Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-05-07
coLLEcT1v1sM VS.. CAPITALISM.
BY REV. GEO. cANDEE.

BY REV. GEO. CANDEE.
When we talk of capital we want
in the first place to understand what
is meant by capital. 1t means all
kinds of wealth used by men to pro-
duce more wealth. 1t includes sew
ing needle and everything between it
and a Corliss engine: it includes a
hoe and gang of steam plows; a
wheelbarrow and a locomotive; a rail-
road and canal-anything used to
produce more wealth. Capital would
be worthless, it would be Of no value
unless worked by men. Capitalism
means the private ownership of cap
ital--capital owned by certain indi-
viduals and worked by hired labor.
1t involves the whole vast Industrial
system in competition. The time has
come when one capitalist is constant
lv striving to Guido another, when
one laborer is endeavoring to beat
his fellow. In my own city of Toledo
workmen are constantly best ged to
sell their jobs, to give them up so that
some other man, perhaps more needy
may have chance to earn a living
for himself and family. Competitions
is the result Of capitalism.
On the other hand, what do we
mean by collectivism. 1t is co-ope-
ration, the means of production
and transportation being owned in
common by the men who work those
things.
1t is absolutely necessary to have
capital. Labor cannot make war on
capital You may have been misled
by people who do not understand, but
capitaland labor must work together,
just as chopper must use his axe to
hew tree down. The chopper with
out the axe would be powerless to do
his work; the axe without the chop
per useless implement. The conten-
tion is not between capital and labor,
but between capitalists and laborers.
Now We must have capital; we want
it vastly multiplied. We haven't got
half enough of it.
Machinery is going to take the
place OF the great mass of labor and
expect that in another century the
machinery of today will be looked
upon as being as clumsy in COMPARE
son with the new inventions, as is the
wheelbarrow in comparison with the
locomotive. What we want is to have
the tools of production owned by the
men whp use them. We don't want
to have a few capitalists owning all
the tools and laud. The Creator ere
ated the land for everybody, and not
for a few. There has been a wrong
dist ibution and we are contending
that there ought to be equal owner
ship.
Another element of collectivism is
that allthe capital and land shall be
worked collectively by the people, un-
der wi e management, just as a great
railroad corporation is controlled. In
the first place it shall be owned. and
in the second place worked by all the
workers.
When Jesus gave his great COM
mandment, it had two branches, and
the first was like unto the second,
"Thou shalt love thy nelghbor as thy
SELF That doesn't mean that shall
go about hugging and kissing every
man and woman | meet, but that |
shall live for the benefit of my fell
lows. They are my brothers, all Of
theme 1t makes no difference as to
what their station In life may be, or
what kind 81 clothes they wear. So
cialism. IN its npb5rst sense, means
the bcttvrment Of avery human be-
ing on tic face Of the earth. We
contend that under the socialistic
plaza ths.l wouldn't be millionaire
upon The faxe of the earth that
wouIan'u pc bestersofi. They would
be relidfed from fear that they or
their Y larcn wo&ld ever come to
want. i h q by &c <hought that there
woalq NJ n. sQ4zyang. human beings
3 49,.