The Irish standard., 1914-04-04
Plain Facts For Workingmen

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The bamb oozling act of the Indus
trial Workers of the World and the
Socialist leaders whose appeal meets
with some success, causing thousands
of honest workingmen to believe
things that are not true, is not only a
crime against the nation, but a great
er crime against the working class it.
self. The whole propaganda Of these
radicals is to teach class hatred, to
arouse the class spirit and class anita
gonism everywhere. There whole To-
gis is based upon propaganda that
is false from start to finish. And
their propaganda is one that pro-
duces discomfort of the dishonest
kind, produces the dishonest sabot-
age and a delight to "cheat the
boss. /" which. in the long run, means
cheating themselves, says Fred Noyes
in the Live Issue.
Workingmen are told that they are
the salt of the earth, that whatever
they do is right and will be defended.
A peaceable strike for higher wages
or shorter hours. even If successful.
brings no Joy to these Socialistic pi-
rates. Workingmen are told that
they produce everything and receive
only a bare living: that the capital
lists cheat them out Of the greater
part of what they produce, and that
in order to have it all they must join
the I. w. w. or the Socialists, and
take possession of all the land, the
factories, the shops. in a word, all
productive capital. when they will
proceed to create two or three thou
snad dollars per worker per year,
and these medicine men," like all
the other medicine men that ever
cursed the earth, tell the workers
that the United States census proves
all this, proves. they say, that with
the Cooperative Commonwealth once
in operation no one will work more
than four hours a day and receive
less than two or three thousand dol
lars year for such short-day labor.
Workingmen who believe this sort
of rot naturally come to hate the
boss to hate the church, because the
church will not aid them in bring
ing about Socialism, hate the militia,
the police and any and every author
ity which seeks to enforce obedience
to the laws and to maintain lawful
government and a decent society.
Now. the United States Census
does not show that the workers of
this nation are producing two to
three thousand dollars year. What
it shows is that only about 100000
100000 in wealth is produced annu-
ally in this nation. At the present
time there are somewhere around
100000 to a4.oo0.000 people in
this nation employed at gainful occu-
pations. It may be that 1000, 900
of these are employed at some occu-
pations that. strictly speaking, are
not wealth producing. Such. for in
stance. as policemen (under Social
ism we would need twice as many
policemen as at present, if the past
history of the I. w. w. and the So
cialist factions are any criterion of
future action by these waring ele-
ments). Such, too. as school teach
ers. but would there be any less num-
ber of teachers under Socialism? If
we are to believe the Socialists we
would add 100000 to this army
alone under the Cooperative Com
monwealth, and If we paid them only
IS a day (average) this would make
an extra cost Of nearly s1,5OO,OOO,-
600 annually. The number of doc
tors would have to be doubled and
this would cost us another billion a
year. The 100000 postal clerks. let
ter carriers, etc., would be increased
to 100000. which would add, say at
IS day, the sum of 100000, 900
year to the cost Of government.
Perhaps we might get rid of all
insurance agents, all real estate
agents. etc.. etc., but even these
would not be enough to add to
the teaching force, and the postal
force alone.
Then we come to the productive
forces. Take. for instance, the rail-
roads. We now employ 1,75O,0OO