olated。　　The　nobility　and　the　clergy　possessed　three…fourths　of　the　soil　of　France；　they　should　have　controlled　three…fourths　of　the　votes　in　the　national　representation。　　To　double　the　vote　of　the　third　estate　was　just；　it　is　said；　since　the　people　paid　nearly　all　the　taxes。　　This　argument　would　be　sound；　if　there　were　nothing　to　be　voted　upon　but　taxes。　　But　it　was　a　question　at　that　time　of　reforming　the　government　and　the　constitution；　consequently；　the　doubling　of　the　vote　of　the　third　estate　was　a　usurpation；　and　an　attack　on　property。
  2。　If　the　present　representatives　of　the　radical　opposition　should　come　into　power；　they　would　work　a　reform　by　which　every　National　Guard　should　be　an　elector；　and　every　elector　eligible　for　office；an　attack　on　property。
  They　would　lower　the　rate　of　interest　on　public　funds；an　attack　on　property。
  They　would；　in　the　interest　of　the　public；　pass　laws　to　regulate　the　exportation　of　cattle　and　wheat；an　attack　on　property。
  They　would　alter　the　assessment　of　taxes；an　attack　on　property。
  They　would　educate　the　people　gratuitously；a　conspiracy　against　property。
  They　would　organize　labor；　that　is；　they　would　guarantee　labor　to　the　workingman；　and　give　him　a　share　in　the　profits；the　abolition　of　property。
  Now；　these　same　radicals　are　zealous　defenders　of　property；a　radical　proof　that　they　know　not　what　they　do；　nor　what　they　wish。
  3。　Since　property　is　the　grand　cause　of　privilege　and　despotism；　the　form　of　the　republican　oath　should　be　changed。　　Instead　of；　〃I　swear　hatred　to　royalty；〃　henceforth　the　new　member　of　a　secret　society　should　say；　〃I　swear　hatred　to　property。〃
  SEVENTH　PROPOSITION。
  Property　is　impossible；　because；　in　consuming　its　Receipts；　it　loses　them；　in　hoarding　them；　it　nullifies　them；　and　in　using　them　as　Capital；　it　turns　them　against　Production_。
  I。　If；　with　the　economists；　we　consider　the　laborer　as　a　living　machine；　we　must　regard　the　wages　paid　to　him　as　the　amount　necessary　to　support　this　machine；　and　keep　it　in　repair。　　The　head　of　a　manufacturing　establishmentwho　employs　laborers　at　three；　five；　ten；　and　fifteen　francs　per　day；　and　who　charges　twenty　francs　for　his　superintendencedoes　not　regard　his　disbursements　as　losses；　because　he　knows　they　will　return　to　him　in　the　form　of　products。　　Consequently；　LABOR　and　REPRODUCTIVE　CONSUMPTION　are　identical。
  What　is　the　proprietor？　　He　is　a　machine　which　does　not　work；　or；　which　working　for　its　own　pleasure；　and　only　when　it　sees　fit；　produces　nothing。
  What　is　it　to　consume　as　a　proprietor？　　It　is　to　consume　without　working；　to　consume　without　reproducing。　　For；　once　more；　that　which　the　proprietor　consumes　as　a　laborer　comes　back　to　him；　he　does　not　give　his　labor　in　exchange　for　his　property；　since；　if　he　did；　he　would　thereby　cease　to　be　a　proprietor。　　In　consuming　as　a　laborer；　the　proprietor　gains；　or　at　least　does　not　lose；　since　he　recovers　that　which　he　consumes；　in　consuming　as　a　proprietor；　he　impoverishes　himself。　　To　enjoy　property；　then；　it　is　necessary　to　destroy　it；　to　be　a　real　proprietor；　one　must　cease　to　be　a　proprietor。
  The　laborer　who　consumes　his　wages　is　a　machine　which　destroys　and　reproduces；　the　proprietor　who　consumes　his　income　is　a　bottomless　gulf；sand　which　we　water；　a　stone　which　we　sow。　　So　true　is　this；　that　the　proprietorneither　wishing　nor　knowing　how　to　produce；　and　perceiving　that　as　fast　as　he　uses　his　property　he　destroys　it　for　everhas　taken　the　precaution　to　make　some　one　produce　in　his　place。　　That　is　what　political　economy；　speaking　in　the　name　of　eternal　justice；　calls　PRODUCING　BY　HIS　CAPITAL；PRODUCING　BY　HIS　TOOLS。　　And　that　is　what　ought　to　be　called　PRODUCING　BY　A　SLAVEPRODUCING　AS　A　THIEF　AND　AS　A　TYRANT。　　He；　the　proprietor；　produce！　。　。　。　　The　robber　might　say；　as　well：　　〃I　produce。〃
  The　consumption　of　the　proprietor　has　been　styled　luxury；　in　opposition　to　USEFUL　consumption。　　From　what　has　just　been　said；　we　see　that　great　luxury　can　prevail　in　a　nation　which　is　not　rich；that　poverty　even　increases　with　luxury；　and　vice　versa。　　The　economists　（so　much　credit　must　be　given　them；　at　least）　have　caused　such　a　horror　of　luxury；　that　to…day　a　very　large　number　of　proprietorsnot　to　say　almost　allashamed　of　their　idlenesslabor；　economize；　and　capitalize。　　They　have　jumped　from　the　frying…pan　into　the　fire。
