The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-19


ings where these questions are dis
cussed AT every one of Bishop Spald-
fng's lectures on social reform the
church was crowded to its fullest ca
pacity by interested audiences Emma
Goldman's lectures We're also largely
attended Probably many attended
from curiosity, but more went to learn
what solution of the social problems of
the day she had to offer This interest
. arises from the increasing seriousness
J of these questions. People are asking
why should we have these recurring
3 seasons of depression? Why should
there be so many men anxious to work
but unable to obtain it? Why in
: -ich country like this, should there be
an increasing amount of poverty? Why
should the relations between capital
and labor be growing more and more
antagonistic? And is it not possible to
have such condition of society that
involuntary poverty shall be unknown
and the labOrer receive the full reward
of his toll?
Nearly every one who has given any
attention to these questions has some
explanation of our Industrial trouble
and some certain panacea that win cure
them. Some believe financial legisla-
ton is the remedy; others think that
A.. all we need is q readjustment of the
solution of the trusts would bring peace
and prosperity to all. A growing
number are coming to believe that
Socialism is the only remedy. That
capitalism and the wage system must
be abolished, and all the means of pro-
auction and distribution must be owned
and operated by the whole people; that
we must have an industrial democracy
as we'll as a political democracy.
Daal.r
number. He gave a very complete ex-
position of the principles of Socialism;
the arguments in its favor and some of
the superficial arguments made against
it. propose in these papers to take up
the subject from a somewhat different
standpoint. To inquire If capitalism is
the real OppressOr of labor and should
be abolished. If the wage system, with
some important changes, may not give
the laborer the full reward for his toll
and provide fuller rewards for indi-
vidual efforts than are proposed by
Socialism; to see il the competitive sys-
TEN, under certain conditions, may not
be a means of progress rather than the
deadly struggle which is now is,
some Proposed Remedies Examined.
Bishop Slapding pointed out the in
efficiency of some of the proposed rem
edies. He showed that charity, how
ever generous, was simply palliative.
: That its tendency is to paupeTiZe. That
. organized charity, while more efficient.
= takes away the personal element. He
showed that enlightened selfishness,
which is relied upon by some, could
never be general He might also have
shown that the employer, however gen
erously inclined, cannot pay higher
wages than his competitor and hope to
survive in the struggle for business,
and that it is the most selfish and
greedy employer of labor in any in
dustry that determines the general
average of wages in that industry.
Another large class, of whom Mr..
Rockefeller is a shining example, be-
lieves that If the working men We're
frugal and economical he might place
himself in an Independent position. He
might. indeed. become a capitalist him
self. Now, thrift and frugality are adj
.plirable qualities, and if some workers
mad exercised these virtues during the
past few years they would not be
homeless and pennileSs today. But
what would happen if these virtues
were to become universal? If any con-
siderable number of working men We're
Ito cut down the expense of living and
save 10, or Is, or 20 per cent of their
wages? 1t would create an industrial
panic. 1t would lessen the demand for
goods TO just the extent of their saw
ings. 1t would create what we would
call OVerprOductiOn or undercOnSump
ton, and throw thousands of men out
of employment who were producing the
goods which the economical laborer
was ceasing to purchase. On the other
hand, it would cause a general reduc-
ton of wages. For since a large body
of working men could subsist upon 10,
or Is, or 20 per cent less wages compe-
titiOn among working men for work
would make them willing to accept that
much less for the sake of obtaining
work. for wages depend on what a man
can live on. not on what he can save.
Who is more frugal and saving than a
Chinaman? He can live on 5 cents a
day in his own country. yet / never
heard OF him becoming independently
wealthy on his savings there; and who
wants to live like a Chinaman? If any
considerable number of working men,
by extreme frugality, were able to live
on so and 25 cents per day, their wages
would very nearly approach these fig
ures. We see this by the sweatshOp
workers in the great cities, who are
able to live on a mere pittance, and
therefore receive only a pittance as
wages. Our Greek and Italian fellow
workmen are frugal and saving, yet
they are not held up as examples for
the American working man to emulate.
In fact, / recall that certain Salt Lake
editors deplored the fact that several
thousand of them recently left the west
for their homes in Europe and took
their savings with them These editors
evidently believed that these foreigners
should have spent their money here, in
stead of taking 1t out of the country,
and wondered how the United States
could survive such a drain of its money.
Let me here refute the common fallacy
that foreign labOrers can take any of
our money out Of the country, or that
they leave in this country only the few
dollars they have spent for their frugal
living. AS a matter of fact. for every
dollar they are supposed to have taken
out of the United States they have
added probably a hundred dollars to the
tangible wealth of the country in the
products of its mines and mills, in the
increased value of its railways, its irri-
cation bitches, it's streets, sewers, etc
What these working men do is to leave
with the bankers or postmaster of Salt
Lake City or New York. or some other
American city, every dollar of their
Savings They receive a draft or order
in exchange for their money, and they