Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1904-11-23
How Capitalism has Fooled the Work.
erS of the World, and will Attempt
to Repeat the Smooth Deal.
lBY GEORGE ID. HERRON1


The term class struggle" is Of
fensive to many, and surprise is ex-
pressed that some of us should cast
our lives with a movement which
rests its integrity upon the develop
ment of a conscious and definite dis
tinction between classes and their
interests. This surprise is because
of a misinterpretation of the class
struggle as class hatred, and a de-
lusive faith in the moral superiority
of sentiment over fact. In reality,
the cIass-consciousness of the work
ing class, and the clear recognition
of the fact that there can be no mu-
tuality or identity between their in
terests and the interests of the capi-
talists or employing class, furnish
the only foundation for the achieve
ment of an honest or ethical society.
Ethics cannot co-exist with eco
nomic inequality, nor can liberty
exist. We shall live in lies and tyr
annies SO long as some people have
privileges which some other people
have not; so long as some people
own the things upon which all peo-
pie depend. As long as one class
does the worlds work, and another
class makes its institutions and
ideals, the class-making, the institu-
tons and ideals will continue to
make them in such way as to keep
the working class in subsection to
itself. Until the labor and the priv
ileges of the world become common
and equal, any civilization that we
may have will be but the survival of
brute force. We must recognize the
fact of a class struggle before we can
wipe it out through the Specialization
of the world.
How has the ruling class con-
queredl By concessions and COM
promise. 1t has been the policy and
successful practice of the worlds
masters and owners, from the begin.
ming of history, to defeat every rev.
olution by adopting it; to destroy
the rise of the people by befrending
them; to make concessions that
would become bit and bride in the
mouth of revolt, and then ride it to
new ruling class power and glory.
1t is this that makes history SO baf-
fling and sickening to hope. 1t is
by the favors which they receive
from their masters that the tired gen.
erations of men are beaten back into
the historic helplessness of the
worlds disinherited. The masters
of the world have always first resist
ed the people, whether in the form
of a religious movement or political
revolution, and then have granted
favors which made them masters of
the movement OF revolution when it
became powerful.
1t is in this precise way that capi-
talism will seek to withstand Socia-
lism. Capitalism will seek to defeat
Socialism by giving it some of the
things for which il seeks. We can
not have the cooperative common
wealth without having the whole of
it. Capitalism may give the Socia-
list movement one-half, or even
nine -tenths of what il demands, and
still retain the control OF power ror
instance, the public ownership of So
called public utilities, without the
social ownership of all the tools of
production, would simply bring forth
a new middle-class and delay the in
dustrial development that would is
sue in Socialism. Capitalism knows
this very well-know it much better
than the working class, and are pre-
pairing to save themselves by their
knowledge.
Thus we come to the political and
spiritual as well as economic neces-
sity of clearly defining the class
struggle and its issues. Unless the