Most of our State Socialistic friends with whom I am acquainted, have a very bad habit of claiming that State Socialism is the only Socialism, and only those who believe in governmentalism and compulsory co-operation have a right to call themselves Socialists.

Now there are two schools of Socialism, namely State Socialism and Anarchistic Socialism; and while both seek the same end, the abolition of all exploitation of man by man, yet in their methods are extreme opposites. The first proposes to utilize the rotten old institution called government, and thru it get possession of all the means of production, transportation, and distribution, and inaugurate a so-called cooperative commonwealth. The government would select each person’s occupation, and reward each according to his deeds, that is, each would receive all he or she produced or its equivalent, minus of course a fraction which would go towards the cost of operating the government. This in my opinion would be devilish high, and therefore would defeat the end sought, the abolition of all exploitation of man by man.

The second proposes to abolish all government of man by man, and leave him free to cooperate with his fellow man as he sees fit; and as in freedom there would be no necessity for man to try to exploit each other which in fact would be a waste of energy, then would be a mutual cooperation for the purpose of exploiting nature, which is very bountiful and has plenty in store for us all. Therefore I believe Anarchist Socialism to be true Socialism, and we should not acquiesce in the State Socialist claim of being the only Socialists.

H. W. Koehn