The Labor enquirer., 1886-03-13
THE CRUsaER.

The system Which Threatens All "suo-
| cessful Business Men,, With
| Ruin and Destruction.
| For The Enquirer.
lam acquainted with an enterprising
| manufacturer who was once day Ia
borer himself. and has gained his pres
ent position by his "own Inaided en-
. erg-." He works all day and thinks
half the night, in order to out wit bis
wealthier competitors; he paws as high
wages as he dare and be successful in
the market, and as low as he can and
keep out of trouble with the unions
His margins" are small and it is only
bv the shrewdest business management
that he is enabled to meet expenses and
'push" his interests. He must enlarge
and improve his factories and increase
his trade. or 60 under together, and
this keeps him constantly on the "rag-
ged edge"
1t is harder to convince such man
that there is any reason in Socialism,
than any other person living, unless it be
Mrs. Guelph of England or Romanoff OF
Russia.
He has had to struggle 80 hard to gain
what he possesses, and has still to strug'
gle to keepit, that he thinks he deserves
the reward of being able to dictate terms
of life to less energetic or less fortunate
men.
1t is difficult for him to imagine that
any other reward than this would be
sufficient inducement for human exer-
ton. He cannot understand that both
the premium and the extraordinary
struggle which attains it are all wrong
unjust and useless.
These middle class strugglers are as
much the victims of the system as are
the slaves they are compelled to drive,
They are never sure of the prize for
which they are struggling indeed nine
out of every ten fail and become, with
the wage worker, but pitiable applicants
for the means of sustenance at the hands
of men who "own the earth"
This tact-this inevitable risk that all
business men run, is considered an ex-
cuse, or rather it is thought to make the
gaining of thousands of dollars in few
minutes, justifable and righteous
transaction. Both the risks and the
rare cases of success are wrong. and en-
tirely unnecessary to the welfare of So
clety.
1t is supposed that the main objects OF
the industries is to create the necessar-
les, comforts and luxuries civilized So
ciety demands, and to distribute them.
Under the competitive system indi-
viduals have no such object Their aim
is "profit" to themselves and they do not
care who is crushed. They dare follow
no other guide or they will be crushed
themselves. So that all this extra effort
this almost superhunan energy ex-
pended by the successful manufacturer,
is not necessary to the actual production
and distribution of wealth, is of no ben
eft to society whatever and society
should not be expected to pay him for
it-but for his own especial good and
that he may rise above others.
My manufacturing friend asks how it
would be possible under any system to
produce goods cheaper than now, since
he, with others, manufacture articles as
cheaply as possible and "pay all ex-
penses"
Expenses" is the secret of the fcti,
tious cost. Expenses" include liberal
advertisements, high salaried salesmen
to drum up trade" extra carrying to
and fro, enormous rents for land and
building, interest on borrowed money.
ETC., wages paid the real laborer being
the smallest item.
All this is pure waste. Under Social
ism all the enormous waste of labor,
time and money now spent in building
one mans trade and crushing out a
dozen others would be saved.
No one individual could claim profits
for risks" as there would be no risks
except from fire and flood and that risk
society in general would undertake. I
No man could get something for
nothing" on any pretense. Expenses
would be for actual things. such as ma
terial, machinery, repairing and real
labor.
Actual labor performed would be the
only illegal tender" and two or three
hours day would suffice to create all
| that society would need. No man could
claim land or natural material for private
property, 30 rents would be out of the
question. Use would be the sole title to
land.
Employer and employe, capitalist and
laborer, master and slave will have no
place in the future free and just society.
Successful business men," who have
grown rich fro, the failure of others
and the unpaid labor of wage-workers,
will learn some day that their labor IL
unreal and that Justice and equality to
al ,,,ov, - hotf or than their floAkinC Ill.