The Mena weekly star., 1913-07-17

HE MEN exist. It is true, Charlie, that these men are crushing the hopes. the aspirations, yes, the very lives out of millions of our fellOw-men. They are monopolizing the means of life so that the poor are dependent upon them for a job.
 Being dependent upon the capi- tahst for job, we become depend- ent upon them for our lives. If, then, Charlie, the capitalist refuses us a job, he takes our lives, unless we steal or rob for a living, and then we become criminals, to be punished The capitalists drive the children into the fields and mills and work them to death grind them into gold. They drive our girls into poverty, and hence into prostitution. shame and de- bauchery. Charlie. they cause the crime, the misery the want and the despair of the world. They do this, Charlie, by their desperate struggle for the dollar. But. Charlie. would you be surprised if I should tell you that after all these capitalists are not bad people at all? Do you know that they cannot help all this? Charlie. are you not aware that they are as helpless as a lamb in the shambles? Do you know that they are forced to do this in the competitive struggle which private ownership cOmpels? But they are doing wrong, you say. Why, they are violating Gods law. Why don't they live christian lives? Well. look here Charlie, are they not forced to get the cheapest labor they can? Would they not go out of business if they did not? Charlie, just look at that old deacon in the church. He owns a cotton mill and he works hundreds of lit tie girls from the ages of to 13- and he has such an unSanitary mill and works his girls so hard that they only live on an average of about five years. That's the aver age life in the southern cotton mills, according to government reports. That one man kills hundreds of girls each year by working them to death. while the parents of the children cannot get a job to save their lives. What is the matter with that old deacon? Is he not big sinner? You say: Why does he not live a christian life? Well, now Charles let suppose that this old deacon tries to live a christian life for awhile. Of course there may be some dispute about what constitutes a christian life, but we will suppose that it is something like this; First. he cleans up the mill and VentiIates it so the work CTS can get plenty of fresh air. Then he will shorten hours so the workers will not be held twelve hours. Instead, Charlie of having two tWelNe-hOur shifts he will run three eight-hour shifts. Then he will raise wages. He will give wages high enough for a man to work and support his family. Then of course the children will walk out and go to school and their fathers can come in and take the jobs and 90 to work under modern conditions. Now, Charles. suppose the good old deacon did this. What would be the result? Over on the other side of town, or over in some other town, is another man who Is not interested in living a chris tian life. He is in business to make the most money. He continues to hire the cheapest child labor and keeps the same unsanitary condi- tions and the same long hours. And of course the cost of production will not be half so great to him as to the old deacon. and then he can undersell the deacon, and cant you readily see, Charlie, that the old deacon would go out of business and become a pauper, and perhaps starye to death in short while? And noW Charlie, for the life of me, can't see where your chris tian life can possibly come in any where, either on the part of the capitalists or the workers. as long as this competitive, cut-throat system lasts. These capitalists are not bad men. They would like to be good if they only could, but this system will not let them. Let us not blame individuals and deal in personalities. Let us stop ourI fooIishnesS. Charlie, such as pray ing "lhy kingdom come on earth as it is Heaven" and then vote fo| continue this system. Let us change the system from private ownership of the social means of production and distribution.
 Yours, Charlie, for the revolution.
 Ross Ford.
 Egger. Ark.