  I　cannot　repeat　it　too　often：　the　proprietor　who　thinks　to　deserve　his　income　by　working；　and　who　receives　wages　for　his　labor；　is　a　functionary　who　gets　paid　twice；　that　is　the　only　difference　between　an　idle　proprietor　and　a　laboring　proprietor。　　By　his　labor；　the　proprietor　produces　his　wages　onlynot　his　income。　　And　since　his　condition　enables　him　to　engage　in　the　most　lucrative　pursuits；　it　may　be　said　that　the　proprietor's　labor　harms　society　more　than　it　helps　it。　　Whatever　the　proprietor　does；　the　consumption　of　his　income　is　an　actual　loss；　which　his　salaried　functions　neither　repair　nor　justify；　and　which　would　annihilate　property；　were　it　not　continually　replenished　by　outside　production。
  II。　Then；　the　proprietor　who　consumes　annihilates　the　product：　he　does　much　worse　if　he　lays　it　up。　　The　things　which　he　lays　by　pass　into　another　world；　nothing　more　is　seen　of　them；　not　even　the　_caput　mortuum_；the　smoke。　　If　we　had　some　means　of　transportation　by　which　to　travel　to　the　moon；　and　if　the　proprietors　should　be　seized　with　a　sudden　fancy　to　carry　their　savings　thither；　at　the　end　of　a　certain　time　our　terraqueous　planet　would　be　transported　by　them　to　its　satellite！
  The　proprietor　who　lays　up　products　will　neither　allow　others　to　enjoy　them；　nor　enjoy　them　himself；　for　him　there　is　neither　possession　nor　property。　　Like　the　miser；　he　broods　over　his　treasures：　he　does　not　use　them。　　He　may　feast　his　eyes　upon　them；　he　may　lie　down　with　them；　he　may　sleep　with　them　in　his　arms：　all　very　fine；　but　coins　do　not　breed　coins。　　No　real　property　without　enjoyment；　no　enjoyment　without　consumption；　no　consumption　without　loss　of　property；such　is　the　inflexible　necessity　to　which　God's　judgment　compels　the　proprietor　to　bend。　　A　curse　upon　property　！
  III。　The　proprietor　who；　instead　of　consuming　his　income；　uses　it　as　capital；　turns　it　against　production；　and　thereby　makes　it　impossible　for　him　to　exercise　his　right。　　For　the　more　he　increases　the　amount　of　interest　to　be　paid　upon　it；　the　more　he　is　compelled　to　diminish　wages。　　Now；　the　more　he　diminishes　wages；that　is；　the　less　he　devotes　to　the　maintenance　and　repair　of　the　machines；the　more　he　diminishes　the　quantity　of　labor；　and　with　the　quantity　of　labor　the　quantity　of　product；　and　with　the　quantity　of　product　the　very　source　of　his　income。　　This　is　clearly　shown　by　the　following　example：
  Take　an　estate　consisting　of　arable　land；　meadows；　and　vineyards；　containing　the　dwellings　of　the　owner　and　the　tenant；　and　worth；　together　with　the　farming　implements；　one　hundred　thousand　francs；　the　rate　of　increase　being　three　per　cent。　　If；　instead　of　consuming　his　revenue；　the　proprietor　uses　it；　not　in　enlarging　but　in　beautifying　his　estate；　can　he　annually　demand　of　his　tenant　an　additional　ninety　francs　on　account　of　the　three　thousand　francs　which　he　has　thus　added　to　his　capital？　　Certainly　not；　for　on　such　conditions　the　tenant；　though　producing　no　more　than　before；　would　soon　be　obliged　to　labor　for　nothing；what　do　I　say？　to　actually　suffer　loss　in　order　to　hold　his　lease。
  In　fact；　revenue　can　increase　only　as　productive　soil　increases：　it　is　useless　to　build　walls　of　marble；　and　work　with　plows　of　gold。　　But；　since　it　is　impossible　to　go　on　acquiring　for　ever；　to　add　estate　to　estate；　to　CONTINUE　ONE'S　POSSESSIONS；　as　the　Latins　said；　and　since；　moreover；　the　proprietor　always　has　means　wherewith　to　capitalize；it　follows　that　the　exercise　of　his　right　finally　becomes　impossible。
  Well；　in　spite　of　this　impossibility；　property　capitalizes；　and　in　capitalizing　increases　its　revenue；　and；　without　stopping　to　look　at　the　particular　cases　which　occur　in　commerce；　manufacturing　operations；　and　banking；　I　will　cite　a　graver　fact；　one　which　directly　affects　all　citizens。　　I　mean　the　indefinite　increase　of　the　budget。
  The　taxes　increase　every　year。　　It　would　be　difficult　to　tell　in　which　department　of　the　government　the　expenses　increase；　for　who　can　boast　of　any　knowledge　as　to　the　budget？　　On　this　point；　the　ablest　financiers　continually　disagree。　　What　is　to　be　thought；　I　ask；　of　the　science　of　government；　when　its　professors　cannot　understand　one　another's　figures？　　Whatever　be　the　immediate　causes　of　this　growth　of　the　budget；　it　is　certain　that　taxation　increases　at　a　rate　which　causes　everybody　to　despair。　　Everybody　sees　it；　everybody　acknowledges　it；　but　nobody　seems　to　understand　the　primary　cause。＇1＇　　Now；　I　say　that　it　cannot　be　otherwise；that　it　is　necessary　and　inevitable。
  ＇1＇　　〃The　financial　situation　of　the　English　government　was　shown　up　in　the　House　of　Lords　during　the　session　of　January　23。　　It　is　not　an　encouraging　one。　　For　several　years　the　expenses　have　exceeded　the　receipts；　and　the　Minister　has　been　able　to　re…　establish　the　balance　only　by　loans　renewed　annually。　　The　combined　deficits　of　the　years　1838　and　1839　amount　to　forty…　seven　million　f