The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-09-08

,ftu nd e law OF .s.oc iation7 Has
it Saa bsea f Scents to me 70 that
It has been long known. and often
applied to groups OF vmen. but has not
oeen as yet well enough Understood so
belief that Cooperation is the great
law OF the true and higher social order.
It Is my belief that competition ts
lower forms Of human association.
1t Is my, belief that until competition
IN product1on can be substa nttally elm
! and its stimulus be replaced by equally
strong but. worthier Incentives, the
case OF mankind SO far as very much
progress Is concerned is hopeless.
You may ma; hui 63uild the ladder on which
From the lowly earth to the: vaulted
And % 4sSad.. to its: summit round by
competition conn est your rise viii always be
oyer the efushed and broken forms Of
ascent Under .unrestralned competition
me weak will ever give way to the
Sirens and She strGn the stu
make the laws they will always make
them In their own interests. If you
let them interpret the laws they will
ff aTor mt interpret them in their own
their own benefit.
we are now enmeshed in network
and In the cooperative commonwealth
that IS to come the social organiza ton
WI be much si;nplthed so far. as law
Is mo CONCERNED tsan Two hundred years age
punishable by death. We are learning
We are learning that prevention is
ho fe1,
ont to you that the futility of the
attempts made in this country by the
courts under existing law to dissolve
f corp thereby secure relief
an attempt being made to convict and
fine certain corporations to effect the
same fes ~ iitt} but such attempts VIII
past. and even If they are convicted
and fined, under existing conditions of
monopoly the producers.of the country.
end pa2 hs nes rim % IN
Ties In the Increased cost of living.
No. such methods show the short Sight
edness OF their advocates: 1t would
matters men would get wisdom
It would seem that the experience
OF OF me ne w 1,irds had made no Impression
with the simplest economic principles.
It Is either that or else 1t appears to
them to bethe easiest way to meet and
ana satisfy a popular desire that Son, e
from the very nature Of things set no
e esdaaf from pc throus6 the
administered. The power of these
tribunals are not. adequate. and the
machinery of their operation is too
complex and cumbersome for the
In the oncominE struggle for the re-
adjustment of the great economic
forces, little aid can be expected from
M pEa m may {b be termed the settled
be found adyaneink its banners very
tar far toward the fEont: In the South it
parent, and in the North it will Be
found advocating few, II any. of the
~ because the dollars necessary to
maintain and carry on its institutional
lSs are put At hazard by challenging
political parties, Tor they under the
control OF wealth ting inter-
are forced to BY the exi gen esq Of the
moment, In fact, in my opinion you
will make little progress toward the
o65Re 81 musS Of aH be thsy
and the discipline of the party lash
has been relaxed. government, by par
ties ed It is
the divine right of kings.
In effect 1t means the rule or ruin
ing the voter rally around names and
symbols rather than about measures
and policies.
In the progress Of events toward a
better organized and more just govern
ment you viii to a large extent. n not
and d:*cold sll the pomp and ceremony
OF party organization. At the present
time party consistency seems to be Of
more account in politics than brains
CT patriotism.
A mere 1atriot,: one who advocates
those things he believ es to be for the
best interests Of his city, state and
very slightly regarded, is set down as
peculiar. unsafe and unsound If the
exigencies >of the political situation and
thu march &c events make it necessary
on any question: then those views at
once become gal> a,.ized into respect
ability. SO that the veriest ass in the
partv fold may be deemed genius in
We shall ii the near future transact
other business. When it becomes
necessary TO eNaSt g. law we Snall enact
1t. When we elect men to office we
shall elect them because they are fitted
for what we want them to do and
then we shall instruct them what they
arc to do, and see to it that 1t is done.
We shall cease to build up straw men
at every election to be knocked. down,
amid great enthusiasm. When this
time comese which you are about to
hasten, men will align themselves
along lines. of policy, for the time
being. They will cease to be Repub1
leans and Democrats because their
fathers and grandfathers were.
How, you naturally ask will this
better social order be accomplished?
How will government be made ade-
quate? We have seen that little aid
groupings.
of the movement. THAT being SO it
therefore remains with you, working
men, upon whom the burden of produc-
ton lies, to do it yourselves. 1t rests
with you to take the hrst steps leading
to comprehensive measures for the
more equitable distribution Of the pro-
ducts of labor: THIS Is now prevented
by monopoly. Monopoly is the group
ing of powerful interests to do away
with competition among themselves,
while they exploit the general com