Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-01-07
'sThe Coming Revolution" or the Coming
Industrial Evolution--Which Shall
It Be- ~


Editor Herald To those who take
other than superficial view of these
things, | believe it is plain that want
and restitution in the midst of vast &C.
cumulations of wealth, come from the
primary injustice of the private owner
ship and management of public neces-
sites, utilities and conveniencies. In
this way it is made to appear as if the
monopolizer furnishes the doer with
this, that, or the other, while really it is
either nature, association or society that
furnishes the necessity, the utility or
the convenience, and not the dog in the
mango mean, and not the s.capi-
talistn at all.
Then, there is much said about ..la-
bor-saving machinery" Well, yes; the
machinery does save labor, but for
whom does it save the labor? 1t should
save labor for the laborer, but it does
not do so. Labor-saving machinery
should greatly increase the wages Of
the laborer or it should greatly decrease
the number of hours of labor in the day.
AT first it did both; but the tendency
now is to decrease the wages of the la
borer, and unless more attention is TO
be paid to this matter in the future than
has been in the past, the tendency from
this on will be both TO decrease wages
and to increase the number of hours
work in the day But it will increase
the income of the employer or of the
capitalist" who will be said to furnish
the employer with what? Why,
with money. But does the capitalist do
this? Are these two the source of both
means and employment?
But, suppose the improv ement in
machinery is to go on as far as we can
feresee that it will go, SO far that we
shall be able to produce with almost no
labor at all, all the things we shall
need, now requiring the work of half
OF our people ten hours day, then
fourth of them ten hours day, then an
eighth of them ten hours day, then a
sixteenth OF them that many hours, and
so on as it will go, do we not see that
the inevitable result will be to rob the
toilers and those who would like to be
toilers. but who will be living in en-
forced idleness, and to hand the results
over to those who will "own" the means
by which all production will be carried
on? And then the .owners" of the
means of production will be virtually
the :owners" of those whom they per-
NIT to toll. while all others can exist
only as paupers on the land of the
owners" and as users Of the appli-
ances belonging to these appropria-
tors.
Then let Gods bounties increase: let
Him multiply the fish in the streams,
the cattle in the valleys, the sheep on
the bills. and double the yield of wheat,
corn and grass, and double the produce
tive powers of machinery. and the re-
suit would be simply to increase the
value of the land and of the other aeen-
cies or appliances monoplzed by the
few. Then indeed, we should have want
and more want in the midst of a SUPER
abundance. So either we are not
created with equal rights to life or we
were created with equal rights to the
elements absolutely necessary to sustain
life. We believe that all mankind are
created free and with equal rights to all
Gods bounties in the elements, and
that soon "the people" are to see how
great, how broad, how deep, hew
grand, and how glorious is Jefferson's
proposition "that the earth belongs in
usufruct to the living, and the dead
should have no control over it,"
We believe that the days of the mo-
nopoly of Natures common gifts TO
mankind and the monopoly of the as
sociate powers of society, are nearly
numbered. The great social revolution
If it must be. or evolution if permitted
to be, that twenty-five years ago seemed
ages away is now almost here; and it is
our duty to aid in so directing affairs
that no physical force may be employed,
for there is no need of any here, be-
cause the many have the power in their
own hands, and all they need to do is to
apply this power intelligently and just
lY. But if we are to be successful in
directing this seeming social, Industrial
and political revolution, but real evolu-
ton of this character, in the line of JUS
tice and for the general welfare of all,
we must use correct and unmistakable
terms by which to express our thoughts;
and the workers must at once take
themselves out of the hands of the poll
ltlcal bosses. These bosses control the
workers, producers and distributors,
both by dividing them with false is
sues, as completely as they can, into
two political parties, and by keeping
them divided upon dead issues. For,
the evils that are the cause of the dan
ger ahead are the results OF class Leg
islation; and class legislation is the re-
suit of the peoples mistake in permit
ting their agents to operate as if all
political power originated in these pub
lie employees and as if the most glaring
wrong could be legislated into right;
yes, into a .'vested right"
And these operations of the agents Of
the people are the results of the inability
of the people to know the exact scope
and the effects of the legislation pro-
posed by these agents. and of their in
ability to check, stop altogether or di-
rect the operations of those they en-
ploy. And these are the results of
these unnatural, unjust. and unwise
divisions of the doors, and of their neg
Letting to compel these agents to pro-
vide means by which the people can
permit, prevent or direct these servants.