New-York tribune., 1910-07-30
WHAT WORKINGMEN WANT
Greater independence, the Rev.
Percy s. Grant Thinks.

The Rev. Percy Stickney Grant. rector of
the Church Of the Ascension, on What
the WOrk1ng1nen Want, IN The North
American Reyi@E.
The new order of things, if it come, will
not be produced by socialists, but by their
foes ''Class struggle" surplus values"
are not the charmed words that will open
the door 10 q 1ovelier industrial future. So,
IN fighting socialism the conservative
classes are facing in the wrong direction.
Their enemies are of their own household.
Current legislation indicates the lines of
future advances-What might be called the
liquidation of privileges. Public Service
commissions, rates commissions, corpora
ton tax laws and not socialstiC platforms
will for e long time be responsible for our
the limitation and even the public owner
ship of capital is coming. not through So
cialtsm but UP these steps-competition
monopoly, public regulation. When under
competition the highest profits are at last
secured by trusts and pools, which prac-
tically destroy competition, then the next
move by the consumer IS to control by law
of capital But publicly controlled capital
will have tendency to become publicly
an increased public control of property
with a reduction Of profits and will not
buy the securities. This tendency Is al
The workingr3n'S great complaint to-
dav is his heIpiesSness, and Il IS perfectly
clear that whatever increases this sense of
hAiDlSSSnSS5 Will Teduy increase MS OUT
cry Workingren don't like TO have things
done for them The more that is done for
them the more they feel IN the power OF
the person who is responsible even for their
benefits.
ParadoxicaIly enough. whatever the man
of power. the capitalist, the employer does,
out Of good heart or philanthroplc intent,
or even from shrewd business perception, to
alleviate as he suuposes, the hardshlps Of
his working people-by good tenements. by
kiudergartens, by factory luncheon rooms,
bv lectures, garden villages. etc--he is as
2 matter of fact, making his workingren
feel their dependence.
IovaIty is an old. clan spirit and at
tached a man TO man Of his own blood
who is hts chieftain; it attached the sub
.ect to q king as TO a God-given leader and
protector. Industrial conditions do not re-
nroduce this relationship. The employer and
er1pjoye do not acknowledge identity Of in
terest. They treat each other, on the
whole, as enemies. Labor is a "commod-
fty'' to De purchased by capital How can
Won expect loyalty from q commodity? If
one listens for any length of time to work
ingmen discussing these matters, he dis
nor an .-insolub.e oonundruU." but is a
.frnnie and logical step It is nothing less
than an application OF self-government to
our best educators have given up the at
tempt 10 secure discipline by the exercise
OF authority from above, and are attempt
ing to produce maturer atsiIuue t1waru hSl
leaving discipline more In the hands OF the
students themselves. They have met with
most encouraging results
THE feeling Of industrial helplessness
which is the Incubus upon the spirit OF the
work,ngrnan is contemporaneous with the
teachinGs of independence which proceed
from, democratic institutions and from
modern science. with It's weakening OF ira
ditional authority
A great deal OF what we call socialism
DC nnIv democracy getting its second wind.
Oi.annotntusnt at the results OF political
democracy was inevitable. The modern ex-
nertment of democracy, 1t must be renem-
hsred cotncided with those great mechan1-
cal Inventions, the cotton gin, the spinning
tenny steam electricity, etc, which by
making il possible to run thousands OF ma
chimes under one roof have encouraged
OF capital. The kit of tools
Of the oId-fa shioned workman is now an
arohnologfcal curiosity; our skilled work
meD are dependent upon access to machin-
arv enthusiastically owned. Political indie
nandence and industrial dependence can
not live together The same man cannot
renrcsen, both without complaint and con-
fusion The same country cannot contain
hotb WITHOUT disrupting ebullitions.
we are all losers II we permit any class
TO lack freedom and self-coniidence We
are only completely gamers by the mental
en rranchisement cf our time, when all
ia ases work together for discovery, for
Increase OF wealth. for the spread OF ma
teTial benefits. and for the highest iadlVld-
uHi and social DEVELOPMENT