The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-02-16
UniOrliS11l and
Socialism
The Economic and Political Organi-
cations of Labor.

various reasons for this, and they are
conclusive. The present system of in.
dustry-the wage system-is the regu-
lar established order. 1t is entrenched
in law both constitutional and statu-
tory. 1t rests solely upon one basic
principle-the right of private owner
ship of the sources of life-sustenance.
AS a corrolary to this principle, and
more as n condition essential to it, there
fellows the right Of the property owner
to exploit the labor of the propertyless.
This explanation is possible only as long
as labor-power is commodity to be
bought and sold in the market and on
such terms as may be agreed upon be-
tween the buyer and the seller, hence
property is our means of production, is
dependent upon exploitation of labor, is
impossible without that right and priv
ilege, it follows that any interference
on the part of third party that
abridges the privilege of the buyer of
labor-power to purchase as he sees mt
and where he can purchase most
cheaply, abridges his property right.
AS the industrial conditions are en-
trenched in law, as. they are the princi
pies that governments are organized to
defend, it follows that lapor unions are
institutions that the industrial system
does not warrant. They are outlaws
from their inception. Labor holds these
conditions to be unjust. 1t demands
voice in determining the selling price
of its commodity, since this demand is
at variance with the fundamental prin-
'ciples of the system. 1t cannot be
granted, therefore, irrepressible conflict
between exploited and exploiters, be-
tween labor and capital. Out of these
opposing interests grows the conflict
into which the governments organized
forces are drawn, since the chiefest func-
tion of the government is to maintain
property rights, that is to maintain the
privilege of the eXploiters to uphold
the present system of industry it is i'm
possible that it's forces should be cX-
ertcd in defense of those whose demands
are incompatible with the system of
wage-slavcry
The owning capitalistic class are the
ruling class, the dominant power in
government. They own your job, Mr..
Workingman, and you must have that
job to live. You must sell your labor
power to the boss. Did it ever occur
to you that you might own your job,
if you voted you strike, but really
can friend $50 called) to lead you into
xrnn {ic
the promised land via the labor legisla-
tion route. But no class will use its
power to accomplish its own destruction,
or i'll any manner to it's own injury. A
wise old philosopher, Ben Franklin,
said: eff You want thing done, do it
YOURSELF There are good many jobs
that labor wants done. There are good
many politicians who say they will do
them. They do not know what labor
wants, and they could not obtain it for
labor if they did. Labor alone knows
wnat it wants. American labor alone
has universal suffrage. 1t has in its
hands tine greatest weapon of modern
times. But it does not know how to use
it. We know that in this country labor
can form unions. If it can stand to-
gether and starve at the time of
strike; it can stand together and vote at
the time of an election. But this means
work. conscience, will power, independ-
ence and united action.
above all it means that if labor wants
a thing done it must do it itself. Work
ingmen of the world, unite. You have
only your chains to loose. You have
the world to gain.
MAX.