"The Last Of The Deliverers"

Poul Anderson, "The Last of the Deliverers" IN Door To Anywhere, pp. 408-417.

I read this story once before in an anthology a long time ago. An author's note explained that the story shows one of our present conflicts as history because it will become history.

A future history is summarized:

"'Technology made it possible for a few people and acres to feed the whole country, till millions of acres were lying idle; you could buy them for peanuts.'" (p. 415)

A few people, yes, but a few acres?

"'Meanwhile the cities were overtaxed, underrepresented, and choked by their own traffic. Along came the cheap sunpower unit and the high-capacity accumulator. Those let a man supply most of his own wants, not work his heart out for someone else to pay the inflated prices demanded by an economy where every single business was subsidized or protected at the taxpayer's expense.'" (ibid.)

Living better on less work, people needed to earn so little that they paid nearly zero taxes, consumed little, thus causing a depression, and preferred to live in small country communities, despite rearguard action from both big business and trade unions. Individuals and families use town tractors as and when they need to and most grow garden vegetables. Land cannot be owned because it cannot be pocketed and carried around.

"'And when we do work, we'd rather work for ourselves, not for somebody else, whether you call the somebody else a capitalist or the people. Now let's go sit down and take it easy before lunch.'" (p. 414)

Each town has horses for local travel but also an airport with flitters. The United Townships Research Foundation sent a man to Mars. When the Brotherhood comes to power in the north and cuts down Trees without planting any, a newly formed alliance wages war against them.

The last Republican (US variety) and the last Communist, both very old, meet and fight to the death.

The Communist (before fighting and dying) says:

"'Marx proved that technological advances mean inevitable progress towards socialism...'" (p. 415)

Marx proved nothing of the sort. He clearly stated that society either progresses or regresses. If he had lived into the future history of this short story, then he would have studied the new evidence before theorizing further.