davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14

/. gle. bv the brilliant guerillas and revision
ists.' II remains a cornerstone Of the So
ciaIfst edifce Surplus value Is the unpaid
labor which the worker involuntarily yields
10 his employer; It Is everything above his
wages and constitutes the lawful hlching
Of capItalism It amounts to one-har or
| three-ouarters of the value produced by
the worker Not all Of il goes TO the indi-
vIdual employer as profit; some Of it is re-
Invested in maintenance, new machinery
and so on; part goes to other capitalists
as interest, rent and otherwise; but all the
surplus value is taken from the worker.
nv the law OF wages, competition among
his own kind. the worker receives what
amounts generally 70 a bare subsistence.
He has just enough to live on ana repro
duce his species to take his place in the
! treadrnll The standard OF living varies
some workers gain better wages through
organization, there are advantageous po-
sitlons In the workshops, but the law OF
wages holds true for the mass.
Roth the class struggle and the surplus
value theory implicate the downfall OF the
/ capitalist system. Analysis OF capltalls'
/ economies shows an inevitable progress
! from competition to monopoly, then an DC
! celebrating toboggan of regulation STATE
| ownership and socialism Like its economic
predecessors, capitalism was born Win .ie
/ seeds OF self-destruction. II began 10 de-
strov itself in the days of competition. Ihe
little CAPITALISTS were devoured by the Dig
/ ones A mass Of commodities was Pio
/ duced. which the workers, with tneH Pui
chasing power limited by subsistence wages
could not buy. Thus intermittent stoppases
of production crises and panics. lnVehPioh
multiplied the means OF production An
| ou,iet for goods. a means of relnvesths
! yas, accommodating wealth and of realizing
further profits led to tie cry for ne" ihai
| kets-foreign markets. II was manl-est
\ that the capitalist countries all trouoieu
with too much goods and capital. could not
| gain by trading among themselves. But
there was hope in Japan, China and Africa
Unfortunately these countries also are Sc
! ting capitalistic Japan is a competitor III
the world race for the production ana saie
| Of commodities. And the other day lour
nations fought for the privilege OF invest
ing surplus capital in China.
Surplus capital which cannot be reinVes'-
ed at home or abroad, wealth which VIII no
longer breed profits marks the oeslnhlhs
NJ the end OF capitalism. 1t is the economic
stone wall al the end of a period. There
u.,u no universal stagnation and panic. The
universally unemployed workers. driven by
hrngor will heed the call of their more in
| ,e,ligent brethren, already organized into a
compact industrial-political body 10 give
the finishing push to system topping 10
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14
Socialists Answer o the Oft Repeated Ouer "What Socialism,

period Of growth. development decline and
extinction. When the slave economy failed
to meet social needs 1t gave way to the
sunerior feudal economy. which i'm turn out
wore its usefulness and yielded to the cap
itaIist system, which. becoming outworn,
rnust Weld TO it's logical successor, social
ism.
throughout all these economic periods
tbere have been incessant conflicts between
classes: at first between slaves and mas
tors then between serfs and lords, now
between laborcrs and capitalists There
has been an everlasting class struggle.
The opp-essed class of one period has be-
como the ruling class OF the next. The
nresent dav capitalist class was once the
bourreoi,ie merchants and traders, who
fought against the feudal system and de-
cisiyelv overthrew ii in the American AMI
French revolutions. The bourGeo!sis en-
listed under their banner of Liberty Fra
t.rnitv and Equality" those who were TO
be subjected 10 the system Of wage labor
There WAS no conscious deception. All So
ciety took a forward step in the abolition
Of the feudal system. although the chief
benefciares were the capitalists.
The working class to-day Is in conflict
with the capitalist class ana lnusl over
throw IT, When that victory is won, class
rule for the iirst time I'm the worlds his
tory. will be abolished. The class struggle
IS waged on the political and industrial field,
ir the former by political party and IL
the latter by trade unions. The class strug-
gle exists Socialists did not create II: they
point IL out. and show the workers which
side they should align themselves on. Class
hatred IS not inculcatcd, but class con-
sciousness. which IS a recognition Of the
workers rightful position I'm the struggle.
In sense it is not necessary to teach
class consciousness; all the classes Of the
past have become conscious in due time
Of their interest and purpose, and the same
would be true OF the working class Of to-
day. but II accelerates progress to have an
carly understanding OF the situation 4
clear aim and a far-seen purpose dlstn.
puish the uprising class OF to-day from all
t:s predecessors
The class struggle operates like gravita-
ton. continuously and reslstessly, and is
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14

