Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-02-07
A REASONABLE PLATFORM

a MEASURABLE plR OR M.
Much Of the supcrstitious horror
manifested ut the mention Of the
word soriaIIsm has passed away, and
the ism" has been discussed in
pulpit and press. The following
short but expressive "pIatform" is
that Of the Socialists, and will no
doubt sound familiar to thrmcmbrrs
of the "Noblr Order"
Labor being the only creator of all
wealth and civilization, it rightlully fol
lows that thos" who perform all Labor
and Great" all wealth should enjoy the
result of their toll
But this is rendered Impossible by the
modern system of production, which,
since the discovery of stram-poWrr and
since the general Introduction Of ma
chimes, is in all branches of industry car.
RED on with such gigantic means and
appliances rs but few are able to POSSESS.
The present industrial system is co
operative in one respect oHiy, which is:
That not as in former times, the indi-
vidual works alone for his own account,
but dozens, hundreds and thousands of
men work together in shops, in mines,
on huge farms and lands, cooperating
according to the most efficient division
of labor. But the fruits Of this co-Opera-
tive labor are not reaped 10y the workers
themselves, but are IN Il great measure
appropriated by the owners of the means
of production, to wit; Of the machines.
of the factories, of the mines and of the
land.
Thy. system, by gradually eXtnguiSh-
ing the middle class necessarily produces
two separate sets of men: The class Of
the Gage.-workers and that Of the great
bosscs
grOWths: The painless and reckless rate
of production; the waste of human and
natural forces; the commercial and IN
dustrlal crises; the constant uncertainty
Of the material existence OF the wage
workers; the misery of the prolctarian
lnasses; the accumulation of wealth in
the hands Of a few.
Such a condition, which under the
present Industrial regime cannot but be
come more and more aggravated.
Is Inconsistent with the interests OF
mankind, with the principle, Of justice
and true democracy, rs it destroys those
rights which the Declaration of lndrpen-
dence of the United States held to he in
aIienabit in all men, viz: life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness.
l,t.t L. /
life by want and misery. 1t destroys
! liberty because the economical SubicCti0u
| of tn" Wage-WOrker~ to the owners of
| the means Of production Immediately
| leads to their political dependence, and
| II finally illustrates the pursuit of happi-
| ness, which is never possible when life
and personal liberty are III constant
| danger.
To put an end to this degrading state
of things, we strive to Introduce the
| petfd system Of cooperative production
that is, we demand that the workers
obtain the undivided product of THEN
toll.
This being only feasible by securing to
the workers control OF the means of
| production,
We demand;
That the land, the Instruments Of pro.
| duCtion machines, factories, etc. and
| the products of labor become the COM,
mon property of the whole people; and,
That all production hr organized 60
operatiNrly, and Inc carried On under the
| direction of the commonwealth; rs ais,
the cooperative distribution Of the pro
ducts according To- the service rendered