Montana news., 1906-01-24

that very eminent politician adj
mitted to me frankly, that he was
waiting to see which way the people
would move in order to decide
whether he should join the socialist
movement Such as he have been
the bane of the people in all ages.
The working class does not need
leadership so much as it needs com
radeship.
Again there was not at the time
of the Paris commune a real con-
sciousness of itself as a class on the
part of the working people. Those
who do not understand the history
of the term, mistake class conscious
ness for class hatred. None the less.
it is true that until the working class
becomes more vividly and intensely
conscious of itself than it now is,
until it realizes that it is the disin-
herited owner of the world that it
has built on its own back, until it
understands that there can be no
possible identity of interest or re-
conciliation between itself and the
employing or ruling class. Its strug
gle toward emancipation will be
blind and unintelligent. There are
no words that can make this fact
vivid and revolutionary enough
the fact that society and its institu-
tons are organized for the purpose
of enabling some people to live off
of other people, the few to live off
the many.
Our institutions, morals and
creeds have but served to keep the
people submissive to the depreda-
tions of the ruling class. The his
tory of the world is but the struggle
between unpaid labor, and those who
possess its products.
Another lesson of the commune is
that it was the precipitation of a
struggle upon the working class for
which it was not prepared. The
capitalist class was guilefully inciting
the very revolution that was the pro-
letaire's inspiration and sacrifice.
This has been the tactic of the pos
sessing class in all history-to
precipitate premature revolt on the
part of the enslaved class when COM
promise could no longer put off the
inevitable revolution.
This lesson Is enforced by the his
tory of every important strike. The
whole increasing labor struggle of
America is vivid with the efforts of
capitalists to precipitate riot and
bloodshed for the purpose of dis
crediting and disheartening organ
lied labor. AS the socialist move
ment grows it must be prepared for
the fact that politicians, capitalist
emissaries in labor ranks, hasty lead
ers in the socialist movement will
seek to precipitate conflicts for which
the movement is not ready. 1t is
the capitalist who would like to have
us try to win the day with guns and
bricks in our hands rather than with
intelligence in our heads and com
radeship in our hearts. We must
be bold and true enough to refuse
to be governed by the irritations
that are meant to drive us to pre-
mature revolt. tbs one of the
marks of greatness to know how to
bide ones time.
The history of the world has
pivoted itself upon the struggle for
bread; it has been the struggle on
the part of those who made bread
and did not have it against those
who had bread but did not make
it. To have power over another's
bread. power to give II OF take il
away as may serve ones interest, is
to have the power of life or death
over another.
The clear seeing of this economic
motive of history will alone save us
from the tragedies and follies OF
compromise. On every side are