modities Society has adjusted Itself pri-
marily TO the bread-and-butter question.
On this economic basis has been built up
a superstrccture of law. religion, ethics,
art politics. all the SNOWY paraphernalia
which was once naIvey imagined as de-
rived from abstract. ideal sources. Not
from the clouds. but from a necessary eco
nomic environment. have these legal. ethi-
cal political and other ideas chiefly come
or. at least. they have been most strongly
shaped and modified by the environment.
individuals do not always act according
TO their material self-interest. Society as
a whole is motiyed by its economic system.
History IS full of evidence to support this
view.
The economic system. again. has been
changing throughout the ages. There have
been three great, distinct systems-the slave
economy Of Greece and Rome, the fetidal
order of the Middle Ages. and the capital
list or wage system OF modern times With
each OF these fundamental changes in the
production and distribution OF commodities
there has been corresponding change in
the superstructure of law. ethics, art. poll
tics and so on. Each system has natural
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14

sciousness. hut II is the unshakable first
principle of the millions marching in the
socialist army. Carthage est delenda. Cap
italism must be overthrown and by the
sheer power of the working class. There is
an irreconcilable conflict. Philanthropy and
compromise will not serve. The grand army
OF socialism is and must be composed chief
" of proletarians, wage earners. massed
workers OF industry They are the chief
sufferers; they have tne least TO lose and
the most to gain by a social revolution. II
intellectuas, professionals. small shopkeep-
ers, taxpayers. petty capitalists join the
ranks, they must expect to keep step with
the main and most important body.
| Organized socialism does not approve OF
CARRYING on the class struggle with violent
or unlawful weapons, save in countries like
Russia, where the fundamentals of free
speech free press and voting are denied.
Surplus value, the doctrine next in i'm
portance TO that of the class struggle. is
the MARKHAM explanation of how capitalism
exploits the workers 1t is development
of the theories of Adam Smith. Ricardo
and Rodbertus Denied. like the class strug-
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14
The international Red Spectre
TraiIed to Its Native Lair,
Photographed and
Dissecteo.

its own destruction and TO establish in its
place a cooperative commonwealth.
To elucldate the sef-destructive nature
Of capitalism: In the beginning Of the sys-
tenn capitalist and laborer worked side by
side one as q master workman, the other
as journeyman and apprentice. II there
was surplus value tnen ii was yelled o. en-
tangled with wages OF superintendence,
risks of the undertaken" charge for in
struction." There was a small proht or
exploitation. The employe might easily
turn capitalist: at least he was semi-inde-
pendent The small shop became factory;
the capitalist retired 10 an office, ana
foreman or superintendent took mis- place.
The capitalist began TO have troubles OF MS
own, competing with other capitalists The
worker lost his semi-independence. "A gulr
developed between capitalist and worker.
In the great industry finally capital became
gigantic impersonal power and the worker
a cog in the industrial machine. There was
indeed once harmony, as there was a close
personal relation and mutual service, be-
tween capitalist and laborer. Their inter-
ests were mutual If not Identical But there
could be no concord between a bundle OF
securities and an army of workers. The
employees of an American railroad could not
entertain a special regard for group OF
European bondholders. owners OF the rail-
road, whom they had never seen.
Like the feudal lord. the capitalist full
filled his role in social evolution, lost all
useful functions, became a parasite and
had to CO. He used to direct and guide:
then he left everything to experts-wage
earners-and even delegated coupon clip
ping to a secretary. Society. thanking him
for his past services in organizing industry
and making everything ready for the CO.
| operative era, guaranteed him position
! suited TO his talents in the new order.
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14


III last century h
uepedyW yWet + Wa " h f e for p
d he electric " by
anin from ruder Back 4 these uoIgt OF II d Greek
Rrt
A OF st res rom n
GI w We n h hht o
beer ~ o by @ LfHb
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14
Whether or NotYou Agree with
His Theories 1t Is at Least
Interesting to Know
What They Are.
BY John r. Mcmahon.
.-HAT is socialism? ?

