The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1897-06-26


wealth already gathered by private per
sons?' was asked
"Their wealth will be gradually alb
sorbed into the common ownership O.
products. We offer them a glorious field
for their energy and genius. man like
Mr.. Rockefeller could organize and direct
the oil industries of the country for the
benefit of the people, He would live
comfortably, and believe, happily, and
would not have to lie awake at night
racked with the responsibility Of too
great wealth. There will be opportu-
nifty enough for the development of each
mans individuality and genius, however
great they may be, in a field where the
only competition will be competition Of
benevolence. What does great wealth
do for man? Look at the fate of Barney
Barnato. He fell a victim to a system
which was crushing thousands of poor
men out Of existence. 1t is system OF
gorging one and furnishing the other,
with the dreadful penalty for both, one
driven to insanity and suicide, and the
other to starvation and crime. Our rich
men are living abnormal and unhappy
lives, and so are our poor men. The bur
den of the present system is too great
for both. No, we are not making war
on the rich. Our cooperative common
wealth will relieve the millionaire as well
as the involuntary tramp.
"The extremes are coming very close
together. Times are getting harder and
harder. There is no sign of relief any
where for the starving and desperate
multitudes. Go to Sheboygan and Kali
amazoo and you will find in the great
furniture factories there people working
ten hours for fifty cents every day they
can get work. There you will see little
girls, with fingers missing. feeding ma
chinery. Go to Cottondale, in Alabama
I sent woman in disguise to enter the
great walled factory where young girls
are working for seventy five cents week
under regulations such as are forced in
penitentiary, with right of retiring to
the toilet rooms not m ore than once
day, and then onl " for specified time
It is horrible, unspeakable almost. Men
who formerly could put their intelligence
and individuality into their work now
feed machinery.
Formerly shoemaker did not need
more than five dollars worth of tools to
set himself up in business and be indie
pendent. Today he cannot compete with
costly machines that turn out shoes as
fast as the snow flies. The improvement
in machinery makes individual competi-
ton almost impossible. and what little
chance might be left is destroyed by the
formation of trusts. We have got
through with discussion. 1t is time for
us to act. We must go to the very root
of the trouble The wealth of the country
and the machinery for turning it into
useful forms must be owned by the peo-
pie in common. With cooperative rail
ways the people can ride where they will
and when they will without cost"
"You surely would not favor the abol-
ition of labor saving machinery?
NO." answered Mr.. Debs, we want to
encourage the sciences all we can. We
want to use them to make life longer,
easier and more worth the living. With
labor saving machinery producing
enough for the wants of the people and a
slight surplus to provide for unfavorable
seasons, people would not have to work
SO long. Ifevery person able to work
did his or her share, the average amount
of daily labor would not be more than
three or four hours. That would be
sufficient to provide everybody with
homes and clothing and food and schools
and colleges and theatres and books and
newspapers and everything that makes
life tolerable. Men and women would
have time enough to read and improve
themselves. Their whole lives would
not be given to manual labor. That is
the theory of our new commonwealth,
and we will succeed before many months
in making it reality.
"Some Of the most fashionable women
in Chicago have visited me and assured
me that they will do all in their power to
help forward our work. I tell you that
when you get the women of the country
interested on the side of justice, justice
will be done. They are upselfsh, they
are high-minded, they are eloquent, they
see that we are tryingto relieve hundreds
of thousands of people from an intoler-
able situation.
with five millions of people suffering
and seeking some way of escape from
their growing misery, is it not time for
the American people to do something?
Our ways are ways of. peace. We will
act in strict conformity with the consti-
tuition of the United States until we can
change it. Our hands are against
no man. We welcome Mr.. Rockefeller
no Loo,.+;1p nc xue uye1co>ne tho rOOr