Paul Lafargue Quotes
A strange delusion possesses the working classes of the nations where capitalist civilization holds its sway. This delusion drags in its train the individual and social woes which for two centuries have tortured sad humanity. This delusion is the love of work, the furious passion for work, pushed even to the exhaustion of the vital force of the individual and his progeny
Paul Lafargue, 1841-1911, Leader, French Workers Party, Son-in-law of Karl Marx, The Right To Be Lazy, 1883
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Jefferson was one of the first political and economic thinkers to express concern over the “wage slave” concept of the industrial revolution. This was one of the major reasons that he was not in consonance with Alexander Hamilton in his economic vision for America. While we followed the Hamilton direction, there are still issues of maintaining freedom and independence for an employee in modern nations and economies.
Sinclair had written an expose of the meat packing industry – the Jungle – which used as its setting the Armour meat packing factory. It changed the way the public thought about the industry, the role of government and regulation. President Roosevelt took up the reform role, and got Congress to Regulate the quality and cleanliness of the meat packing industry. Sinclair, however not only wanted that reform, but also wanted the labor wages and conditions reformed. He referred to the Armour plant as the fortress.
In May of 1886 police had killed some strikers for an 8 hour work day at the McCormick Plant in Chicago. A left wing newspaper called a rally using the word “revenge.” (See {43614}.) The next day, at the rally, someone threw a dynamite bomb killing several police who in turn wounded and killed many of the protestors. 31 people were indicted for the “Haymarket Bombing,” 8 were tried, and 7 were convicted and sentenced to death including Spies. There was however, no evidence linking any of the defendants with the bombing, only evidence linking them with left wing, anarchist positions and writings.
See {616053}. The strike was broken by jailing one of the main leaders.
In his economic view, managers, accountants, attorneys, owners, shareholders, landlords, were all supported by the workers who have to support themselves and all the others.
At the time, it did seem impossible that labor and capital would ever have harmonious relations. But the notion that slavery would solve the problem is as preposterous as anything ever entered into the American political dialogue. But there were many in the South, and some in the North, who actually believed it. Even 150 years later, while labor and capital relations were much better than pre Civil War, they still could not be described as “harmonious” or “friendly”.
Paul Lafargue was a French revolutionary Marxist socialist, political writer, journalist, literary critic, and activist; he was Karl Marx's son-in-law having married his second daughter, Laura. His best known work is The Right to Be Lazy. Born in Cuba to French and Creole parents, Lafargue spent most of his life in France, with periods in England and Spain. At the age of 69, he and 66-year-old Laura died together by a suicide pact.
