St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1912-05-17
Socialist Column


crate at cost unless it plumbers the
rich 2" Still so solicitous for the
rich, and the poor can work. Well
we are not going to plunder the
rich, but merely stop the rich from
plundering the poor As to the
government being in debt every
business must pay interest Oh the
capital invested and Uncle Sam can
get capital at a less rate of interest
than any private institution.
Under government management
of industries (if strictly democrat
ic) all the profits and graft that has
been going to the capitalist, and all
the expense and waste OF competi-
ton will go to the worker in in.
creased pay. According to govern
ment reports the labor cost OF a ton
of coal placed on the cars is 6Sc.
Don { you believe that under proper
government management OF the
mines and the railroads every work
ing man could receive $40 a day
and the price of coal still be re-
duced about one half The saving
of this SO. 90 on each ton of coal
comes partly from the profits of the
capitalist and partly from the use
less expenses some OF which goes
TO furnish employment useless en-
ployment as you admit when
you state that they will be
thrown out of employment. Very
well Now, what are these men go
ing to do with their increased wa
gesl They are going to buy
things, More aud better shoes,
clothing, homes, amusemeuts and
more coal to keep the babies warm
as some OF them have never been
kept warm before. Even the mon
ey that is saved from the capitalists
will be spent as hc could not posi-
ply spend It but had TO pile It up.
And all this will furnish employ
ment. 30 that the millions who
are thrown ont OF useless jobs will
be thrown into useful ones ut great.
ly increased pay. As future gencr.
ations look back down the pages OF
history they will not see IN the dark
ages of savagory, nor IN any age
previous to capitalism anything 50
incongruous, so indicative OF utter
imbecility as the employment prob
lem Of this day. Millions starving
aud freezing for the want OF an OPP
portunily to produce food and cloth
ing. How can you, my readers,
apologize for such condition. II
the means of production were pub.
licly owned IL could not exist
"Manual labor for ALP MOI
There are many forms OF useful and
necessary mental occupations, You
show, however that you realize
that a majority OF the mental occu'
pations OF today are purely para
site.
Won't YOU please explain how the
government ownership ot a big
wooden mill in ST. Johns would
put the women ont oi employment ?
One of the graudesl things about
socialism is that Il would guarantee
TO women steady employment at
wages that would render them eco
nomioally independent OF the male
Yes, II socialism should come
about all az once, (Which Il cannot,
but must come gradually some
people who have no useful occupa-
ton, but have To live hy their wits
exploiting the work OF others, might
have To do manual labor But II
wouldn't hurt them And there
are thousands OF professional aud
small business men struggling to
make ends meet, who would glory
in the opportunity to do manual
labor provided they could be guar
anleed the full social product OF
their labor and a job always open.
And they would sleep souuder at
night, and go a-hshing ON Saturday
afternoon, aud take vacation To
the coast aud not be compelled to
worry their lives ont lor fear they
might miss an opportunity 10 beat
some other poor fellow out ot a job,
or do a good business deal
"Who will be compelled to do
disagreeable work p Nobody will
be compelled to do anything. The
will be compelled to
offer such hours and wages for
disagreeable work as will attract APP
plicants, aud the easy Jobs command
the least pay. When too many ap-
plicants ask for one kind OF work
the pay will be slightly reduced,
aud vice versa.
As to details, will the editor give
us the details of the next -four
years. Maybe Tail,maybe Roose
Welt Wilson (Woodrow, OF ] SUtt,
socialist, Clark, Harmon, la Fol
lette OF Bryan, Confidence is much
ior want of details. When
our fathers threw of the British
yoke did they have in mind the de- |
tails OF the new government ? When
we throw of the capitalist yoke We
shall not form a new government /.
aud its details need not be essen |
tally changed We would Just |
merely extend its power to include |
industries. What details would YOU .
have concerning the government /.
management OF railroads more than
you see in the government man
lgement of the mail business? De