The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-12-01

"''ehlpt or one class to live IN
anu &c appropriate for Its u.s.. ~,
s4e"ter part of the roduct IF tn. ,tl,o,.
ne workers produce, the nccess;t..,,
" Hic today. and the capi.ai,si. :,,,,n
'neHi. In the days Of slave in.od,,n
'ioh the. slave toiied and tho ,,.,.
TOOK the product In fcudul lin ~,
sefi tillcd tho land and tho rcud,,
49,, "ppiopr'ated share or his pro
o""y the waSe-worl.rs pro
u"ce and the capitalists .ak,s no
~" snare Of what they pre,1,nco
"n'out the toll of the workers bc i.
lnchtai or manual, the production Of
wealth would be impossible M
'n'irf would Yield its ore; no atsYn,.
poat Or railroad would transnort =.
no steel mill would turn It into Hn.
ished product: no land won,o vi..,d
ne loou we consume: no forest would
ieiu enc lumber for our homes. IIu
nan labor applied TO natural rcsour
ces is The foundat ton on wi,I,n so.
cicty rests. lt'prcdi!ces All Tho n.c.s.
sites and luxuries. Today tho mai.
nrai resources OF the Garth ar,1 tnc
machinery used in turning ,hcs,. int.
nnished products are ownt.u nv Tho
capitalist class. How this owncrs,,;,
was obtained does not concern ne
"''e. Let 1t suffice to say. in the
words or Karl Marx: Capital comes
dripping from head to foot, from ever.
pore with blood and dirt" In order
TO use the natural resources Of tho
earth and the machinery of produc
ton the worker must turn over to the
Capitalist all they produce and re.
celre Tor their services wages eu;,.,I
10 about one-seventh of his product
And right here we have the basis or
the class struggle. Statistics toll us
that the average wage worker in this
country produces $4,000 in wealth caci,
year anc that he receives s437. Please
remember that this is the average an.
plying to thirty million wagc-work.
ers Part OF the difference between
what the workers produce and what
tae! receive is used up for raw mater.
lal Part for necessary supervision.
and part for deterioration of naci,in-
cry, but even after deductinp t1,..se
| the share of the capitalist is more .han
""iI VI Tic ~ ouHcl nat is the cap
ltallsts profit. That is his profit on
the work of men. women and children
who toll in the mines, the mills. III.
factories and workshops. the stores
and offices of this country. The
| workers bear the brunt of the work
OF productions. They toll long hours
sometimes to exhaustion, sometimes
under conditions which sap their
health and strength. They are lie
victims Of the mine disasters wficf,
snuH out the lives OF hundreds in =
moment; they suffer when the molten
metal bursts from out of the oven al
one of our great steel mills: their
! bodies are torn and twisted in the
/ machinery of our factories a half
million each year are killed ana In.
Jured in the industries OF this nation
And in return they receive the neces.
sites for a mere existence. The cap.
itaiist. although able to live in lux.
ury and spiendor. although he need
not soil his hands with productive:
work. although he may enjoy himscit
in foreign travel, or spend his time
I i'll Florida or California while MS
wa Se-slaves toll for him. is never salts
fed with his share OF the product o.
the workers. In his struggle for
greater power and more wealth his