The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-09-26
LABOR'S COM.
INC CONQUEST
Labor Conquered Many Things But
Poverty Is Still unquered-Wili
Socialism Solve the Problem?

Labor Conquered Many Things But
Poverty Is Still unquered-Wili
Socialism Solve the Problem?
address by Thos E. Will, Ph.D,
President American Socialist College.
to Wichita Working Men on day fol-
lowing Labor Day, 1903)
AS we watched the mighty march of
labor yesterday we noted on it's BAN
ners the mystic words, Labor Omnia
Vincit"
What mean these words? Labor
conquers all things.
Labor has conquered many things.
1t has paved these streets, erected
these buildings, stretched these wires,
laid these tracks, built these electric
cars, gridironed this continent with
steel highways, exploited our mines,
titled our fields, drained our swamps
irrigated our deserts, dotted every hill
side and valley with hamlets and cities.
Whitened every sea with the sails OF
commerce and made the desert blos-
som as the rose.
The conquests of labor no man can
number.
But one thing labor has not con-
quered. 1t has not conquered poverty.
The wolf Of want snaps at the heels
and howls at the door Of the working
man. He who has made clothing is
arrayed in tatters. he who has made
shoes goes upon his uppers, the build
er OF palaces vegetables in g., rented
shack land the creator Of railway lines
and palace cars rides the bumpers or
counts the ties while :tramping tor d.
job The ,genii of toll whose patience,
skill and sweat have created a world.
have not where to lay their heads.
And while workers. want, idlers re-
vel in unearned wealth and give costly
funerals to their dogs.
Why should the producers Of the
worlds wealth possess no wealth?
Consider some parallels. Yonder is
an engifle-a mighty factor in wealth
production. Does the engine acquire
property? By no means. And why
not? Because it's product belongs not
to itself, but to Its owner.
Here stands horse, strong. hand
some and efficient. Day after day it
does It's masters bidding. It aids in
producing wealth. Does it accumulate
wealth for itself? No. And why not?
Because it's products belong to it's
master.
And what Of the slave? Is he not q
wealth. producer? Manifestly so. And
does he lay by property, build himself
a home and accumulate bank account
out of his products? Certainly not.
And why not? Because his products
belong not to himself. but to his mas
ter.
And so with the wage Garner. Toll
as he may, heap up wealth as he will,
The grain he grows another reaps.
The wealth he earns another keeps"
Through the years of his active life
he may toll like Sisyphus, accomplish
like Hercules land die pauper to be
buried in the potter's field.
And why is this? Because, as in
the case of engine, horse and slave,
the workers product belongs not to
himself, but to his master.
But is not the worker recompensed
for his toll? Yes, and 50 are engine.
horse and slave.
And how great is the reward of
each?
Each must receive enough to MAIN
tain its productive efficiency-to keep
1t going. In addition, horse, slave and
Wage-earner must receive enaugh to
maintain their progeny, that the race
OF workers may not perish and idlers
thus be forced to take their places.
This doctrine is not new. Ricardo
the greatest economist Of the 10th
century, nearly century since
showed that the laborer received but \
subsistence wage, the sum that will
sustain the life of himself and his fam.
lily.
The Republican party in 1900 con-
ceded his principle. In countless
forms 1t paraded before the wage
earners as their share in a Republican
victory the full dinner pail"
And what is. the full dinner pail ~
The reward of engine, horse and slave;
the wage that will maintain the life Of
the worker and his family, but leave
them nothing over. ..s.
Where lies the way of escape? In
abolishing, at one and the same, time,
once and forever, both master class
and servile class as such; in prohibits
ing forever the appropriation by one
Of the products of another. Workers
must own their tools. The land. which
nature freely gave to all, and the
capital Which the labor, skill and say
ing Of all have produced, must: be-.
come the property Of all to be operated
for all for the good of,all. .,$.:
|; When this is done, labor viii have
achieved it's GROWING triumph III ana
the prophecy w Hi ill. it. today III ea ,.
about i5on s. ts ban val have been
full
1subsoFii ti,s IN ~