The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-03-23
What Human Life Depends On.

and higher human development pos
sible. TO lproduce, food, clothing
or shelter, land and machinery are
needed. Land alone does not salts
~ human needs. Human labor
creates machinery and applies il to
the land for tho production of raw
material and food. Whoever has con-
troll OF land and machinery controls
human labor. and with it human
life and liberty.
The Cause Of Glass Rule.
To-day the machinery and the
land used for industrial purposes are
owned by Il rapidly decreasing
minority. So long as machinery is
simple and easily handled by one
man. its owner cannot dominate the
sources OF life OF others. But when
machinery becomes more complex
and expensive. and requires for it's
operation the organized effort OF
many workers. its influence reaches
over wide circles of life. The owners
of such machinery become the domi-
nant class.
Men Are Made Slaves.
In proportion as the number of
such machine owners compared to all
other classes decreases. their power
in the nation and in the world in
crcases. They bring ever large mas
seS of working people under their
control. reducing them to the point
where muscle and brain are their
only productive property. Millions
of formerly self-employing workers
thus become the helpless wage slaves
of Industrial masters.
Ruling Glass as Parasites.
AS the economic power of the rul-
ing class grows IL becomes less use
full in the lie of the nation. All
the uscful work of the nation falls
uDon the shoulders OF the clasR
whose only property is its manual
and mental labor powcr--the wage
workcr-or of the class who have
but little land and little effective
machinery outside of their labor
power--thc small! traders and small
farmers. The ruling minority is
steadily becoming useless and para
site.
The Glass Struggle.
y bitter struggle over the division
of the products of labor is waged be-
tween the exploiting propertied
classes on the one hand and the en-
plotting propcrtylcss class on the
other. In this struggle TIL. wag.
working class cannot expect adequate
relief from any reform OF the present
order at the hand of the dominant
class.
The wage workers are. therefore.
the most ANTAGONISTS of the ruling
class. They suffer most from the
curse OF class rule. The fact that
n few capitalists are permitted to
control all the couutry's iudustr:ll
resources and social tools. for their
individual profit. and to make the
production of the u"ccssaricS OF life
the object Of competitive private on
i"rpriSc and speculation is at the
bottom OF all the social evils of our
time
Decentralization and IdIcncSS.
In spite OF the organization OIL
trusts. pools and combinations, The
capitalists are powcrless to regulate
production 70" social ends. Indus
tries arc largely conducted in .
painless manner. Through periods
of fcvcrish activity the strength and
health Of the workers are mcrciless-
ly used ny. and during periods of en-
forced idi"nrsS the workers are freq
ncn;ly reduced 20 starvation.
Til" rlimaNcS Of this system of pro
d"rii"n are the regularly recurring
iuduStrialS dcpresSiouS and crises
which paralyZr the nation every III
teen or twenty wears.
l.alWr'S Exploitation.
The capitalist class i'll it's nS,i
race. for profits. is bound to exploit
the workers TO the very limit Of
their endurance and to sacrifice tier
physical. moral and mental welfare
to its own Unsuitable greed. Capital
ism keeps the masses of worllinrmen
III poverty. dcStitution. physical on
hauStion and ignorance. 1t uv,gS
their wives from their homes to til.
mil and factory. 1t Snatchcs tle;r
children from the Fairgrounds AM
schools and grinds their slcnacr
bodies and uniformed minds mo ..old
dollars. 1t diSiigures. mains anI
kills hundreds OF thousands of wo.k-
inGmcn annually in mines. on rail-
roads and in factories. 1t d-:vcs
millions OF workers into a. ranks
of the unemployed and :o-c,"; large
numbers OF them iuto bs3:.Iy
vaErancy and all forms OF crime anG
vice.
Power OF Corruption.
TO maintain their rui- over .hoir
fellow men. the capitalists must koc1|
in their pay all organs &C thu puoii
powers. public mind and public con-
science They control Lac domiuan.
IarriCS and fhrOurl ti,pn th. olaf