Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-23
microscope to find any logic in the ma

microscope to find any logic in the ma
jority OF them.
Twice in one chaper Work says
Capitalism carries within Itself the
germ that dooms it to DEATH" What is
! that germ? He say IA capitalist Is
only q capitalist in 50 far as ne rakes
into his own Golfers the earnings of
| others by owing the means of produc-
ton and distribution directly or indi-
rectly He may get this income through
dividends, or rent, or interest,", or
profits or unearned salary" If that IS
the definition for capitalist, we have
! had capitalists the past thousand years.
Yet the majority Of our great men
have risen from the ranks
| He says Capitalism STILES indlvld-
uality" If capitalism STILES Individual
| ity how did Lincoln rise and Garneid
and Grant and Edison? Fifty years
hence history will show men who nave
not been stifled, who In spite OF thelr
| poverty have aspired and achieved.
He says 1.-The line of battle Is the
! working class against the capitalist
! class" Which side would a laborer
and misflt marriages are due to cap
italism." / would ask him if it is capi-
talisn1 that is causing Upton Sinclair,
Chesterfield and many other people
who have applied for divorce and are
wealthy? There is a larger proportion
OF wealthy grass widows and grass
| widowers than divorced poor people
See February issue Of Rip Saw. No,
Mr.. Work, you can't lay the divorce
evil to the capitalist class. You'll nave
choose who had money in the bank at
per cent or in the postal savings bank!
He is both a working man ana cap
italist.
Another statment of Works Is Short
sighted persons are unable to see that
divorces are due to misfit marriages
to trump up something else.
He is authority for this statement:
CAS- for the church with minor excep-
tons the capitalists dominate 1t ana
use it for their own purposes. Ihey
hold the purse strings of the church
The purse strings connect with the
preachers tongue. When the preach
er's tongue gets unruly the capitalist
gives the purse string yank.' When-
ever a man can make the assertion that
even our ministers are dishonest and
can be bought with money and our
voters can be purchased with gold now
can he have the audacity to advocate
community of interest with such PEG,
pie and popular management OF all
means Of production and distribution
by such people.
Mr.. Work says: "If you have money
invested in the means of production
and distribution you own the peoples
means of subsistence. To own their
means Of subsistence is identically the
same thing owning them involving
the same principle as chattel slavery
Mr. York you will have a hard propo-
sition on your hands to prove TO the
farmers, the merchants, the mechan-
les, the saving, the investors and the
widows and children with their mite
invested or drawing interest that they
are as bad as the people who held
chattel slaves sixty years ago. You
have defined these people as capital
legislators, break laws, commit perjury,
etc.
Another statement of his is ''The only
true patriotism there is in America is
the socialist party" Overlooking the
egotism Of this statement would like
to ask If there Is not more patriotism
in person who zealously guards his
country's interests against the public
whims; who refuses to see her forsake
the beaten paths of progress and go
bubble chasing. He also claims social
ism is inevitable because of the GER
tainty of individuals to work for it as
soon as they realize it is to their inter-
est to do SOL claim 1t only interests
proletariats who are very much in the
minority, incapable of rising when
given the same opportunities to rise
that others have who do rise.
These people have my sympathy and
I believe should have the helping hand
extended to them but to give to them |
the superintendency of our diversified
industries would be the height Of folly.
Socialists who advocate confiscation
make so much political capital out Of
the emancipation proclamation, but If
they would study their history they
would understand that the slaves were
not confscated.$ ",
Socialists cover up the real issue
which is individualism VS.. socialism,
by their attacks on capitalists and cor
ruption. Now I am not opposed to re-
form but T claim that corruption is
not an offspring Of individualism but
a parasite and that more parasites will
feast on socialism. Although Socialism
is young and has not many advocates,
the percentage Of corruption among So |
cialists is sufficient to Offset the per-
Of corruption among the adj
vocates Of individualism and if you
are going to make this the basis Of
your attack on individualism you may
expect the compliment returned.
Socialism places the government |
ahead of the individual and the govern
ment exists for and by virtue of the
Individual; it curbs the power of man;
it throws damper on the ardor OF !
youth; it dissolves self-reliance; 1t
places opportunities before capabilities, |
when the opportunities already exist
and the expansion Of an individual
depends upon his ability to grasp |
these opportunities. Socialism places
everybodys ability to produce on a |
par: it denies the assertion that man |
ascends by worth and merit; it makes
promises that it will be impossible to
fulfill it is like the statement Of i
Tommy Kinds in Upton Sinclair's book
1.-The Jungle" If the well goes dry, the |
horse balks, the pasture burns up, the
corn fires, the hogs get the cholera,
your wife has lost her temper and the |
baby has the collie, why the capitalists |
are to blame for it all and just vote
the socialist ticket and it will come out
all right.
Here are few questions I would like |
to ask any socialist DESTROYS Of answer
ing them: &c. '5"'
What public good would result from |
the making into law Of these three ,
planks in the socialist state platform |
Of 1910?
prohibition of use Of state militia, |
the police force, and the court injunc-
tons in labor disputes.
"A state law fixing a minimum wage |
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