The Labor enquirer., 1884-01-26
Socialism, as Made Clear by
Brothers Wilson and
Starkweather.
A Word About Trades Unions and
Strikes---A Strike Never
q Failure.
Few Of the Many Reasons Why
No Good Can Come Through
the Ballot.
Evolution OF Revolution.
TRADES UNIONS AND STRIKES.

Trades unions and strikes are valuable
as means TO an end, the means beinl
eduction, the end emancipation.
An ignorant Socialist may despise ant
denounce the trades union, but in it tn
social philosopher sees an absolutely nee
essary stage of development in the socia
evolution of man. In the life of labol
trades unionism is the schoolmaster (th,
pedagogue1 who brings labor to the Zee
of the great teacher Socialism, fo
higher, broader and better instruction.
The union gives practical object les
SONS in organization, in self-reliance, il
independence /; it has dissected and ana
lyzed the boss, the master, the employer
and now the laborer no longer uncoverl
his head and bends his knee in the pres
ence Of the petty tyrant ;he no longer
treats him with the obsequious respect
and Difference of other and more igno.
rant days. In dissecting the carcass Of
the capitalist he found it rotten, and now
he holds his nose when it passes by.
The man who says that no good ever
comes of strikes proclaims himself an
ass. There never was q strike, however
unsuccessful" that was not morally
worth millions, not only to those imme-
diately interested, but to the remotest
toiler on the worlds wide rim. In fact
there never was an unsuccessful strike
in the history of labor, and, further
more, the most unsuccessful strike, so far
as increased remuneration is concerned
has been in the end the most beneficial
for labor generally. 1t resulted in
strengthening determination and resist.
ance, in reinforcing organization, in rec
tifying mistakes, and avoiding the former
causes of failure. Above all, and best OF
all, it showed them the utter; heartless.
ness and greed of capital. 1t showed
them that capital Gin the hand of indi-
viduals) and labor are not, and never
can or will be, friends, however much
the editor and preacher may pirate and
argue to the contrary.
Yes, we hail the union and the strike
as our best auxiliaries in the battle for
economic freedom but the striker is
stillgoing it blind he knows, he feels
there is social disease, but is utterly ig-
norant of its cause and costs. He must
learn, he will learn in the near future,
that the sole cause of his trouble, of the
trouble, misery and destitution of the
proletarian everywhere, is not in the
employer, the capitalist, but in the
power behind the capitalist, that power
which created, still sustains and protects
him in his crimes against labor, VIZ.
the Government, and the remedy is to
abolish all government, as now under
stood thus you destroy the entire sys,
tenn of slavery, and thus only establish
perfect Liberty.
POLITICAL ACTION.
In several. European countries where
the elective franchise is conferred on
those who possess property qualitca
tions, and known to be naturally con-
servative, il is thought by labor reform;
ers in such countries that universal suf.
frage is the true panacea for all social
and political evils, and hence they waste
much time agitating for this ameliorative
measure, forgetting all the while that i
the ballot was the potent factor it ii
claimed to be, that if it could right al
wrongs, abolish injustice and tyrann,
and establish Liberty with all the goot
obtainable-tha such a wo-edged sword
such magic staff, would never be place.
i'm the hands of labor by any govern
ment in the world, for the very logica
reason that.it would be suicidal, as tn,
greatest of all evils is government; ant
if the ballot had any benefcent powe
and wisdom, it would first of all be dl
,rected against government, as the foun
tain, source, root and origin of all tyr
amy and injustices ., =
In the United States we have had uni
versal, or rather manhood, suffrage TO
over 100 years, yet the condition of tn
producer, the proletarian, is not one whi
better through the exercise of the ballo
than his fellow-slave of Russia, Gel
many or England; if he is, socially
financially, or in any respect, better fixe
than his European brother, it is owing
other conditions, of population, expans
of territory, resources, and other natur'
conditions entirely independent and e.
| elusive of political OF social life; hene
we have long since arrived at the concl'
sion that the ballot is failure, a dell
sion and a snare; that through it tt
present system can never be abolishe
nor any large and permanent good o'
tanned. We are, Therefore, opposed to p
titical action-for the following reason
also:
First-Ignorance. Labor is lgnoral
of its rights and duties, ignorant of tt
cause Of social wrongs, and the props
remedies to apply. Labor is either Vi
educated or wrongly educated on ec
= Z