The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-09-11

Of the Revolutionary and civil war Pc
RODS, that the master class recognized
no difference between the chattel
slave and the wage hireling. In 1865
Karl Marx, the founder of scientific
socialism. summed up the labor prob
lem i'm the following striking sentence:
In point of fact. however. whether a
man works three days of the week for
himself on his own field and three days
for nothing on the estate of his lord or
whether he works in the factory work
shop six hours daily for himself and six
hours daily for his employer, 1t comes to
the same thing.
This surplus value over and above
that which is required by the slave.
the serf and the wageworker to main
tain his physical existence is the por-
ton which the master. the feudal lord
and the capitalist have taken by force
Of arms in the first case. by ownership
of land in the second and by owner
ship of tools and cunningly devised
laws and court decisions in the last
instance.
The slave master built up a civil and
political system which protected his
right of property in the bodies of his
slaves and the wealth they produced.
One does not have to so very far back
in the history of this country to find
confirmation Of this statement. Prior
to 1860 the laws enacted by congress
and by most Of the several states.
no ~ ;cso
state courts. had for their object the
protection Of the slave master in his
right Of ownership of men, women and
children. The man who dared raise
his voice in protest against the ex-
plOitatiOn of the black man was brand
ed as traitor to his country IL he
attempted to speak he was thrown in
to jail, and If he attempted to print a
newspaper vOicing his sentiments his
press was destroyed and he was mob
bed and murdered.
What was true in the two revolu-
tionary periods which marked the dis
appearance of a political system based
on kingcraft and a political system
based on chattel slavery is true today.
Marked For Persecution.
The men and the newspapers that
have espoused the cause Of men, wom-
en- and children who work In the fields.
factories and mines Of this nation are
marked for persecution, as were the
Revolutionary and abolition editors be-
fore them. For ten years as editor Of
the Appeal to Reason l have been in
constant conflict with the ruling class
and the men who hope to pick up the
crumbs which drop from the tables of
the great captains Of industry. on
whose will employment depends. not
alone in the industries. but in the gov
eminent and municipal service.
Postoffiee and Courts Versus Appeal.
The postoffice department was first
employed to hamper and harasS the
Appeal to Reason in its work of edu-
cation and enlightenment. The most
absurd rules and regulations were spe-
cially formulated to apply. as Third
Assistant Postmaster General Madden
wired to the Girard postmaster. ito
the Appeal to Reason" In every in
was questioned the Appeal won a sig
nal victory, because we strictly Obeyed
the spirit and the letter Of the law.
Then the aid Of the courts was in
vOked to accomplish what the pOstof
fee department had failed to do. The
TO wit I,
the owning and ruling class. Daily
this fact is becoming more apparent.
One has only to refer to the long list
of decisions in which the interests Of
labor and capital are opposed to veri-
fy this statement. The blacklist has
been legalized and the boycott out
lawed. The injunction has been used
with telling effect in labor conrrO-
versies to terrOrize and crush the men
who work. while it has proved ineffec-
tive and Of no avail when directed
against great capitalist interests, as
President Roosevelt pointed out when
he was engaged in his battle with the
great packing industries.
The people Of Missouri in their ca
pacity as sovereign voters recently
elected a governor and legislature on
a platform demanding relief from rail-
road extortion. A two cent fare bill
was enacted into law. This law was
upheld by the state supreme court.
The railroads went to the federal
courts. which with the stroke of a pen
nullified the will Of 100000 people
So closely allied has become the fed
eral judiciary Of this country to the
great corporations that even now
there is pending in congress a resolu-
ton demanding an investigation Of the
acts and conduct OF the federal judges
who have prOstituted their high Office
to the profit Of these corporations.
three-fourths of which. according to
statement made by Governor Hadley,
are either Illegally organized or un-
lawfully conducted.
Fighting industrial Despotisr.
For years the Appeal to Reason has
been waging almost single handed a
| fight against the oppressive and intOl-