The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1908-07-23
FOR A NoBLER INCENTIVE.
Under Socialism Conscience Will Take
The Place Of Selfish Greed.


The Place Of Selfish Greed.
We hear much from the capitalist
side that Socialism would remove the
incentive for the best effort that IL in
man. By this they mean that II the
opportunity Of becoming millionaire.
70 get rich by the profit system Of ex-
plotting the workers, to become Car
negie, Sage or Rockefeller, were not
constantly held up before the people
% It Is today none of us would try to
give bis best efforts to further the in
forests Of society. In other words, in
order to bring out the best that II in
man he must always be on constant
and feverish hunt 0r dollars. To gain
worldly goods we know is the sole in
eentive under the capitalist game, and
tor that very reason we condemn 1t as
savage. We declare, on the other
hand, that the accumulation of money
and other wealth Is not and never has
been and never can be the incentive
that 1mpels men to their noblest and
best achievements.
The incentive for profit impels men
today to adulterate food, employ child
labor, manufacture shoddy material,
corrupt legislatures, congressman and
city of1c1als, to work employees long
hours at sma3 pay, to even commit
deeds and permit conditions to exist
that are worse than murder. That is
the damnable incentive Of the capital
1stic arrangement, and the man who
tries to conduct his business today on
any other principle nine times out of
ten Is forced into bankruptcy. l know
that is true, because I have had expert
ence.
NO. In order to become a Carnegie
BY stalking over the bones Of the vic.
tins of the Homestead riot; to become
Hartman, Hill or Sage by the mis-
cry, insanity and suicide Of the stock
exchange turmoil; to become Rookie.
teller when women aud children are to
be condemned to toll, poverty and deg
radiation ID not praiseworthy achieve
ment. And if these are the only incen-
tlves our capitalist friends can point
to with so much pride they would bet
ter admit that the spirit of Christ has
disappeared from the world. The his
tory Of the human race demonstrates
that the best and the noblest deeds
were accomplished when there was
some other incentive than the thirst
for gold and bonds.
And yet capitalism points with pride
to our Carnegies and Rockefellers.
They should rather be pointed out
with expressions Of derision, for they
have gained the wealth of others only
by exploiting the best manhood OF
America.
No, the worlds greatest achievement
1s not money getting. Patrick Henry's
patriotic grafton was not delivered to
gain gold. 1t was higher and nobler
incentive than that The incentive that
inspired the young French officer at
the time Of the French revolution to
compose the verse and tune of the
"Marseillaise" was not for worldly
wealth. The armies of the American
Revolution were not led to glorious
victory to gain wealth, but freedom.
So don't be deluded by the capital
istic clatter, my comrades, that the in
centives Of the Socialist society to de-
velop the best and noblest achieve
ments in you and in me will be lack
ing. On the contrary, to accomplish
the highest and grandest achievements
will be the only competition we shall
have. The good you can do to society,
the applause of your comrades, the Joy
born Of effort, the ambition to he
chosen by your fellows to REPRESENT
them in congress; TO exert better in
f1uence over the men in your con:NH
nifty; to make the world brighte" nd
better than our forefathers found it: to
invent better labor saving machinery:
to dig deeper into science: to discover
wonders of which we haven't vet
dreamed-these Will be the mighty in
centives that will move the world
Henry L. Jones. New York.
One thing that GOD III his nInnlte
wisdom didn't give the capitalists is
the votes OF the working class. That
they get them is due wholly to the In
finite stupidity of the givers.-Erle
People.