Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-05-12
CHICAGO LETTER
Discussing the Labor Question-Thc
X, of l.. Platforms Tendency.

The Ethical Culture Society in this
city has arranged a series of lectures TO
he given 10y the most conspicuous labor
leaders and business managers. The OBJ,
ject Of these lectures is to bring the
workingmen and business men nearer
together, and create a better understand
ing between them i'll regard to their
opinions and demands.
The first lecture was given by Mr..
George SChilling on Sunday evening.
April s, from the standpoint of the
Knights of Labor.
| did not hear the first part of Mr..
Schilling'S lecture, but what did hear
was to the effect that although the dec
laratlon of Principles i'll the platform of
the knights of Labor had ii tendency To
State socialism, yet all schools of thought
existing among labor reformers were
found represented in that organization.
From the extreme individualists. to
which he himself belonged, trades union
lists, and 50 FORTH to the extreme State
Socialists.
When Mr. Schilling was asked, in
order to destroy land monopoly:
Whether he was not in favor of land
limitation, he answered that occupancy
should constitute the title to land
When asked: Whether the Knights of
Labor did not favor the control of the
railroads by the government, he an
swered that the declaration of principles
in the platform pointed that way. When
he was asked: How he could reconcile
governmental railroads with his indivd-
ualistic ideas he answered that as he
stated before, all schools of thought in
regard to economic questions We're repre-
sented i'll the order, and that all these
questions are questions to be solved III
the future, according to the will of the
people.
When he was asked what he would do
III case all the people or property holders
wanted to have a cable line built on the
West Side save one man, who would
never consent to it, he answered. Go
around him, or declare him public
nuisance
Several more questions were asked by
the audience, and the tendency of the
questions seemed to be to find out how
Mr.. Schilling would have business con
Quoted for the general good. The
speaker said he would have business con-
Quoted through the agency of voluntary
associations, which, if organized, would
soon spread all over the world.
Mr.. Schilling did not state whether
these voluntary associations should be
organized and act under the protection
Of the government or not. My opinion
is, if these associations are to act under
the protection of the government they
are, more or less private cooperative
c, ncerns, which will either be destroyed
by competition, or from the same cause
be compelled to turn into stock COmpan
les. The outcome of such an undertak
ing generally is, if successful, that few
men who are able to hold out longest, or
Duy out the shareholders, become the
sole owners, 1t is only repeating the
same thing over again, without making
any progress whatsoever; the masses of
workingmen and people in general will
have no benefit OF it. But If these vol
untary associations are to be the govern
ment itself, they will, i'll my opinion, not
exist for any length OF time; Competi-
ton, if allowed to exist, will compel
them to disband. Or if one price for
productions is to be kept up, there must
be some arrangement made to keep up
equal prices on goods produced and eX-
Changed-that Is, if these associations
are ever established. If they ever should
be established, it will be or lead to repe-
ttion of the competitive system, throw
ing the wealth produced into the hands
of the few, whether government ex-
isted or not. The most wealthy asSOCa-
tions would turn out to be the most pow
erful, and absorb the others the same as
now. Unless these associations enforced
uniform scale of prices ana exchanged
ON the basis of cost, they could not pre-
vent the repetition of the workings OF
the competitive system. Society cannot
progress backward 1t is only defending
the competitive system from another
point of view than capitalists do, and is
as reactionary as can be.
In conclusion | would state, that should
make any criticizing remarks IN the
course Of my correspondence, 1t Is not
meant to be personal, but merely to
bring out beneficial ideas, and spread
them among the people.
(tuIpIFS EUNANN