The enormous administrative machinery would open up all sorts of new
avenues to personal gain at the expense of others, which unprincipled
men would be quick to take advantage of. But, on the other hand, no
great private fortunes or wealthy corporations would exist to bribe,
and no such money-prizes would exist to be won by bribery as are
common in our present system. There would be no temptation to adulterate
goods, and less of a temptation to award contracts or franchises to
friends -since there would be no private profit in it. What supports
our political rings today is, above all, the existence of the
"interests" wealthy corporations that are making profits enough to
spare large sums for "influencing" legislation; these "interests" would
no longer exist. On the whole, then, the amount and direction of
corruption under socialism is unpredictable; but its possibility should
give us pause. The other general objections to socialism are probably
less serious; some of them complete misapprehensions. It is certainly
not anti-Christian; on the contrary, there are those who believe that
it is the necessary the Christian spirit.[Footnote: Cf, for example,
W. Rauschenbusch, Christianity and the Social Crisis.] It is not
"materialistic" any more than any industrial system must necessarily
be. It would not necessarily destroy private property or lessen human
freedom, except in the one matter that it would prevent private
ownership of the instruments of industrial production and destroy the
freedom to conduct business to private advantage.
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