7HAT is socialism?
NM This question has been asked fire.
w auently and especially since the
,,s, election. which brought fifty American
stiles with previous accessions) under
socialist control. sent several Socialists to
state legislatures and indicated a national
,ots Of perhaps two millions one Socialist
,s in Congress; there will probably be sew
eraI next year Abroad the party is large
and growing factor in government Parlia-
mont. reichstag and chamber know the
nresence and power Of the movement.
What is socialism? Barring the oldtime
answers. which attacked rather than eX-
pIained which were based on the theory
that the devil took day off to invent a
compound of irreligion. chimera. anarchy
free love and so forth and labelled it
socialism. we are puzzled still by host OF
hona fde definitions. That is another
charge Socialism is everything; there
fore it is nothing. 1t does not exist; never
theless it succeeds.
tindoubtedly it is difficult to understand
socialism Likewise, says the Socialist 1t
Is difficult to understand art or science.
People do not expect to learn all about
chemistry or music in few words, Yet
they think that socialism should he made
clear to them in five minutes. In order to
understand the subject, one must read,
mark and inwardly digest There is an
analogy between the acceptance of the
theory Of evolution and of socialism. Evo.
luton. that revolutionary scientific idea OF
half a century ago. was not understood ex-
cept at the cost of hard study. II had to
overcome a host of prejudices and over
throw a multitude of primitive conc"p-
tions before II could obtain acceptauon.
Socialism likewise has TO overthrow preju-
dices and preconceived notions before II
can be apprehended. Much ground must
be cleared, many obstacles removed as
first step. Those who have been brought
up as individualists cannot expect TO un-
derstand socialism more easily than those
who were educated in the philosophy OF
special creation could entertain the tenets
OF Darwinism.
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14
HOW THEY'VE LEARNED 1T.

But If socialism is difficult to under
stand. why do so many workingmen under
stand II? They do and they don't. Those
who do have studied it; they have read much
Of the hundreds of pamphlets and books on
the subject and have heard many soap
box and lecture hall speakers They have
debated. argued, eaten and drunk on this
question. They may not know Shake
speare, but they know socialism. lheN
are generally skilled mechanics men OF
fairly good pay and short hours, VINO nave
leisure as well as capacity for study. Inc
other socialists who do not well under-
stand socialism have taken TO II by IN
stinct." The environment and atmosphere
of modern industry have brought them
into the movement Like all maSsed work
ers, their economic position has given them
an advantage in the way of understanding
They have not many mental obstacles 10
overcome in Yielding to the appeal Ihelr
experience tallies with the simple ideas OF
the movement which they grasp. II IS
dificult. to see the class struggle through
the stained glass windows Of cathedral
CT through the spectacles Of lawyer, said
a Socialist speaker lately, but man on
the firing line can see II quite easily
II is said in dcrogation that there are
Nfty-seven varieties Of socialism. Maybe
there are more. All varieties agree. how
ever. on the abolition Of the present eco
nomic system and the substitution therefor
Of a cooperative system. The differences
are over matter Of tactics; the goal IS the
same.
All socialists of every stripe and color
want to do away with capitalism, the wage
system. interest, rent and profit and TO SUD-
stitute an order of society in which every
worker shall receive the full social value
Of his product-in other words, production
for use and not for profit; social owner
shin and democratic management OF all the
social machinery and resources OF produc-
ton. This does not mean dividing up
capitalist state ownership or public owner
ship of privately or individually used aru-
oles. II means public ownership of lands
beyond individually operable holdings
mines. oil wells. forests, railroads, tele-
graphs telephones, all other means Of socia
transportation and communication. and the
social industries in oil, steel, beef sugar
shoes. furniture and so forth. Again, this
does not mean that the individual farmer
New-York tribune., 1912-01-14
VIOLENCE is NOT APPROVED.

