The Labor enquirer., 1884-02-02
THE TERRIBLE MOST
Turns Out to be Simply a Man
Who Keeps His Eyes Open
and Thinks.

Herr Most lectured in the city of New
Haven recently, and for the benefit of those
who have been induced to believe that this
man is blood-thirsty cut-throat the report
published by the Evening Telegram, of that
city, is here given:
Herr Most spoke in German, and his sub
ject was "Idleness Among Workingmen and
the Remedy He said: From time to
time, and in surprisingly short periods, a
peculiar calamity comes upon us; it is called
crisis. Everything seems to be out, of
gear. Merchants find no buyers; workmen
have no work. Such condition is charge
against society and would not exist if IL
were based ON common sense. AS it is, our
natural resources are not developed for the
benefit of society. We do not produce to
fill demands, but to speculate, to make
money, regardless of consequences. The
very fact that crises do appear ought to
convince people that society cannot remain
as it is. The question is being asked more
and more. How can we bring a better
state of affairs about? True, there are so
called philosophers who try with their friyo-
lous talk torose-color the disagreeable truths.
They say there is over-production. Just
think of it! Over-production in shoes!
The magazines are full of shoes-working-
men have no shoes and shOemakers have no
work.
"The same condition holds with furniture
and everything else. We produce ten times
more than we consume. People suffer be-
cause there is too much wealth produced.
This state of things is not only unjust, it is
contrary to common sense. 1t is the same in
the United States as in Europe. America,
with its boundless natural wealth, has to.
day more than 100000 working people idle,
because our riches have so accumulated that
we cannot consume them. Government sta
tistics tell us that twenty-five years ago our
natural wealth amounted to 1900 millions OF
dollars, while to-day it ranges up to $4,000
millions of dollars; it has increased in this
period six fold. The same statistics inform
us that the wages of Workmen haveidecreaSed
from 80 to 40 per cent. Under these circum-
stances society must necessarily lose its
equilibrium. One thing we must remember
is that the amount of wealth squeezed out
of labor is not consumed by capitalists, but
is capitalized -stapled up to create more
wealth; but this will and must have limit
after the small manufacturers have been
swallowed up by the big ones, change must
come. At present all forces that science and
knowledge can devise are used for the bene-
fit of the rich and to the detriment of the
laborer, and when the question is asked,
''Can nothing be done for labor?" Journal
lists, politicians, clergymen and other apostles
of wisdom recommend various measures to
still labor's agony.
'Malthus says there are too many people
in the world. But none of these takers ever
practice the sort of socialism they preach ;
| Nautilus himself had eleven daughters So
cialists say that so long as there is abundant
wealth in the country nobody hasa right to
say "Stop the increase of population
''Some people eXclaim, The tariff is wrong
try free tradep To them l would say that
the tariff is good for one manufacturer and
free trade for the other, but both are bad for
the .workmen. Other philosophers say:
"Worlmen should be more economical but
this doctrine is wrong, even from capital
istic standpoint. Again there are men who
would advise education for a remedy. But
are not the public press, the schools, etc., in
the hands of the ,moneyed class, and are
they used to educate? On the contrary they
are used to corrupt and lead the masses by
the nose. Capitalists assist the church be-
cause they think it helps to keep labor in ig-
norance and submission.
''There are also men from the labor class
who expect salvation from our trades unions.
Certainly they assist to keep wOrkingmen
fsomewhat together and perhaps prevent, oc-
caSionally, a reduction in wages or gain a
slight increase; but they will never be able
to check the aggressive march of capitalism,
so long as they are organized solely for eco
nomic reasons. Trades unions must be or
ganized politically. They must strike at the
root of the evil and totally overthrow the
present order of things and establish sys-
tenn whereby all people receive their just
share of the worlds products. Nothing can
be more delusive than the theory that through
the ballot box change may be brought
about. For hundred years the ballot has
represented but the bank note-he who had
the most money always came out victorious.
There are two ways by which the moneyed
class gain their object either they corrupt
the people or buy the legislators. The
whole election process is. like all old-fash-
ioned clock-one represents the republican
party, the other the democratic party-and
the pendulum of reform swings between
them. Pull up the one weight or the other,
the clock will run the same way. After
awhile, however, the people will come to the
conclusion that the old thing is a humbug