The Labor enquirer., 1885-04-18
Answering thtsQuestion How
Can Socialism be Accom- -,5s
plished Peaceabiy 7's9 r., e
A Plan For Running State Prisons
Which Would Make Them
Sought as Homes.
A System Which WoIild Secure ALI
Men in the Right to ssLife, Liberty
and the Pursuit of Happiness. p
Revised for The Enquirer.

instructors generally, is that they are
unable to come right down with the
whole truth and give clear, practical
remedy, from not being familiar with
recent lines of lnvestigationTon on the
rights and wrongs Of labor and the new
political economy as considered from
the standpoint of the actual producers
and consumers.
One point dealing with the question of
practical remedy is also this: When one
proposes to 60 to the root Of the evil and
uproot the whole competitive system by
Revolution, the cry Immediately arises !.
"If this is the REMEDY toll US how to.
accomplish it peaceably first. I'VE will
then try that and if it fails as you say it
will, then we will be with you for force"
Our people appear to have dlsdained
to answer this inquiry thus far. And
this must be my excuse for offering to
the consideration of yout readers what
follows:
The question: How could Socialism
be accomplished peacefully if people
wished and capitalists would so allow ?
The answer il: By state competition
in production and distribution.
know of no better way to give you
the remedy than to illustrate by exam
pie. For this purpose, will take the
state prison of Auburn, New York. Now,
the working people pay the taxes to
provide for this prison, as well as sew
eral asylums for the aged poor. Under
the present system, and against the will
of the people, there are several large
syndicates-Perry's in particular
contract with the state authorities, for
mere trife, for the use of these convicts.
These contractors get them so low that
outside manufactures cannot hire honest
labor, pay honest wages, and compete
with convict labor and to-day you have
the consequences at your very doors
Boycott Perry's stoves" For there are
honest men locked out because they can
not support and then compete with con-
vict labor.
Now suppose the state would take the
convicts and make them support them
selves in way that would injure no one,
and benefit many by abolishing the taxes
to support them. Suppose the state
should put her conyicts on state farm,
to be run on the cooperative plan, and
eight hours for days work then take
half of the convicts and set them to
work on state land. raising corn, wheat,
potatoes WOOL meat, and all such things
as nature gives for labor expended in
farming. And then take the other half
of your convicts and put them to work
in state factory, to manufacture such
things from the raw material as are
needed to clothe and meet the wants OF
the different asylums and the convicts
themselves.
Then at the end of the year let us see
whether we are the gamer or the loser
by this system of the state working her
convicts. Now you must admit that one
man can produce at least four times what
he consumes, and by working systemat-
ically can produce zen times more than
he consumes. But, assuming he only
produces four times, we have fed and
clothed our convicts with one-half of
what they have produced, aud we still
have one-half left; 80, we give one-half
of what, is left to the asylums. BY that
means we still further reduce the taxes,
80 we are hurting nobody with this state
asylum, and still have one-fourth of the
whole left.
Now you will say what do you propose
to do with that2 Well, seeing we must
not conflict with outside capital, we will
not put our surplus on the market, as il
has cost us nothing, and we believe in
doing the most good where it is the most
needed. We will give 1t to the Hooking
Valley miners. And the next year, we
will cut-not the pay but the hours oi
the convlcts down TO six, and if we lind
that by taxing advantage of the I'm
provements in machinery, they still
over-produce, why, cut down the hours
to four per day. -,
But, see here, you say, are you crazy I
That would never do! Why you would
have all the laborers in the state stealing
rope, with horse at the other end o
it, so that they can get into the Auburn
state prisonl Why you hold out every
inducement-four hours work, plenty to
eat and wear; what more would they
want? Yes, and you break up all th'
corporations and syndicates in the state
you would knock our competitive system
= higher than the London Tower; yor
would do away with rent, interest and
profit; you would drive -Vanderbiits
Goulds, (also ghouls), Perry stove works
and all other monGyed men from the
country. .........-.... .r.......
All, ha you admit that we could ge
along without their COIN. Now | thini
have outlined the only system that cal
push aside or dig up this tap-root an and
take all the branch root. with it. a,ga