The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-01-02
NASH COMES BACK At
SOCIALIST CRITICS
COMMENDS LABOR WORLD FOR
ITS FAIRNESS IN GIVING
BOTH SIDES,
Holds That the Socialists Propose ro
Retrosrade Movement. Are Strict.
ly In the Line Of Progress. Cours
Injunctions and Abuse of Political
Power Will UltimsteIy Drive Laber
To the Political Arena.

Permit me to commend the Labor
World for its fairness in publishing
articles both for and against referen<
dunn propositions. This is the only
way to assist your readers in the1:
efforts to arrive at correct conclusions.
Kindly permit me to trespass on yous
Kindness once more.
The editor of the Labor World say4f
The socialist theory. based upon tbs
fallacy that you must retrograde be-
fore you can progress, is not accepteA
by trade unionists."
This is erroneous and misleadinE
| The socialist proposes no retrograd5
movement
Labor unions have accomplishe&
| wonders; but in all forward move
ments there comes a time when agen..
| cies successfully used to that point
become insufficient for future progress
| and development.
That union methods have reached
! that point, recent court injunctions an9
| decisions should convince our no1a
! ardent supporters. No socialist adve,-
| Gates retrogression. We claim to b
in the direct line Of progress.
We see the advantage capitalism
derives from it's control Of courts anS
governments. Having both the right
and ability to do SO, we say the work.
ing class should take possession Of
both, and use them in the interest a
the masses, rather than langer cons
tinue, a useless fight against them.
Fritz Sellman says socialists should
try to convert individuals rather than
the collective organizations. Correct,
1t is not the object Of these two pro.
| positions to force or convert laboS
unions in a lump; but to enable adj
| vanced thinkers to impart the benefit
Of their Investigations to other mem-
bers Of their own class; for we recogs
nize the fact that we must rise OF
| fall collectively.
| We think labor unions are pre- ernin>
| emily the proper sphere for advanced
thought; and that free discussion OF
| economic and political questions would
convince every thinking member tha,
| the welfare of himself and family
would compel him to cast g. working
mans ballot; or, in other words, vota
the: socialist Ticket. Until he is .st
sdiseonyineed.a pal>;
I lot. Socialists are not seeking Tor
political jobs; but simply ask: the
workmen to investigate his own class
interests, and vote with them only
when convinced that his own salvatio&
can come in no other way.
Some correspondents see the down.,
fall Of unionism, if politics be admits
ted. Why so? Politics is already ID
our unions and always has been; buE
not in the way to produce the resultf
We desire.
We send our members to legislative
bodies to beg for laws in the interest
Of labor We should send them at
members to make such laws. We send
our members to executive officers to
request favors. We should elect them
to fill the offices, and compel them to
discover and obey our wishes. Wa
spend immense sums to secure favor<
able judgments in capltalistic courts.
We should elect the courts themselves
| Strange that our leaders and meme
bers should re-echo the cry Of the
capitalist organs that politics wifi
disrupt the unions. Look at Germany,
To be a trade unionist there is almost
a guaranty that one os a socialists
yet their unions are not disrupted
and even the emperor trembles on his
throne for fear the patient working
men will refuse much longer to- carry
a useless portion Of society upon their
| shoulders.
! Disrupt indeed. Capitalism is fast
perfecting plans to make labor unions
absolutely harmless to itself; but capi>
talis1n and unionism alike are helplesx
when confronted with the ever-grow-
ing problem of the unemployed, ot
people forced into idleness through in~
ability to compete with perfected ma-
chinery; and the time is near at hand
when nothing short of workmen's poli-
tics upon the socialistic basis wifi
preserve the unions from utter de-
struction, or society from a retrograds
movement like that which ushered IN
the Dark Ages.
Respectfully,
| T. f.; NASH