The record-union., 1894-09-07
A 1EvEL.HEApED MAN.

at the Massachusetts State Convention
of the American Federation of Labor a
report was refused approval the other
day that recommended the collective
ownership by the Government-the peo-
ple-of all means of production and dis
7ribution.
The federation was sensible, since the
1oglc of such doctrine is the enslavement
of labor. The relation between such col
aective ownership and the wage earners
who labor in production and distribution
is analogous to that between master and
slave. A majority is the most tyrannous
of taskmasters and the most irresponsi-
ble, and collective ownership of necessity
must be administered according to ma
5ority dictation.
The Chicago convention of the same
labor organization had reported to it the
same bit of radical socialistic absurdity,
and the body promptly adopted it and put
mas. In the Massachusetts convention,
where. it would seem, irrationalism did
not prevail, there was delegate Frank
K. FOSTER who did not fear to speak of
the plank offered, and in plain terms. He
was Intelligent upon the subject, and
made speech that commands respect, in
the course of which he said:
For the directors Of the national socialistic
social i nd
1t as the most damnable foes of American
trades unionism that exist IN the country. I
believe that the labor movement of America
cannot afford to be side-tracked into the mo-
grasses of German doctors of philosophy, who
had no conception of this country, of the
spirit of its founders or of the spirit that ex-
Hsts on this continent to-day. You may de-
claim, and vote, and talk all you will but
every man who owns his little cottage is, ac-
cording to your view of things, bloated
capitalist to a greater or less extent There is
mot national organization in America to-
day that is socalistic in tendency that is
success Those who would emancipate labor
5nust teach labor TO emancipate itself not
Through the State but by the working people
themselves, by voluntary association on trade
union lines, and not upon the lines Of the so
cialistic labor party.
That man talks as if he were fitted to be
a leader. But it is doubtful if the radi-
Gals will permit him to do so. Populism,
which is cohabiting with radical social
asm, communism and all the other i'm
practical isms Of the age, will not spare
pains to prevent such a man from stand
ing in the approaches to labor organiza-
tion. It is at the bottom of just such as
saults upon labor. 1t is in harlotry with
all the dangerous theories and schemes of
the age and is doing its utmost to drag
labor organization into the same unholy
relation.
Such men as Frank x. Foster, who
think, and read, and observe, stand in
the way of demagogy, and hence we
must not expect to hear of him or the
Massachusetts refusal any further, if it is
possible to keep them in the back
ground. We agree with the Seattle Post
IglteLEagencer, which says:
The distance between such q man as Fos-
ter and men like DebS and Sovereign is very
great. The greatest miStortunes that have
be1allen honest organized labor have resulted
from their Willingness to be led around by
the nose by designing, selfish, plausible labor
dennagogueS. Labor is right when it prefers the
ballot to the strike, but IL must do more than
this; il must bring to the ballot-box more in
teIIigence, discrimination and independence
than it has hitherto seemed to show or it will
lose the battle or abuse its victory when wen.
Labor must cease pinning its faith to dema-
gogues and cranks posing as LEADERS of la
bor." If labor cannot protect jtSelf with q
free ballot IN Its possession IL Will only show
ats unftness 10 exercise the right of the citi-
zen,