The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1891-04-11

powerful. Their members. even when tho,
dissent from tho policy pursued, habitually
yield to the authorities they have set up.
AS thcy cannot secede without making enc.
Mies NJ OF thelr fellow workmcn, and often losing
all chance Of employment, they succumb We
arc shown, too, by the lato congress, that al.
ready. IN tho general organization of trades
unions SO recently formed there nro com.
plants Of "wire pullers" and "bosas,, and
permanent officials" If, then, this suprcn,.
acy OF tho regulators is seen in bodies of quite
moocrn origin, formed of mon who have, in
many OK tho cases 1nstanccd, unhindercd now
ers of asserting their independence, what viii
tho supremacy of tho regulators become in
long established bodios-in bodies which have
grown vast and highly organized, and in
bodies which, instead OF controlling only a
small part Of tho units life, control tho whole
Of his life? "1'>
Again there will como tho rejoindcr: ..W.
shall guard against all that Everybody viii
DO educated, and oil, with their cycs constant.
ly open to tho abuse of power, will bc quick ia
prevent it." Tho worth of these expectations
would be small oven could wo not identity the
causes which will bring disappointment, for IN
human affairs tho most promising schemes &c
wrong ". t IN ways which no one anticipated. But
IN this case the going wrong will bc nccessit,.t,
cd by causes which are conspicuous. Tho
working of institutions is determined by mem.
characters, and the existing defects in thei,
characters will inevitably bring about tho 70.
suits above indicated. There is no ADEQUATE
endowment Of those sentiments required te
prevent tho growth Of n dcspotic burc.aucrocv
Wereit necdful to dwell on indirect evidence
much might BIO made of that furnished by the
behavior of the so called Liberal party-a nart.
which, rcltnQuishing the original conccption OF
leader rs mOuthliece for a known and nc.
cepted policy, thinks itself bound to accept q
pohcy winch Its leader springs upon it without
consent or warmng-a party 80 utterly without
tho feeling and idea implied by liberalism ms
not to resent this tralnpling on tho right of
private Judgment which constitutes tho root
OIL hbcrausm-nay, n party which vilifics MS
renegade Liberals those of its members who
refuse TO surrender their indcpcndnncel
But without occupying space with indirect
proofs that tho mass of men have not tho mt.
urcs required to check tho development of
tyrannical oflicialism, it will suffice tocontem.
plate tho direct proofs furnished by those
classes among whom tho socialistic idts. most
predominatcs, and who think themselves most
Interested In propagating it-tho operative
classes. These would constitute the great bod j,
OF soclatistac organization, and their characters
would determine its nature. What, then. nre
their characters as displayed in such organi.
cations rs thoy have already formed?
Instead of tho selfishness of tho employing
classes anu tho selflahncss Of competition we
1re TO have tho unselfishncss Of n mutual aid.
ing system. How far is this unselfishncss nov
shown IN tho behavior of workingmcn to one
ahotherf what shall we say to the rules limit.
ing tho numbers of now hands admitted into
each trsidc, or to tho rules which hinder ascent
from inferior classes of workers to s,rporio,
cltsses9 Ono does not SEQ in such regulations
any of that altruisn by which socialism is to
be pervadcd. Contrariwiso, one secs a pursuit
OF private interests no less keen than among
traders. Hence, unless wo suppose that mems
lon 1V tfoI,
cludc that tho pursuit of private interests will
sway tho doings Of all tho component classes
In q socialistic society.
With passive disregard Of others clatms goes
active encroachmcnt on them. "Bo ono Of Iii
or VIC Will cut OFF your means of living" is the
usaai thrcat OF each trades union to outsiders
OF tho sanlc trade. While their members insist
on their own freedom to combine and fix the
rates at which they will work las thoy arc per
foctly justified In doing, the freedom of those
who disagree with them is not only denied I'M
tho assertion OF it is treated as O crime Indi
viduals who maintain their rights to make
thelr own contracts are vilified rs 'blacklcgs'
anu Traitors" and meet with violence which
would bo mcrciless wero there no legal nenal
tics and no police.
