The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-04-28
A Study of the labor Problem

A Study of the Tabor Problem
Is the subtitle of small volume on the
burning" question of the day, by G. W..
Woodbridge. NJ. D., Cleveland, Ohio.
The doctor devotes the last chapter of his
pamphlet 10 "The way out Of the wilder
ness.' This way out attempts TO point out
the steps which must be necessarially taken
in escaping from the present conditions of
the competitive system to that Of the CO.
operative The work reviews the anom-
alous conditions of our present economic
theories that society is striving to advance
on, and points out the waste of energy
caused by the Friction unavoldably engen-
dered by the competitive system.
The work is the latest contribution to tie
literature of socialism The term socialism
is common in the mouth of every one, but
the doctrine of its disciples is very much
misunderstood, and 10 make it more so
those who know the least on the subject
undertake to explain it, and teach others.
And in this work, the daily paper, as in all
other lines of Misrepresentation and false
teaching, takes the lead. Socialism is
nothing more or less than nl'iOaat &C..
operation, in place Of corporation co-opera-
lion. The corporation is social system with
the producing element shut out from all of
its benefits except the wages paid to its
employees. TIE cooperative system Of our
friends the socialists" would make the
| la Lorer a sharer in the benefits with owner
ship in the capital also. This national
ownership of capital, however, is confined
to the machinery Of production. Capital
under present conditions owns the machin-
cry of production, excludes the employees
from any participation in its benefits,
reducing them per sheer force of circum-
stances to a condition of wage slavery, which
is crowded down by the constant accessions
to the army Of unemployed labor, that
intensies the struggle for work among the
Involuntary idle, tending steadily to lower
wages, and produce the conditions now
existing in Asiatic countries.
This is in brief but partial explanation
of the problem the socialist school of polit-
ical economists are endeavoring to solve.
The competitive system, which was thought
by the economists of The past century to be
the solution of political freedoms and the
road to individual independence has been
completely knocked out by the invention and
scientific development of The age While
the inventors and scientists have enabled
products to be multiplied ten fold, they are
throwing labor out of employment, as
products steadily accumulate on the market
and the anomaly is presented of famine
and starvation in the midst of abundance,
but the hungry and ragged have not the
wherewlth to buy.
This field for investigation is wide one,
demanding the best thought of the time. 1t
cannot be avoided. The advance of the age
is right through it.
AS an example ofthe insisive reasoning
of the author we give few paragraphs
from the chapter on competitions
THE old school Of political economists
make competition the foundation of all
economics, the one thing that they won't
hear questioned, that they insist must re-
main forever the ruling principle OF human
affairs. And yet competition in the most
favorable view that can be taken of it, means
that larger number are engaged IN sup
| plying demand than is necessary in order
| 10 do the work. Here is a waste of man
power"
X
'Competition is game of onts in which
the weakest are at perpetual disad vantage
and must inevitably be extinguished by
those who get the start
''Compelition is a fight for likelihood
and as combatants are used up in a fight so
are competitors in competitions. The freer
the competition the more rapidly are COM
petitors used up, and there can be no
end to this process but monopoly"
y
"Competition is the rush of human hogs
for an ear of corn, but for men to make
competition their principle of business in a
world where all might have enough and 10
spare, is worse than hoggish, for hogs in a
corn6eld will satisfy their hunger peace.
ably"
The pamphlet costs 10 cents and contains
many times the worth of its cost in infor-
nation. DIR. Wooldridge's address is 1900
Broadway, Cleveland, Ohio.