The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-14

that no man has ever been injured by these
advances in material progress; that their
effect and tendency have always and every
where been TO benefit every human being
within the range of their influence.
The enormous displacement OF labor brought I
about by these inventions, the misery to which
millions OF the displaced laborers are driven
| in enforced idleness, after being displaced by
the labor-saving inventions, are charged to the
inventions. Side by side with the material
progress of which l have spoken, there has
been going on, proportionately, a displacement
of manual laborers, formerly engaged in the
production Of the things now produced by the
machines and methods invented. And we
have observed that of the labor so displaced a
very large proportion is unable to find other
means of support. Forced into involuntary
idleness they are subjected TO the most terrible
and heart-rending suffering Tor lack OF food,
clothing and shelter, all of which are more
abundantly and more cheaply produced by
reason of the inventions; and all of which
should be brought and naturally would be
brought more fully within the reach OF all by
reason of the new process.
1t is not within the scope OF my purpose here
to-day to discuss the causes of this unnatural
evil result following the introduction of labor
saving machinery, nor to propose remedies for
the evil; but it is essential that those who adj
vocate the further stimulation of inventions
should be satisfied that they are not the cause
of the deplorable and widespread misery now
prevailing among the masses OF our fellow
men.
If 1 believed that material progress neces-
which l have observed for many years to be
widely existing among millions of our people
who are compelled to live in idleness while
suffering for want of the things that labor
would produce would unhesitatingly oppose
the further progress of inventions and favor a
return to such primeval methods OF wealth
enjoyed by our people when fully employed
and contented.
But am fully convinced that the invention
of lsbor-saving machinery and its use in the
n1Yfnt Ian h n n n n
sary tendency to produce anything but good
to any man woman in the world. And
am not willing that this great agency
for good shall be checked in the least because
an evil existing in our social system, and but
tressed by our laws, gives the benefit of the
inventions to the few and casts the many out
to misery and penury.
The condemnation of the millions of laborers,
displaced by improved methods of production,
to the horrors and privations OF enforced idle
ness is not due to the inventions which in
crease mans productive power, but is due
wholly to that evil element in our system OF
land tenure which encourages the monopoly
of land and gives to private spectators the
unearned increment OF value arising from the
presence, industry, enterprise and virtues OF
the whole people, as premium for holding
the land out of use, while an eyer-increasing
percentage of the people are suffering because
of their exclusion from the land.
1t is idle TO assert that food and clothing and
shelter are more difficult to obtain because the
labor expended in producing them is dimin-
ished by mans control over natural forces.
The difficulty must be wholly due to some
other cause or causes. Air, water, sunlight
and the land with ali OF its resources were
freely given by the Creator as the common
heritage of all mankind for their subsistence
and comfort, with no condition imposed save
that he who would apply his labor to in
crease the fruitfulness of the earth should have
its fruits, and he who would not labor to
that end should suffer privation of the things
that he might SO produce.
All that is needed that men and women
CHI enffa n ha hiu0c tha
labor will produce from the only source oi
wealth production is that they be restored TO
their natural right freely. to apply their labor
to the land as the God who made them and