II was stated above that organized So
ciallsm does not approve the waging Of the
class struggle with violent or unlawful
weapons in countries which enjoy free
speech. free press and the ballot. mi
nority Of European Socialists and few In
this country (syndicalists. direct actionists,
INSTRUMENTATION favor sabotage, or
the destruction of property, in strikes.
This tactic is officially and generally con-
demned in the movement. Under conditions
where peaceful propaganda is possible It Is
unwise and unjustifiable. A social revolu-
ton leading to the cooperative common
wealth is aimed at. Revolution is not in
surrection. riot, barricades, guerilla war
fare, acts of brigandage and individual
lawlessness. premature revolt would be
suicidal.
The revolution cannot be manufactured
II is the last decisive step OF long period
of evolution. How peacefully 1t VIII De
accomplished no man can say. Its super
fetal aspect of more or less warfare is
nothing compared to it's meaning In the
change Of economic conditions and all the
vast superstructure resting thereon SINH
| larly. the important fact Of the last great
! social revolution was not the tumult of l'ss.
! but the decisive supplanting OF the feudai
! economy and it's superstructure with the
capltalist system of production and cor
responding set Of legal, moral and other
| ideas and institutions. To-day the trusts.
the postoffice the schools, federal. state
and municipality owned public utilities are
evolutionary steps in a social revolution.
They precede the last decisive step.
Socialism cannot be established in sim
! Gle city or state. amid hostile nom
socialist environment, courts, legislatures
connective economic conditions. Socialism
cannot be a utopian colony, little para
dIsa IN a desert. 1t cannot be tried out on
n small scale to see how II will work any
moro than capitalism could have been tried
out in the Middle Ages. II has never oeen
tried out. Socialists have, with considera-
ble success, within the limits OF economic
and legal environment, conducted co-opera-
tive enterprises and municipal aHalrs'
thereby ameliorating the condition OF the
mass of the people, strengthening them ana
preparing them for future responsibilities
How will the privately owned industries
ba acou;red? According TO circumstances.
~, compensation, il that is feasible; other-
wise nv confiscation, exercise Of the right
of eminent domain, or proclamation Oh
Military necessity as Lincoln freed the
slaves.
II according to the theory of economic
determinism, the laws and ethics OF to-day
are class laws and ethics, which VIII DO
Continued on ffth page.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-29
matter.

"YOu mean he betrayed me?"
There Is no doubt of it. He is in
with FaEin."
The lad drew a long breath.
Il half suspected it," he said slowly.
only 1t didn't seem possible. Now
listen, and perhaps together we can
make something ont Of all this, ]
went to the place where we were to
meet, and had a talk with Grant
yes. 1t vas Grant all right. He told
ME ONE things, but needed a day or
two to get other information. While
waiting ! came over here to Elmhurst,
and found Claire. She's the kind Of q
girl you can tell things to, and wrote
out what | had learned. and left some
Of my papers. Then | went back to
Lone Tree. 1t was dark when ! got
there. and | rode right into Fagtn ana
three of his men. They had me before
| could lift n hand"
Just wait a minute, Mortimer" !
broke in, becoming suddenly aware
there was a grayness in the eastern
sky. Il want to creep in toward the
housewife 1t remains dark. You can
tell the rest as we go along. Tom
take these ropes and tie your man up
Make him safe, and then COM along
after u.s."
"All right, sir. I'll fix the LAD sc
he'll be safe enough for q While.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-29
rrIsndshlp With God,

