Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-02-01
CAPITAL OR LABOR
WHICH is ENTITLED TO OWN
THE OTHER?
Race and Economic Compromises Of
our FOrefathers The Rotten Cor.
ner Stones of Our Social Editlce
Must and Shall be Removed.

Must and Shall be Removed.
AT the weekly meeting of the Boston
American Section, held on Sunday,
January 90, Comrade Taylor delivered
one of the finest addresses that Social
ism ever inspired to its New England
exponents. He said:
'If there is one thing above any other
which Socialists hope to realize it is the
transformation of all private capital
into public capital in order that the pres
ent divorce of the workers from the
sources of subsistence and culture may
be terminated. This is the goal towards
which all socialistic agitation and prop
aganda is directed. And while Social
lists are necessarily natlonalistic as far
as the sphere of their activity is con-
cerned, being confined to the nation in
which they live and of which they are
citizens. they none the less feel that
they are linked to cause that cannot
be shut up within the confines of any
nation: that they are engaged in a cause
that is thoroughly cosmopolitan, taking,
as it does, the whole human family into
its embrace.
"The Transformation of private capital
into public capital, did l say? Yes.
And is this what is meant by the nation
alization of capital Yes, in so far as
you regard the citizens of the United
States as the public, the people, that is
what is meant. Instead of capital being
in the hands of private individuals, as is
The case at present, 1t is to be in the
hands of the people as whole-as a
nation"
Here Comrade Tailor gave Webster's
definition of the word Nation" and
described the process of evolution
through which families, tribes and even
races, formerly at war, came to be
aggregated into those large body pol
itics, which are now called nations. He
then considered the evolution of the
American colonies into nation, with a
federal constitution resting on the prin-
ciple of political freedom.
s'For this" he said, 1--WE owe them
lasting graeitude. At the same time
you must not be unmindful of the fact
that the founders of this Government
stood merely at the threshold of our
national life; that, although they builded
as wisely as they knew how, the light of
experience has shown many defects in
the national edifice; that some of the
foundation stones were not sound, and
that the structure would afford greater
comfort to it's occupants and be far
more enduring and beautiful if the un-
substantial parts were replaced with
stronger material.
'.The Constitution, as originally adopt
ed, was made up essentially of COM
promises, and three of these comprom-
ises were the retention of negro chattel
slavery, the private ownership of capital
and the private ownership of land. The
first of these has happily come to an
end. Private ownership of the person
of the negro is no longer legal posi-
biIity. This unsubstantial foundation
to the national structure. Fortunately
the stone was replaced by another OF
stronger quality, on which was in
scribed Liberty to all men throughout
this broad land
81 now come to the second com
promise-private ownership of capital
As was the case with slavery, this com
promise, though unavoidable, has pro
duced manifold evils. 1t is true that as
an institution the ownership of capita
by private individuals does not give
them the legal right to own the persons
of their fellows, but it does give then
the right, if they can only exercise it
land they now succeed in exercising il
quite welD. to confine in a corner ths
means which are absolutely necessary
to the subsistence and migration of tn.
emancipated negroes of the South anG
of the white men of the North, and t.
say virtually, You shall not have thes,
means unless you pay us whatever pric,
we dictate"
'.But what i wish you to understand
especially in this connection is tn
meaning of the subject which | am en-
deavoring to consider, namely, 'Th
Naturalization of Capital THIS though
suggests at once the propriety of stating
what is meant by the term Nationalist
xation. We saw that the word Natiol
signifies the body of inhabitants of
country. living under the same govern
meHt and institutions. The people of
nation are very properly viewed as
body, because they have interests whic
are common; and when the eommo