Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-03-29
CAPITALISM AND lNDlVlDU-
ALlTY.
ALI


ter of course, is opposed to Socialism,
Nationalism, or any ism other than Ca
pitaism. The true cause of his opposi-
ton is that, for him at least, the world
is good enough as it is But as this can
hardly seem a sufficient reason to those
for whom the world cannot be much
worse than it is, other arguments must
be brought into play.
Hence great game of logomachy, in
which his trump card, 50 to speak, is
that socialism, by doing away with the
competitive system, would dwarf and
finally destroy individuality; whereas
capitalism breeds competition, and COM
petition develops all the qualities of the
individual. Let us first examine what
capitalism does; then we may consider
what socialism would 90.
In the light of recent experience we
see clearly a. last that capitalism does
not breed competition, but that compe-
tition has bred capitalism, who is now
engaged in the sweet pastime Of strang
| ling to death its own mother. AS to the
kind of individuality that the system
has developed, this is also becoming
palmer every day. The natural aptitude
of men for boring holes ten hours per
day has been wonderfully developed by
the machine of which they are part.
The natural aptitude of women for sew
ing buttons sixteen hours in every
twenty-four is constantly developed by
competition among themselves and re-
duced pay. The individuality of cotton
operatives, coal miners, iron workers,
farm laborers, car. drivers, and employees
generally of great capitalists or corpora
tons, as measured by the profits which
their labor yields to their employ ers, is
incomparably greater than that of skilled
artisans in the FeudaI ages Who can
doubt that their individuality would be
infinitely less if instead Of working for
"bosses" they were working for them
selves, with instruments belonging to
the nation, under such superintendence
as the State, transformed into n mere
industrial agency directly and constant,
ly responsible to its constituents, would
you see-though we don't-that even
under this corrupt political system of
ours which is 50 prolific of rascally indi-
viduals in its top story, the individu-
atty of postman, or of government
clerk, or of teacher, is much less than
that of tramp, for instance, whose
natural aptitude for starving himself and
stealing rides on freight trains is de
veloped in the highest degree by the
surplus labor system? Again, see in the
child how the individuality of the hu
man race has been increased by the ear
lier age at which capital can enslave it,
Great are our newsboys, among others
Thanks to their individual enterprise
ignorant as they are, hungry as they
are, ragged as they are, gigantic pile.
of brown stone testify to the great per
sonality of Pulitzer, Jones, or jim
Bennett.
On the other hand, see how the ma
tural aptitude of Vanderbilt, an Astor
Judge Hilton, to inherit millions hai
been developed, Jointly with the natura
: aptitude of paupers child to inheri
misery. And consider the great progress
. of individual womanhood as exemplitiet
on one side by the self-prostitution o
millionaires' daughters to bankrup
| princes and the compulsory prostitution
of paupers' daughters to lustful mil
Honaires on the other side.
g.. ....., ..,..,n,..., L Z, s.,I,....