Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1909-07-22
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1909.

across the creek and sells them for
VI per bushel; while there he buys
corn at so cents per bushel and takes
] II back across the creek and sells il
for 81 per bushel. II is seen that by
this business" transaction he would
get 81 for doing his transportation
work.
But, as he soon gets tired doing this.
he hires boy to do the same work
for 20 cents and puts the other so
cents in his pocket and calls IL profits
which is only one way of getting
something for nothing.
Thus IL is seen that by capitalist
business methods the so-called brainy
business man can live in idleness and
luxury and amass riches by the toll of
others.
But you may say that exchange of
commodities between groups of people
Is necessary. Granted. And you say
that he who does this should be paid.
Granted. How much should he re-
ceive? Capitalism lets him take all
that he can force the people to give.
This is the practice of the express
companies. the railroads and all mo-
nopolies and trusts; and, after the
necessary expenses are betrayed, tn.
pay-the profits-is enormous.
Socialism would make all social
utilities collectively owned; there
would be work for all: each worker
would be paid well for services ner-
FORMED; the great surplus called prof
its' which now goes TO the exploiters
would be saved for public ueIfa,..
Society being so rich, filthy sweat
SHOPS would be eabolished; human rook-
cries would be torn down; streets and
public parks would be improved be-
yond anything now attempted; better
water supplies secured: public SER
vice of all kinds enlarged and made
better in quality; better public schools
and other institutions of learning es-
tSohshed. The money now spent hy.
the wealthy in giving monkey dinners
and dog parties could be used by the
state for a better civilization.
But individualism, in its greed for
profits. has little thought for these
things. ! am to call attention in this
article to only two evils of the profit
system, namely, Avoidable Diseases
and Avoidable Accidents.
First-on the railways of the Unit
ed States there are about IL. 900 peo-
pie killed and 10000 injured every
year. largely because the companies
cut down expenses to the lowest and
overwork and fail properly to safe
guard the lives OF the railway work.
men. This is done to enlarge the
profits to be divided. Profits are
pitted against human life. In the last
ten years railway mileage has in
creased only 20 per cent. while busi-
ness and earnings have increased IlO
per cent-a fact brought out by the
recent investigations and admitted by
James ]. Hill.
In Germany, where transportation
Is conducted by the government and
for the benefit OF the public, there
are no more people killed on railways
during the whole year. as authorities
declare. than are killed every week on
the railways of the United States.
which are operated for private profits
Second-In shops. mills. mines and
in other industies i'm the United States,
the safeguarding of the workers
against injury is so shamefully neg
lected, in order to avoid expense. that
more than 100000 persons are killed
or Injured yearly Zone every minute).
and all to increase profits.
Third-In the United States there
are perhaps 10000 child laborers,
about one-third of whom (6SO,2O7 in
1900 get a bare subsistence wage In
industries. and toll
under insanitary conditions in many
cases. which are most destructive TO
health. Illiteracy. poverty and degen-
eracy are forced upon them and their
this, too, is for
profits. Employers discharge adult
workers and engage child labor to In
crease their profits.
Fourth-Every intelligent person
knows that tuberculosis and other
contagious diseases breed among the
workers in the sweatshops and tcne-
ment houses of our cities. The Ma
tional Consumers League, i'm alliance
with the various tuberculosis commits
sions. says of this:
Tenement workers receive the low
est OF any wage earners. They earn
80 little that they have hardly enough
to support themselves outside the
short rush seasons. Every member OF
the family is pressed into service,
Continued on Page Four.)