Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1891-01-10

Australian Labor Federation Pro.
poses Independent Political Ac-
tion with Programme Thorough
ly S0cialstic.
In commenting on the educating
influences of the great Australian
strike, which WAS lost after weari-
some fight of II arly four months, the
Austrdiim Workman of Sidney OBJ
serves.
That education has extended to a
knowledge that the present system Of
capitalism is pernicious; that it would
be better for the people, the community,
the ) ate, if the State owned all the
lands, mines and machinery of produc-
tion and exchange. The wage.earners
have commenced to think, nay, to know
that it is time the State undertook the
production of wealth for use instead of
permitting capitalists to produce COM
modlties for profit that is to say that it
Is time the Government commenced to
manufacture boots and shoes, trousers
coats, dresses, hats, gloves, food, social
wealth of all kinds at the lowest possible
price and in the best possible manner
for the use of the people, as against the
production of these articles by the CAPT
talists at the highest possible price to the
consumer and in the worst possible man.
ner. Our fellows are commencing to
learn that if the State had the makingof
pair of boots, it would make that pair
of boots well aud of good mat rial, in
order that it might prove of service to
its wearer and not only that, the boots
would be supplied at cost price; that
under the present system of "private
enterprise" the man who sells you a
pair of boots gets the highest possible
price he can--no matter how small the
cost, no matter that the soles are COM
posed of brown paper instead Of leather,
and he will feel immensely delighted if
you wear out the said pair Of boots in
less than fortnight. Under the present
system Of private enterprise, if shop
keepers can palm off on their customers
post and rail- tea as prime Pekoe, they
will do 10 with the greatest JUNCTION; il
they can get the customers to buy
pumpkin and M0reton Bay fig jam,
believing the same to be the best straw
berry conserve, they will consider them
selves awfully clever and still take
round the plate in church.
These are some of the matters which
have been discussed during the strike,
and there is hardly one man out of the
hundreds of thousands of wage earners
in Australia who are affected by the
strike who have not become convinced
that if we had State bakeries, State
farms, State mines, and State factories
Of all kinds, we should have at cost
price, not only pure unadulterated Jam
and strong, wellmade boots, but, the
fear of starvation being removed, we
should live healthier, better, more con-
tented lives; crime, poverty, and pros
titution would disappear, and the recon
slruction of society on a proper basis
would he Consummated.
"ln conclusion, we would say that we
deem IL a matter of national gratitude
that this strike has taken place. 1t has
been said that the loss to wage earners
by the strike is $500, 600. What is that
sum compared to the advantages that
will accrue to the strikers from the les
son that has been taught them! What is
that sum, compared TO the knowledge,
hitherto only obtainable by "A strike, of
the heroic solidarity Of all classes of
wage earners, who stood by the strikers
in manner unprecedented IN the his
tory of Trades Unionism, many giving
their days pay per week each long after
they knew that 1t was hopeless to hold
out against the combination of Capital
and a horde of blaCklegs; What is that
sum compared to the value OF he knowl-
edge that we may save all the necessity
for strikes by going to the ballot box
and SO recording our votes that we may
elect a Labor Parliament, who will
frame laws that Will bring about the
time when, If man shall not work,
neither shall he eat when rent, interest
and profit shall be abolished from the
land. and when Labor viii get its full
reward =
Such is the talk in Sidney. But the
organized labor Of Australia is appa-
reutlv determined this time to do more
than talk, aud we learn from the Bris.
bane Worker that the General Council
of the Australian Labor Federation has
issued a call for political action upon