Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-09-12
The Struggle
of Labor
Working Class Did Have No Voice in
Formation or Even Adoption
of Our Constitution

his existence by some necessary labor
which society approved.
Contrary to the teaching which the
capitalist authorities have prepared
for our school children, America did
not open its history with freedom and
justice. The working class had no
voice in its formation, not to exceed
l00,0 900 persons could vote on the adop-
tion of the constitution. The Revolu-
tionary war was revolt against the
government Of the British capitalists
by the New England commercial class
because they were not allowed to 90
into manufacturing and make the en-
ormous profits that were making Eng.
land the mistress of the world. The
farmers did not even show any interest
in wiping out the debts of the Revo-
luton.
When manufacturing was established
and the rise of the American proletar-
lat had commenced, the first unions
were formed around the date of 1920.
1t was through the demands of these
unions, their strikes and protests that
manhood suffrage, public schools, me-
ehanics' lien laws and other advant-
ages to the working class were OBJ
tanned.
Every political wave has an econ
omic cause behind it, and this may be
traced through the industrial crises of
the 30's and 40's and through that
mid-century revolution known as the
civil war This was a struggle be-
tween two economic classes for the
control of the government, and not a
fight for the moral purposes of chang.
ing slave labor to wage labor Wage
labor had already superseded slave la
bor as the cheapest form of labor for
the employing class with consequently
increased profits.
The wage system is the most refined
and effective system for the exploita-
tion of the producer that a parasite
class has ever availed itsel of. The
capitalist appropriation of the product
of labor is systematizing and organ
izing his forces accurately and effect
lively. He does this through his con-
troll of machinery, the trusts, the gov
ernment and institutions, the schools,
rhnr.b ha sn,,rtS he
process of concentration in the produe-
| tive process has proceeded at so gi-
gantic a rate that capitalism is in
trenched in organized society as never
before in history.
What future does labor encounter as
it confronts a situation like thisl Does
il drop helplessly down into an inevi-
liability Of peonage and degradationf
No revolutionary and economic
forces have laid their hand also upon
the slave. Semi democratic institu-
tions forced by bourgeois classes upon
the world for the sake of protecting
their industrial riot of competition,
have placed incentive even in the heart
of the laborer. That call of individ-
ualism has pierced even his gloomy
caves of suffering.
But he has learned from the condi-
tions of his labor that his only hope
for the development of his individual
ism is in cooperation with his fellow
sufferers. Incentive and joy can never
enter into the work of the man who
tolls only that others may profit. These
can reside only where a man finds hope,
pleasure and reward in his daily activ.
tiles. Joy in labor can only come with
its freedom. So the laborers have in
stinctively united in common cause
throughout all time. BlinIly have they
struggled against Titan forces, know
ing neither their path nor their goal
They have united in their labor organ.
izations against the most evident
wrongs.
Their efforts on the political field
have been the most pathetic. They
have continually been the tool of those
they sought to resist
Labor has no participation in gov.
ernment to-day. IL can have no voice
so long as 1t accepts the programs Of
the masters. Modern political parties
are farce played on the working man
under the name Of freedom The
workers can never gain any substantial
advantage until they intelligently es-
tablish their own program and goal,
What is the program that will end
the wrongs of the workcr-his infer