Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-05-17
THE TOOLS THEY WORK WITH.
Tho Workers Cannot Own Them Individ-
ually, Hut They Must own Them
Collectively.

| puhtof OF ilymouth church, Brook
lyn, and editor Of the influential Out.
look, Is quoted by the New York press
as saying;
II assume that the common people
ought TO control In industry as IN
politics. That we don't do that now
Is apparent, We elect governors, but
not railroad kings; we elect munich
pal assemblies, but not those who
control factories and mines. I have
nothing to say against those who do
control, but ! am merely pointing
out the fact that we can turn out pres.
idents and governors, but II we think
a railroad owner is not working for
the public good we can't turn him
out peaceably. Our political system
Is n democracy, but our industrial
system is an ollgarchy, We ought to
cnrry the same principles into in
dustry as into politics, This, then, Ia
the radical object which we reformers
ought TO keep in mind-social de-
mocracy. Tint means that the rail-
roads should be controlled and owned
ty the common people, that the fac
tories and mines should be theirs,
that they should own the tools with
which they work. II means the diff
fusion OF wealth. 1t means the em-
ployment of capital by labor, instead
OF labor by capital. II is a radical
idea, but we need radical ideas. II is
not hopeless idea, either"
Commenting upon these views, thus
enumerated by Rev, Lyman Abbott,
the Chicago Farmers Voice says;
assuming that this is correct
report of DR.. Abbotts words, we can
not refrain from expressing regret
that he did not more clearly dis.
tinguish between those things which
the people have right TO control
socially, and which in the nature of
things must be controlled by the in
dividual. When DIR. Abbott refers 10
the control Of railways, he is speaking
OF something which by its very nature
belongs in the public control. No
railway owned by private corpora
ton can exist save by virtue of spe-
cal privilege; special privilege is
monopoly, and private monopoly and
public welfare are absolutely incon-
sistent one with the other. So of the
mines, whose deposits were made for
all of the people and hence of right
should be employed in the interests
of all the people,
"lIut what shall be said of the fac
tories and shops, bakeries and print.
ing Offices? Evidently the speaker
distinguishes not at all between these
and railways and mines. Yet the pub
lie has nothing to do with them, pre-
fers to have nothing to do with them,
would only create unending dscord
and ultimate failure If II attempted
to control them.
"rhe statement that the people
should own the tools with which they
work. is difficult to understand. If
he means that all the people socially
should own the tools used by the in
dividual, we think DR., Abbott makes
q mistake fundamental and far-reach-
ing, If he means that each individual
should own the tools with which he
works, that is quite a different mat
ter. But his remarks about social
democracy leads us to believe that he
means the former, and this means
state socialism.
at is not strange that reform adj
vances slowly If such men as this dis
tinguished clergyman do not compre-
bend the documentary principles of
economics, and fail, through lack of
clear thinking, to impress great and
fundamental truths upon those who
come within the circle of their In
fluence."
The Voices criticism makes one feel
like re-quoting the last paragraph
with the substitution of the term Sin
fluential journals" for "such men as
this distinguished clergyman"
The editor of the Farmers Voice
is in entire accord with Rev. Abbott
and all socialists and host of other
voting citizens, so far as railroads
and mines are concerned. So far,
good. But why does our editor bring
into the same category SHOPS, ba-
keries and printing oflices?" Mr.. Abb
bolt said nothing about them, either
explicitly or inferentially,
The manufacturing industries OF
the nation are included and compre-
hended in the term factories" and
this is the term used by Mr.. Abbott. |
In the factories Of the country, the |
products are wrought and
produced by complicated and eXpen-
sive "labor-saving" machinery, and it
is this machinery of production Mr., /
Abbott had in mind when he said |
that the common people SHOULD own
the tools with which they work" This
or much of it, at least,
is in it's ownership a private monop-
oily, by virtue of Especial privilege"
conferred by patent laws, But even
if this were not the case, it is impos-
sible that each individual should own
the machine Tor tooD with which he
works because, first; 1t requires COM
few machines to produce all
the manufactured goods, or finished
products the people can use and con-
n L