The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-03-11
FROM MlCHl6Ah.
Pontiac. Feb. -, 1876.


PONTIAC. Feb. -, 1876.
ro the Editor o. the woRslSssASs ApvocArs.
The tendency Of this age is. to supersede
the individual by the corporation. The
one gives place to the many. Combined
capital and labor can accomplish anything.
They dot every State with manufacturing
establishments and cover the country with
railroads. Our government itself is found
ed on the principle Of collective authority,
through townships, counties, States and the
Federal Government. No individual
claims right to personally control his fell
low man.
And here We have stood for a century
political equals. But what has this po-
litical equality done for us socially and in
dustrially Nothing 1t does not confer
upon any man OF woman the power Of say
ing whether they shall have work Or rest.
or what shall be their wages. or hours Of
toll. These political equals display All
grades Of social inequality, from million
aires to beggars Political equality Is
therefore failure, unless it can work out
better results than these. For sure
ly the end Of all republican COVER Iment is
for the benefit Of the many and not the
few
Underneath our government, corpora
tons and individual enterprises, lies labor.
1t is the foundation on which the whole
social and governmental structures rest.
If labor has right to govern itself politi-
cally, why has it pot the same right to gov
ern itself industrially Why should it
suffer under and lie plundered by an ire
sponsible authority in the one case, while
repudiating II in the other
The industrial status Of man is Of far
more Importance than a political one
Bread and butter comes before the ballot.
The ballot Is only mockery to a starving
man. The fist question for labor to de
| eide is, whether be shall be industrially a
serf OF a free man. and the next is, wheth-
er present Pc litical equality and power
cannot be used to establish industrial
equality. Industrial self government, the
power to determine how many hours a
man shall work, and what shall be the
price received, n prime necessity. With
out this republics and monarchies are alike
worthless
Whatever private Incorporated com
pany can accomplish, eau be done also by
township, county or State. The peo-
pie Of either constitute the company or
collective authority. II is the collective
authority Of all the States, consolidated in
the Federal Government, which deter
mines what shall constitute the currency.
and how it shall come into circulation As
all Incorporated privileges are conferred
through charters or general laws, what is
to prevent the State from Incorporating
the townships intoIDdustrial organizations.
and subdiviiIns these into special trades
for the production and distribution of
commodities, furnishing them with am-
pie currency Would not this, and this
only, give the people the power IF deter
mining what shall be the amount of their
work and wages Would 1t not insure
sure constant employment : Would it not
make all accumulations public property,
to be used for the public benefit Would
It not DO away with all the wrongs and
robberies which labor nov endures
Would it not make all men equal partners
and insure common beeehts The collect
i've community would become the million
aire, and the beggAr and tramp would dis
appear.
1t is clear to every thinker that indus
trial serfdom must come to an end or the
republic will disappear in chaos. Town
ship, county and State industrial govern
ment is nothing more than an enlargement
and universal application Of the co-opera-
tive and incorporated system, SO as to in
clude the whole community. 1t insures
industrial and perpetuates political equal
ity. A declaration of industrial independ-
ence is now as imperative as that Of DO
litical independence century since. They
each enlbOdy anecessity Of the age.
]. +. BRAY.