T!ac Merctless Trades Unions,
Along with this trampling on the liberties Of
men OF their own class, thore goes pcrcmptory
dictation to tho employing class; not prescribed
terms and working arrangements only shall be
confofmed to, but none save those belonging tn
their body shall bo cmployed-nay, in some
cases, there shall be astriko If the employer
carries on transactions with trading bodies
that g1vo work to non-union men. Here, then
we arc vartously shown by trades unions. or al
any ratio by tho newer trades unions, a deter.
mination to impose their regulations without
regard to the rights Of those who are to bc
coerced. So complete is the inversion Of ideas
and sentiments that maintenance of these
rights is regarded rs vicious and trespass upon
them Us virtuous.
Marvellous are tho conclusions men reach
when once they desert tho simple principle
that each man should be allowed to pursue the
objects of life, restrained only by the limits
which tho similar pursuits of their objects by
other men impose. A generation ago VIC heard
loud assertions Of "the right to labor'-that is,
tho right to have labor provided; and there
are still not p few who think tho community
bound to find work for each person. Compare
this with the doctrine current III Franco at
the time when tho mnnarch1cal power culmi-
nated-namely, that 'thc right of working is a
royal right which tho prince can sell and the
subjects must buy" This contrast is startling
enough; but contrast still moro startling is be-
ing provided for us. We now see resuscitation
Of tho despotic doctrine, differing only by tho
substitution of trades unions for kings. For
now that trades unions arc becoming univer-
sal, and each artisan has to pay prescribed
moneys to one or another Of them, with the
alternative of being O non-unionist to whom
work is denied by furcc, it has come to this,
that tho right to labor is trades union right,
which tho trades union can sell and tho indi.
vidual worker must buy!l
Along with this aggrcsstvencss in ono direc-
tion there goes sllhmissivoncss in another di-
rection. Tho coercion of outsiders by union
lists Is parhlcled only by their subjcction to
their leaders. That they may conquer in the
struggle they surrender their individual lbcr-
tics and individual judgments, and show no re-
sentiment however dictatorial may bo the rule
exercised over them. Everywhere VIC SEQ such
subordination that bodies of workmcn unani-
nlousiy leave their work or return to 1t MS
their authorities order them. Nor do they re-
sist whom taxed all round to support strikers
whose acts they may; or may not approve, but
instead i'll treat fecalcitrant members of their
BODY who do not subscribe.
Tho traits thus shown must be operative in
any now social organization, and tho question
to be asked is, What will result from their op-
eratinn when they ero relieved from all re-
strafnts2 AT present tho separate bodies of
men displaying them arc in the midst of So
ciety partially passive, partially antagonistic:
aro subject TO tho criticisms and reproductions
of an independent press, and aro under tho
control Of law, enforced by police. If in these
circumstances thcse bodies habitually take
courses which override individual freedom,
what will happen when, instead of being only
scattered parts of thecommunity, governed by
their separate sets of regulators, they con
stituto the whole community. governed by
consolidated system OF suoh regulators, when
functionaries Of ali orders, including those
who officer tho press, form parts of the ree,,-
lativo organization, and when tho law Is both
enacted and administered by this rcgulative
organization?
The fanatfcnl as1hcrcnts of a social theory
are capable Of taking any measures, no matter
how extreme, for carrying out their views,
holding, like tho mercilcss pricsthoods of past
times, that the end justifics the means. And
when n general sociaistic organization A4s
been established the vast, ramifief, and CON
soidated body of those who, direct it's activi-
ties, using without check whatever coercion
seems to them needfnl in tho interests of the
sSstaln (Which will practically become their
own interests), will have no hesitation in i'm.
posing their rigorous rule over the entire lives
OF the actual workers, until, eventually, there
is developed an official oligarchy, with its vari
Gus grades, exercising t.-ra',ny more glganti.
and moro terrible than any which tho world
has seen.
She Awful Dangers Of Socialism.
(nk,x