The record-union., 1897-06-26

OTIS, who have constituted themselves
Supreme Executive Board, but he ex-
poets that by another year it will have
become formidable organization, con-
trolling the politics and the legislation
of at least several States
Mr.. Debs proposes TO inaugurate his
system of social democracy by gather
ing an army of men in Chicago and 9TH
er congested centers of the East and
coloniZing them in Texas or some other
Western State. He will build factories
and towns-how, he does not state
and gradually draw thither a sufficient
number to take possession of the leg
islative machinery of the State. What
will occur then we shall let himself ex-
plain: The first thing we would do af-
ter getting control would be to call a
special session of the Legislature Then
we would call a convention to revise
the Constitution and get all the rot out
Of it. We will have control of the taxing
power and drive tax syndicates and
land sharks out of the State Persons
shall be taxed according to their means,
and shall have according to their needs
We will have trusts, nothing but trusts
in our State, but we will all be in the
trust. The operatives will not work
twelve or fourteen hours day, but four
or five. We will be in the field in 1900
with a new party
Mr.. Debs intends to try an expert
ment which wiser and more level-head-
ed men than he have tried, and with
failure as the inevitable result. He is
not the first man who has dreamed of
a cooperative commonwealth. nor will
he be the first to have that dream rude
ly dissipated. The Social Democracy
which he hopes to launch as an ire
sistible political power is destined to
prove as futile and as evanescent as
the Industrial Army of Coxey. In his
new commonwealth will be all the COM
plex and discordant elements that are
found in the social and economic struct-
ure as it exists to-day but there will
be none of those compensating and re-
straining influences which make a So
cial organization of any kind, even the
simplest, possible
CAPITAL AND LABOR
Stockton Mail An Eastern paper
which comes to this office makes uni
que assertion. It declares that times
were never so good as now. 1t says
that workmen not many years ago ate
coarse food wore coarse clothing
worked longer hours and were happy
to enjoy as occasional luxuries many
things which are now things of the
poorest workmans everyday life. And
the paper goes on to instance a great
number of things enjoyed by the labor
ers of to-day to which the laborers of
twenty. thirty or forty years ago were
strangers. The argument might de-
ceive some. But it is simply another
proof of the inability of many men to
think clearly and thoroughly upon
economical subjects. It is quite true
that the standard of comfort among
the working classes has steadily risen
But this Eastern unthinker wholly fails
to see the corelative truth that the in
dividual productive power of the work.
ers has risen more rapidly and far
higher than the workers gain The
worker produces all wealth Capital
never has and never will produce a
dimes worth of wealth. Capital is
boarded wealth, the impounded pro-
duct of land and labor What is called
the workers wages is the share of
wealth produced by him which is not
taken from him by capital BY the aid
of machinery the workers power of
production has increased within few
years five, ten, twenty. and sometimes
a hundredfold. Has there been a COR
responding increase in his wage? In
other words, has he been permitted to
keep an equally increased share of the