rises to its height, and it seems to be rising at present, will
destroy those other forms of war we have been speaking of; will make
the position of the profit-makers, of perpetual commercial war,
untenable; will destroy the present system of competitive privilege,
or commercial war.

Now observe, I said that to the existence of the workers it was
combination, not competition, that was necessary, while to that of
the profit-makers combination was impossible, and war necessary. The
present position of the workers is that of the machinery of commerce,
or in plainer words its slaves; when they change that position and
become free, the class of profit-makers must cease to exist; and what
will then be the position of the workers? Even as it is they are the
one necessary part of society, the life-giving part; the other
classes are but hangers-on who live on them. But what should they
be, what will they be, when they, once for all, come to know their
real power, and cease competing with one another for livelihood? I
will tell you: they will be society, they will be the community.
And being society--that is, there being no class outside them to
contend with--they can then regulate their labour in accordance with
their own real needs.

There is much talk about supply and demand, but the supply and demand
usually meant is an artificial one; it is under the sway of the
gambling market; the demand is forced, as I hinted above, before it
is supplied; nor, as each producer is working against all the rest,
can the producers hold their hands, till the market is glutted and
the workers, thrown out on the streets, hear that there has been
over-production, amidst which over-plus of unsaleable goods they go
ill-supplied with even necessaries, because the wealth which they