The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-04-20
Whole No. 2L5
What the Wage Slaue Has.
And What He Might Haze

and his rent may be due the. next
day. but for him there is no reiiet
so far as his present source Of in
come is concerned. The word has
gone forth that he shall no longer
be given an opportunity to produce
with his la5or in that particular place.
those things which are essentials to
the very lives of his wife and chill
,lren.
The law, as we'll as his own inclina.
ton says he must provide for his
family, which he is eager to doSif
given only the opportunity. Scattered
all over the contine.lt are millions
of his fellow-creatures whose wants
create demand for things he is able
and willing to produce with his labor
Yet the man or men who possess the
tools with which he must labor, it .ha
labors at all-the tools that must she
used by labor. if the wants OF those
who desire their products are to he
supplied has either arbitrarily. Is
MED him the right to use those tools
or told him that he and his family
must suffer for food, clothing and
shelter because ''over-production" has
brought about an Industrial depres-
sion.
Ia other words, if the last reason
be assigned, this wage.slave must be
denied the opportunity to create food.
clothing and shelter for himself and
his family because he and others OF
his class have made too much food.
too much clothing. and too much
shelter, and the wage-slave. If he Is
a thoughtful man, which he usually Is
not-then makes the discovery that
while labor is necessary to honest aliSf-
i,,tr lob 10 sol, I>oR a
ed as freely as c'le would demand air.
but privilege to be begged from men
who do not labor, but who own all the
machinery with which other men
must labor or starve.
The dignity of Labor. Did some of
our so-calledt democratic. republican,
friends say. Since when has dignity
become a word that may be approprl
ately used to spell so base position.
Is there anything very elevated about
the rank of a wage-slave. who must
go to some capitalist master, and beg
for the poor privilege OF putting forth
his physical and mental efforts for o.
fourth of his product in order that he
and his family may not suffer for the
necessities CT life.
Is there anything elevated about
the rank of Il wage-slave, who cara
DttfuPHet anu HcaTl-SOTG must go out
of his place of employment like 4
whipped cur. When access, to the
tools with which he works has been
denied him by the man who owns but
docs not use them.
Is there any quality suited to in
spirc respect or reverence In the wage
slave, who bcgs for what is. plainly
his right, as the right to breathe. the
right to apply his labor to the earth
and its products to produce the neces-
stiles of life. who suffers with llis
family when his capitalist master de-
MES him the right to labor. and who
then votes one Of the two tickets that
the capitalist votes to perpetnate the
very ind-nities that they have
heaped upon him.
Is there any dignity about any or
all of those things. Is there anything
about any or all them TO inspire re-
epect or reverence. If there is dig
atty it does not mean what the die
tionaries say it does. There no dg-
nifty in wage-slavery. The dignified
man stands on his rights where he
can. and the man who inspires re.
spect or reverence Is not the man who
crawls to his master. and thanks those
who kick him and Furthermore offers
| to furnish the boots with which the
| kicking is done. Pity, not dignity. 1T
the word 10 use in connection with
wage-Slarcry.
ITO be Continued