Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-06-20

distinguish the SoclaAs' pa ~ Aloin d
oroantzations, even though ~ther,
no other radical differences. Asl
.v Socialist who understands thu
-inciples of the party whether he be
o. IN the ultimate victory of So
..,;sm and he will unhesitatingly ex
,ross his confidence that sooner Of
,or Socialism will be established. Re
nobIicans, Democrats, reformers, non
nortisans. 90 and goo COOS may worl
Tor the organization they are support
80 ana hope that their work will bring
snccess; they may even sometimes BIG
doluded into believing that they are
orping for a principle, but faith that
.beir principle will triumph they have
MT The Socialists, however, never
donbts that his cause will triumph. He
INV cot the date of the success of his
Marty at an earlier or later date, but
hat victory will be won is not a CUES
ti6f=epen to argument.
l. This blind confidence of ours that
40 will win our goal is not mere blind
foitb 1t is not the acceptance of the
words of "a prophet that we will win
our way to the land of milk and
honey. We are not taking on trust the
nromise of better world to come.
Our confidence lit is not faith because
+ has a material basis) is the result
NJ our study of the development OF
tre means Of wealth production, and
oBr belief that the human race has
reached a stage of intellectual develop
mebt whihc precludes the possibility
NJ the continuance. of slavery for the
many for the benefit of the parasitic
few.
The material basis of our confidence
is the development of socialized indus
trv During the past century there has
been a mighty force at work which
has reyolutionized the method of pro-
dueng wealth.
This force has manifested itself in
two ways-in mechanical development
and the organization of the productive
forces of society.
Practically all the wonderful ma
chinery of production which has made
our productive powers from ten to a
hundred and in some cases many
hundred times as great IS they were
Deryiously was developed during the
Nineteenth Century, and a large part
of it during the closing quarter OF
that century. In every shop, in every
factory, in every manufacturing estaD-
lisbment, the industrial revolution has
been going ON. The labor power OF
skilled mechanics has been replaced
by mechanical forces under the con-
troll of the machine operator. Old ma
cbinery has been discarded for more
efficient aRd productive machines.
From the days of the hand loom to
the gigantic and intricate power loom
turning out hundreds Of yards OF
cloth to every one previously produc-
ed is not a long period of time, but the
contrast is none the less great.
Measured in years the period De-
tween the printer setting type by hand
and printing with a hand press ana
the type-setting machine and the press
into which paper is fed from a roll
on one end and the finished newspaper
is produced at the other, is not great
but the gulf between the old and the
new is none the less WIDE.
The multiplication of labor saving
machinery during the past twenty-five
years has been wonderful. Everywhere
the old, primitive method of hand work
has given way before the new, enorm-
ously enhanced productive fofce-tne
machine.
We Socialists often use the phrase
the coming social revolution" When
We speak of the revolution to come
We mean the adjustment of the other
Institutions of society to the industrial
changes which have already taken
place We need no longer forecast inc
Industrial revolution. The revolution
in the economic basis Of society
Industrial revolution-is already here
TIE development of machine proouc
ton has socialized the production o.
wealth. Whereas previously the IN
sdiyidual worker produced a finished
article today the work is DIVIDED
and sub-divided, AMI each worker does
only small part of the work OF pro
duction Machine production has alse
brought together many workers II
single establishments. Where prev
iously from ten to hundred mel
worked fogether we find today IRON