The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-05-16
ExPL0 CITATION OF LABOR.

EAf,LulIaslil uN IS Y l-s lAbOh.
Capitalize System Makes the Few Rich
ii and the Many Poor.
How does the world get it's living?
How does the capitalist get his living7
How do the. workers get their living?
How do you get your living?
Let us see IL we can find out how you
get your living, and by assuming that
you belong to the working class we
shall also find out how that class gets
its living. :fass@ s4$&E e.. ...$.:
Let us suppose that you are employ
ed in factory. You do not own the
factory. You do not own any Of the
machinery that is in the factory. You
do not own any Of the raw material
with which you work. And you do not
own any Of the product when you have
finished it. You agreed to do a certain
amount Of work or to work a certain
limited or unlimited number of hours
day, and your boss agreed to pay
you wages" 49, -.
Before we 60 any further let us have
one thing understood. You do not own
the factory. else you would not be
working for an employer for wages.
You do not own a farm or any kind
Of property which you could sell or
rent to others, and you have no bust
ness of any kind in which you could
employ other laborers to toll for you.
else you would not have to work for
your living. There is only one way
by which you can get your living. and
that is ito work for it, unless you want
to beg ar steal, and working people
win ffeitfef beg H86f steeai Wien they
can get work at which they can main
tain themselves and their families.
All right! You work in the factory.
and, according to statistics which have
been gathered and compiled by agents
Of the United States government. you
and all the other factory workers in
this country produce on the average
about $40 worth of manufactured,
goods. commodities. every day you
work. But you do not get $40 in
wages. In fact, the government figures
show that you do not get more than 50
for week of six days, $3.50 day. on
the average. OF course there are many
workers in factories and in other lines
of industry who get more than $3.50
day, but there are also many women
and children-yes. many. men-who do
not get as much as that. and we be-
leve that the government figures
which place the average wages of the
workers at $3.50 day are very nearly
correct. :<3r'
Now, If you produce $40 worth of
goods, commodities, in a days work,
why is it that you~do not get $40 for
your work instead Of $3.50?
It is simply because you agreed to
work for wages. $1.5O day. OF course
you did not know when you made the
agreement that you were going to pro;
duce $3.50 day more than your wages
would amount to. else you might have
hesitated to agree. to work for the
$3.50. But evensif you had known it.
under present conditions you could not
have done any more than "hesitate"-
you would have had to accept the
wages of $3.50 or you would not have
got the job, and most working people
would figure that it would be better to
have a lob" and $1.50 "A day than to
have no job at all and no wages.
So, summing it all up. we come to the
conclusion that ''in order to get your
living" not being the owner of fac
tory. you had to work for some one
else who did own factory. and you.
had to work for the wages which were
offered you. and you had, to surrender
to the owner of the factory all the
goods. commodities, which you pro-
duced regardless of how much he
might realize FROM their sale.
The capitalists do not have to work
for their living. They get their living
by owning the factories. mines, shops.
railroads, etc.. which the workers have
to use to make their living. and they,
the capitalists, get all the wealth the
workers produce except the wages"
which they pay to the workers for
producing wealth.
Socialists say that the workers should
own the factories, mines, shops, rail-
roads. ETC., and then If they produced
$40 worth Of goods in a days work
they would get the whole $40. OF
course this would be very hard on the
poor capitalists, for the capitalists
would then have to go to work to earn
their own living. and they are not used
to work, and besides it would soil their
clean white hands. Wouldn't 1t be too
bad? .. .,
All the working people who agree
with us Socialists in regard to the
working class ownership. of factories,
ETC., ought to join the Socialist party
and help us to bring about the desired
condition.-W. ]. Client in "Mass and
Class" .a = :.
DEFENDS ON IAE az G0REn =