Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1891-03-21

Z
ingmen or groups of workingmen only
are benefited by it. Valuable as such
humane endeavors are as educational
/ preparation for the removal of the social
wretchedness which has arisen out Of
the wages system they are as little AIDE
Quate TO the workmen's attempt at self
/ help. That great task requires another
power, capable of taking general and
radical measures, And this brings us to
the third questions
What has the State to do to bring
about a peaceful solution Of the Labor
Question:
The new constitution of the Canton
Zurich adopted April IS, 1869, answers
our question as follows;
Art. %. The State promotes and
facilitates the development of the co,
operative system based upon selfhelp.
1t enacts through its law. giving power
the provisions requisite for the protec-
ton Of the workers."
Art. "A. 1T creates, for the further
ance of the general credit, a Cantonal
bank"
The original wording of the articles
was still more precise. 1t was as fol-
lows: Art. 20. at is the duty Of the
State to protect and advance the elfare
of the working class and the development
of the co operative system.
Art. "a. CAS- above.
Protection, Advancement-in these
two words the object of the great co.
operative body which we call the State
Is sharply and clearly formulated. But
how are protection by the State and
advancement by the State to be under
stood? The despOt calls himself shield
and protector of the people, and war is
praised as a means of promoting civil
cation. Vera rer1tm, rOcdbuiu umiSSimuS
the right names Of things are lost to us.
The more need then to specify the sense
IN which terms are here used.
"Protection by the State means the
duty of the whole body of persons as.
sembIed and united into a State to pro-
tect each individual in the free develop
ment and employment Of his power so
far as the like freedom of others is not
thereby interfered with,
But with mere protection the duty Of
the State is not exhausted, however
much the politician may prefer to limit
1t thereto. The reciprocal advancement
of the members of the State must be
added.
Under advancement by the state we
understand the duty of the whole COM
munity to step in with its means when
ever the welfare of the individual does
M or IF na to H.,
of human being,
As protection by the State CORE
spends to the principle of Liberty, and
Advancement by the State to the prn-
ciple of Fraternity, so the assurance of
protection and advancement to all, "to
each according to his need meets the
demand of Equality,
This doctrine of the object of the
State is quite the same as that which
expressed on a former occasion in the
formula:
E Oh for all-is human Duty!
All for each-is human Right
but" some one may object, "if prOtec-
ton and advancement by the State are
to be afforded to all equally, why is the
working class especially emphasized IN
the article of the Zurich constitution :?
Is the working class to be especially ia
vOred by the State, advanced at the cost
of the others !"
Reasonable as this objection at first
sounds, it does not bear scrutiny.
1t must be remembered that the equal
ity of all consists solely in every mans
being protected and helped according
to his need" and who can deny that at
this time it is precisely the wage worker
who most n eds protection and help2
But wholly apart from this greater
need, there is another circumstance
which, for the Present and the Immedi-
ate Future, makes an especial considera-
ton of the working class by the State a
demand of reparatve justice
1t is only necessary to call to mind
the agencies of what is commonly called
capital to make this perfectly clear.
However the definitions of capital may
differ, in this they all agree, that it is
accumulation of labor, applicable to
| further productive ends. But who has
performed this labor; They, perhaps,
who now control capital: Does the
manufacturer, the merchant, the land
| lord, owe his wealth OF accumulated
| labor to his own activity and the in
duetry Cf his ancestors? Is the want Of
capital, the poverty of the toiling probe
tarians solely due to their own and their
fathers fault
TO be concluded nert lrcek.)