utility　sacrificed　by　the　proprietor？　　We　must　recognize；　then；　this　second　economical　law：　　INCREASE　IS　MEASURED　BY　A　FRACTION　OF　THE　PROPRIETORS　PRODUCTION。

Now；　this　production；　what　is　it？　　In　other　words；　What　can　the　lord　and　master　of　a　piece　of　land　justly　claim　to　have　sacrificed　in　lending　it　to　a　tenant？

The　productive　capacity　of　a　proprietor；　like　that　of　any　laborer；　being　one；　the　product　which　he　sacrifices　in　surrendering　his　land　is　also　one。　　If；　then；　the　rate　of　increase　is　ten　per　cent。；　the　maximum　increase　is　0。1。

But　we　have　seen　that；　whenever　a　proprietor　withdraws　from　production；　the　amount　of　products　is　lessened　by　1。　　Then　the　increase　which　accrues　to　him；　being　equal　to　0。1　while　he　remains　among　the　laborers；　will　be　equal　after　his　withdrawal；　by　the　law　of　the　decrease　of　farm…rent；　to　0。09。　　Thus　we　are　led　to　this　final　formula：　　THE　MAXIMUM　INCOME　OF　A　PROPRIETOR　IS　EQUAL　TO　THE　SQUARE　ROOT　OF　THE　PRODUCT　OF　ONE　LABORER　（some　number　being　agreed　upon　to　express　this　product）。　　THE　DIMINUTION　WHICH　THIS　INCOME　SUFFERS；　IF　THE　PROPRIETOR　IS　IDLE；　IS　EQUAL　TO　A　FRACTION　WHOSE　NUMERATOR　IS　1；　AND　WHOSE　DENOMINATOR　IS　THE　NUMBER　WHICH　EXPRESSES　THE　PRODUCT。

Thus　the　maximum　income　of　an　idle　proprietor；　or　of　one　who　labors　in　his　own　behalf　outside　of　the　community；　figured　at　ten　per　cent。　on　an　average　production　of　one　thousand　francs　per　laborer；　would　be　ninety　francs。　　If；　then；　there　are　in　France　one　million　proprietors　with　an　income　of　one　thousand　francs　each；　which　they　consume　unproductively；　instead　of　the　one　thousand　millions　which　are　paid　them　annually；　they　are　entitled　in　strict　justice；　and　by　the　most　accurate　calculation；　to　ninety　millions　only。

It　is　something　of　a　reduction；　to　take　nine　hundred　and　ten　millions　from　the　burdens　which　weigh　so　heavily　upon　the　laboring　class！　　Nevertheless；　the　account　is　not　finished；　and　the　laborer　is　still　ignorant　of　the　full　extent　of　his　rights。

What　is　the　right　of　increase　when　confined　within　just　limits？　　A　recognition　of　the　right　of　occupancy。　　But　since　all　have　an　equal　right　of　occupancy；　every　man　is　by　the　same　title　a　proprietor。　　Every　man　has　a　right　to　an　income　equal　to　a　fraction　of　his　product。　　If；　then；　the　laborer　is　obliged　by　the　right　of　property　to　pay　a　rent　to　the　proprietor；　the　proprietor　is　obliged　by　the　same　right　to　pay　the　same　amount　of　rent　to　the　laborer；　and；　since　their　rights　balance　each　other；　the　difference　between　them　is　zero。

_Scholium_。If　farm…rent　is　only　a　fraction　of　the　supposed　product　of　the　proprietor；　whatever　the　amount　and　value　of　the　property；　the　same　is　true　in　the　case　of　a　large　number　of　small　and　distinct　proprietors。　　For；　although　one　man　may　use　the　property　of　each　separately；　he　cannot　use　the　property　of　all　at　the　same　time。

To　sum　up。　　The　right　of　increase；　which　can　exist　only　within　very　narrow　limits；　defined　by　the　laws　of　production；　is　annihilated　by　the　right　of　occupancy。　　Now；　without　the　right　of　increase；　there　is　no　property。　　Then　property　is　impossible。




FOURTH　PROPOSITION。

Property　is　impossible；　because　it　is　Homicide。


If　the　right　of　increase　could　be　subjected　to　the　laws　of　reason　and　justice；　it　would　be　reduced　to　an　indemnity　or　reward　whose　MAXIMUM　never　could　exceed；　for　a　single　laborer；　a　certain　fraction　of　that　which　he　is　capable　of　producing。　　This　we　have　just　shown。　　But　why　should　the　right　of　increaselet　us　not　fear　to　call　it　by　its　right　name；　the　right　of　robberybe　governed　by　reason；　with　which　it　has　nothing　in　common？　　The　proprietor　is　not　content　with　the　increase　allotted　him　by　good　sense　and　the　nature　of　things：　he　demands　ten　times；　a　hundred　times；　a　thousand　times；　a　million　times　as　much。　　By　his　own　labor；　his　property　would　yield　him　a　product　equal　only　to　one；　and　he　demands　of　society；　no　longer　a　right　proportional　to　his　productive　capacity；　but　a　per　capita　tax。　　He　taxes　his　fellows　in　proportion　to　their　strength；　their　number；　and　their　industry。　　A　son　is　born　to　a　farmer。　　〃Good！〃　says　the　proprietor；　〃one　more　chance　for　increase！〃　　By　what　process　has　farm…rent　been　thus　changed　into　a　poll…tax？　　Why　have　our　jurists　and　our　theologians　failed；　with　all　their　shrewdness；　to　check　the　extension　of　the　right　of　increase？

The　proprietor；　having　estimated　from　his　own　productive　capacity　the　number　of　laborers　which　his　property　will　accommodate；　divides　it　into　as　many　portions；　and　says：　　〃Each　one　shall　yield　me　revenue。〃　　To　increase　his　income；　he　has　only　to　divide　his　property。　　Instead　of　reckoning　the　interest　due　him　on　his　labor；　he　reckons　it　on　his　capital；　and；　by　this　substitution；　the　same　property；　which　in　the　hands　of　its　owner　is　capable　of　yielding　only　one；　is　worth　to　him　ten；　a　hundred；　a　thousand；　a　million。　　Consequently；　he　has　only　to　hold　himself　in　readiness　to　register　the　names　of　the　laborers　who　apply　to　himhis　task　consists　in　drafting　leases　and　receipts。

Not　satisfied　with　the　lightness　of　his　duties；　the　proprietor　does　not　intend　to　bear　even　the　deficit　resulting　from　his　idleness；　he　throws　it　upon　the　shoulders　of　the　producer；　of　whom　he　always　demands　the　same　reward。　　When　the　farm…rent　of　a　piece　of　land　is　once　raised　to　its　highest　point；　the　proprietor　never　lowers　it；　high　prices；　the　scarcity　of　labor；　the　disadvantages　of　the　season；　even　pestilence　itself；　have　no　effect　upon　himwhy　should　he　suffer　from　hard　times　when　he　does　not　labor？

Here　commences　a　new　series　of　phenomena。

Saywho　reasons　with　marvellous　clearness　whenever　he　assails　taxation；　but　who　is　blind　to　the　fact　that　the　proprietor；　as　well　as　the　tax…gather