Workmen's advocate., 1889-06-29

comrades should seriously consider whatever may be deemed of sufficient importance for congressional and party action, Such discussions should not be entered into for mere amusement or practice in debate, but with such abil- ity and spirit as comes from faithful study and sincere thought.
 This week we have the privilege of presenting the views of Comrade Henry Stahl, of the Twentieth Assembly Dis trict Branch of New York. It was written for our sister journal, Der So- ziahst, but as it touches upon an appar- ently important point which may pos sibly be considered at our Congress, it is specially translated for the benefit of the readers of the WoRKMEN's ADvo- CATE:
 OUR PARTY'S PLATFORM. In view of the probable convening of a Party Congress, it may be timely to call the attention of members of our Party to a paragraph in our Platform which is real masterpiece in the line of the phraseology of so-called radical | ism which has so often come to the sur face in the so-called progressive trades unions, etc. Upon closer examination | the point referred to is merely the in carnation of individualism, But judge | for yourselves, comrades. Up to the convention held in Buffalo in 1887 our Platform contained the following para. graph:
 We demand That the land, the in- struments of production (machines, fac tories. etc.,. and the products 0f labor become the common property of the whole people; and,
 That all production be organized comparatively, and be carried on under the direction of the commonwealth; as also the cooperative distribution of | the products according to the service rendered, and 10 the just needs of the | individuals"
 The platform committee of the Buff | falo convention seem to have be- | ieved that the italicized words would engender opposition among "Ameri- cans," and so the paragraph was for mulated as follows;
 "The basis of cooperative society l stipulates the substitution of public ownership for private ownership of land, instruments of labor (machines, factories, etc., and with it cooperative production, and guarantee Of c share in the product in accordance acth the ser- uice rendered by the indiridual to so- ciety."
 Thus, the italicized lines would, in other words, guarantee to each the re- suit of his labors. Is that possible ? No; for in the modern system of large production, which we Socialists do not wish to abolish, each worker car ries out only partial work (TheildrbeiD, and so no mortal is wise enough to es- tablish just what the value (Nelurerth) created by the individual is, or how great his service to society. But even if it were possible to appraise the amount or value of his labor, can it be the mis- sion of Socialists to punish those who are not as gifted as others, by paying them only according to the values they have created? No, no; Socialist must strive to the end that individualism be abolished, and that in future society social products shall be distributed ac- cording to the measure of necessity. That this conclusion is correct, think can be proved, and a citation from one of Bebels speeches in the German Reichstag will bear me out. It is as follows:
 Further, it is not correct to say that our endeavors are directed towards gudrdnteeing the acorker the rdlue of has labor. This conception is false would like to see the arithmetician who is able, with the complexity of production to. day, to calculate what the worker could claim as his personal product. For us it is more important to socially organize labor upon the highest techni- cal plane, and to distribute the product of this social labor according to the measure of the needs of individuals" Therefore, comrades, discuss the points of our program, and accordingly instruct your delegates to the conven' tion to abolish mere phrases, and tc formulate our program in accordance with scientific Socialism.
 HENRY STALL.