Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-28

one industry, it applies to all.)
The workers, now also the owners,
would have to use the machinery them
selves tc make shoes. But, being
owners. they would keep all the shoes
they made instead of only tenth.
But, my dear Mr. Shaw. this would be
socialism, only, instead of trying to
bring it about by having the workers
starve themselves for ten or fifteen
years, we believe it can only be &C.
complished by the organized efforts OF
the workers through political action.
The question Of saving will not
solve any of our economic ills. 1t Is
practically impossible for the great ma
jority of the people to save, as they re-
ceive in wages, less, on an average,
than enough to live according to the
American standard of living. They
could save by lowering the standard to
that of the oriental, but that is hardly
to be desired They may save by
raising very small families, or none at
ALL and be condemned for race sui
eide" Why did the state of Iowa lose
in population the past ten years, as
revealed by the census? Have the
natural resources Of the state been ex-
hausted, or are people finding it harder
to make a living? While an individual
should save a little IL Ne can, yet If all
could and did save, the result of the
withdrawal of large amount Of money
from the trade (not the banks, but the
trade) of the country would undoubted-
ly cause an unprecedented panic.
You ask, (Which benefits a COM
munity most, miser, spendthrift, or
an investor, and which would be the
result of socialism" The miser is
usually despised, but it takes miser
to become an investor under the pres
ent system. The spendthrift is gen
orally considered the best man by the
he patronizes. The inves-
tor is generally considered the best
man by anybody who has gold-brick
to dispose of, or some watered stock to
unload; but if he starts up a grocery
store or saloon, he is usually con-
sidered nuisance by those whose field
he tries to invade. Under socialism
We will have no misers, as no one Will
want to hoard money when he can al
ways make a living by few hours
work a day. AS spendthrifts usually
suuander money which some one else
has accumulated, there will probably
be none under socialism, unless you
class those who spend all their income
which they will have right to do.
There will be no investors, that is, IN
factories or stores, as the government
will be able to manage them 80 much
better than individuals, that the latter
would not be able to compete with 1t;
but there will be more investors in
homes. automobiles and all the COM
forts and Injuries of life than ever
could be under the present system.
You state that under the antitrust
law, thirty-four verdicts were rendered
against the trusts and seven were dis
solved. You know you can dissolve
sugar in water. 1t Is still sugar but
Won can't see It. So with the dissolved
trusts. The Northern Securities Co.,
was dissolved, Jim Hill says he had to
exchange red certificates for green
ones. Standard Oil was dissolved, and
in the few months since. its value has
by many millions of dollars.
WIN? Because 1t Is now organized
to law, and is immune from
But the price of kerosene has not
declined, and the independent oil deal
,rs who were ruined by the Standard
have not started up again to compete
With it. The American Tobacco Co.,
and others have not been any diff
'erent. do not howl because the
packers were acquitted. 1t seems to
make no difference what the verdict is,
only tried to call your wandering at
.ention to the fact that these prosecu-
ions are an absolute failure (regard-
ess of the verdicD in attempting to
.estore competition among the big
business interests of the country.
Mr.. Shaw, you sheer at the aims"
If socialism. You can't stop it that |
way. Sixty years ago the abolitionists
we're sneered at. mobbed, stoned and
TILED. A cartoon OF that time, or a
title later, shows Abraham Lincoln and
crowd Of his followers, represent
s, y : =.