Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-03-28
SPEECH OF
HON. VICTOR |. BERGER
THE SOCIALIST
continued from last soeek.)

| RSN S"N %~'
every industry where the output and
the prices are controlled by a trust or a
privately owned monopoly.
On the other hand, it is the trusts
which by their very magnitude have
made the viciousness of the capitalist
system clear to everyone.
We see that the purely individualist
theory Of private ownership of prop
~erty"-which our competitive wage sys-
tem has made the foundation of society
has resulted in practically abOlishing
the possibility of private ownership for
great majority OF the people.
One-tenth of our population already
owns more than four-ffths of the
wealth. The Capitalization Of the con-
troll of properties is increasing with a
rapidity that threatens the integrity OF
the Nation. The average of wages, the
certainty Of employment, the social
privileges and independence OF the
wage-earning and agricultural popula-
tions, when compared with the increase
of the wealth and social production,
are steady and rapidly decreasing.
And the worst of the social tempta-
tions is that wealth has become the
greatest, one might say the only, social
power. All human worth is estimated
in terms of wealth, in dollars and cents.
Things can not go on like this indefi-
-;ka1- UNA;ka ,.;11 not 1o,a
stand it. We are by our present cir
cumstances and their consequences cre-
ating a race Of white peopel" in our
midst, compared with which the vandals
of the fourth century where a human
nation.
Within a short time, with present ten
denotes unchecked, we shall have two
nations in this country, both of native
growth. One will be very large in
number, semi-civilized, half-starved,
and degenerated through misery; the
other will he small in number, overfed,
o~vercivilized, and degenerated through
luxury.
What will be the outcome?
Some day there will be a volcanic
eruption. A fearful retribution will DO
enacted on the capitalist class as a class
and the innocent will suffer with the
guilty.
Such a revolution would til row hum
manity back into semi-barbarism and
cause even a temporary retrogression
Of civilization.
Various remedies have been proposed.
Single tax more silver dollars, green
backs, and a dozen other remedies have
been offered. But since none of them
does away with the deadly effects of
competition, and with the effect of the
machine on the workman, | must dis
miss them as insu fficient. This is par
ticularly the case with the single tax,
would simply for a time sharpen
competition and thus increase the mis-
cry of the working class.
The other day we listened to a fervid
plea for the single tax delivered on this
floor by the gentleman from New York
Mr.. GEORGE. He paid particular at
to the Introduction of this sys-
in Vancouver, British Columbia,
painted in glowing colors the bles-
'ings that had followed it. And now
the distressing news that Van
,ouver is in the midst of a general
first Of it's kind in that city, in
'olving every organized workman there.
Evidently the single tax is not a sub
for bread and butter. Laugh
err.
TIE SOCIALIST lev OF FREEDOM.
But this is what the Socialists say:
The machinery and all the progress
n implements of prod uction we cannot
nd do not want to destroy. Civilian
ion does not want to go back to the
fiddle Ages or be reduced to barbarism.
And as long as these implements of
roduction--land, machinery, raw ma
erials, railroads, and telegraphs-re-
lain private property, only compare
ively few can be the sole ownersi and
lasters thereof AS long as such i, the
ase these few will naturally use this
rivate ownership for their own pri-
ate advantage.
The highest industrial order which
ompetitive individualism has given US
nd can give US, is that of capitalist and
age earner.
A capitalist and w~age-earner order of
ociety inevitably ends in the economic
lie of a comparatively few absolute
Iasters over a numerous socially sub
,ct class.
The wage system was a step in the
yolution OF freedom but only a step.
trade-unionism and labor as
,ciations the wage system would pro.
.ce a social state lower than that of
There can be no social freedom nor
plete justice until there are no more
irelings in the world; u~ntilall be come
9TH the employers and the employed
society.
This social freedom, this complete
stice, can be accomplished only by
le collective ownership and democrat