Friendship with God is the richest
privilege that is granted to us in our
eternal life In Christ. Such friendship
means that Gods interests, desires,
purposes, will, his very life 4 ~
that makes up his life, must Da
our. Then we can talk with him free'
ly and constantly, and he with as'
about the great life-interests that he
and we have in common There WIN
be no hindrance between us, no SIN
u~nconfessed or held on to, no Wrohs
purpose persisted in, no seitsh u.
sires of any sort tolerated; In Chfiss.
all these things in us are done away
with, and God and we are one, EYeh
In the ages when men knew ~
Christ, though Christ was their salFa
ton and life, men knew this priViiess
of being friends OF God When "
hovah spake unto his friend ~
Gods word in Christ comes to u.s.
have called you friends Are "
drawing fully upon the u~nspeakapis
riches OF this proffered Friendsnip1
Are we proving our friendship Q eoa,
as well as receiving the JOY o. ~
friendship for us?
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-29

You'll find out fer yerseIt, mister"
he answered sullenly, an maybe
damn quick too"
They are in the grape avbor to the
south OF tina house" broke in Eric.
That vas where Fagin told them TO
lie quiet ard wait orders"
Then we will explore along tire
north side, keeping the fence between
us. I've got a handful Of men over
there in the orchard. II you are both
ready We'll 60"
| took a look myself at Toms rope,
tying. and found It satisfactory. In
deed, in remembrance Of my own SUI,
ferIng. | even loosened the strain q
little, confident the fellow could never
free himself unaided Then the three
Of us, Mortimer armed with his late
guards gun, crawled up over the edge
Of the bank. ran without stopping
across the open space. and crouched
in the shadow Of the fence. 1t was
still dark, although a faint gray tinged
the eastern skyline, barely perceptible
through the intervening trees. The
great house, a hundred yards away,
was but a blurred outline, distinguish
able by the lights shining out through
open windows. At that distance no
sound reached US. However, II Nor
timer was right, the way would be
clear for our passaEe along the front,
under shelter Of the fence, even
though a sentry wa8 posted there, ard
We could creep up to the walls on the
opposite side unobseryed. All we
needed to do was TO advance with
caution. Whispering directions into
the ears Of the others. ! moved for
ward slowly, Mortimer close to my
shoulder. | could see across the top
rail Of the fence, and the open space
beyond yielded no point of conceal
meHt.
Tell me the rest Of your story"
said, speaking softly, as We go along.
Where did Fagin take you?"
"To a sand cave; we rode a night
and Il day to get there"
Treat you all right"
well aA he could, | suppose. I had
enough to eat, but was guarded close
ly, and the fellows were a bit rough"
Did you gain no lukling Of what
they were up to"
No; the lei l saw knew nothing.
or pretended not to. | only saw Fagin
twice. Once he came to assure him
self that ! was really myself. Some
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-29
Power of a Word.

A single word was often sufficient
for Talleyrand to make his keene5t
retort. When a hypochondriac, who
had VIGOROUSLY led a profigate life,
complained to the diplomatist that
he was enduring the tortures of hell
Talleyrand simply answered. Al
ready?"
To a woman who had lost her hus'
band Talleyrand once addressed a
letter of coincidence in two words:
"Oh, m%adaAe!"
In less than a year the woman had
married again, and then his letter 81
congratulations was;
"Ah. :nadame!"-Karsas City Star.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-29

Two visiting surgeons at the Mas
sachusetts General hospital. a few
DAYS ago tiled of" the entire right
lung of a patient at the institution,
Although the operation was an ad'
yanced one. the surgeons said that the
anesthetic was administered accord.
ing to a new method and 1t was their
belief that the patient would ecover.
The difficulty heretofore. when ether
had been given in the normal way,
had been that the patient regained
consciousness before the operation
was concluded, In this instance the
tncision was made in the patients
back. The surgeons said that the
method was SO new that It was yet
impossible to say whether a tubercu'
lous lung could be taken out in the
same way.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-11-29
Another Triumph of Surgery

n Oklahoma are equipped with tele
phones, and the owners enjoy their
nse immensely.
A telephone agent enlisted the in.
crest of Chief White Eagle in the
TRANCE little box and wires, and soon
he warriors home was connected
with central" 1t was some time be-
ore his fellow tribesmea gave appro-
val to his recourse to thu white mans
invention. but finally, Perceiving this
ime, travel and trouble saved him
by its use, they filed solemnly into
the telephone headquarters with or
ders for installation IN their own
homes.