The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1914-02-19


THE following letter almost explains
itself:
Chicago, ILL.,, Feb. 9th 1914
Dear Mr.. Watson: | enjoyed your replies to
the single taxer and Socialist letters in The Jeffer
sonian Your reply to the Socialist didn't strike
me as very good In your first reply you turn
yourself into petty foyer. man who has been
F.. enough to know that the kind of a person his
opponent is has absolutely nothing to do with the
merits of the question under discussion.
To the argument about the tools you reply that
everybody has the tools Adam had, &c. from
which you wish to infer that has as good
chance as another. Absolutely false. One man
combination of men farm implement
factory, a shoe factory, a railroad &C., and man
with only the tools Adam had would starYe now
competing against those that the factories.
Then the statement that there is waste land
and labor shouldn't kick You don't seem to
understand that ground rent is the product of the
industry of all the people, and that the private
appropriation Of socially produced values is rob-
berry, and it is insult to be told to go to some
frozen region, some swamp, or some land that
has rent value.
Then you say was never happier than when [
held pillow, &C., at $500 per month. Why don't
you do it now? Why live a second rate life when
you can get the maximum happiness on $500 per
month?
Then you say the man who owns the tools will
starye unless he gets other man to use
them. Why can't he work well as the toolless?
You say, 1--WE are all necessary to one another"
meaning the private capitalist is necessary to the
1aborer, but why can't they both own the tools in
common? In some sections the people have
abolished chattle slavery and have peonage
and wage slavery. Further development will do
away with all kinds of slavery and establish
operation. D. F. SWEETLAND.
(1) Brother Sweetland says that turned
myself into "petty foyer" IF [ did, [
assure him the change was unintentional.
When corporation lawyers call me ''dema-
gogue," and the prosperous preachers call me
"broken down politician" [ always plead
guilty, and fling myself on the mercy Of the
court.
But to be called petty foyer is some
thing new to my experience, and | am trying
to decide whether [ ought to own up.
o. [ confess that [ did not have intelli~
did not get the Office, I don't see why Bro.
Sweetland should be grumbling about it, in
the midst Of this new generation.
(3.) Mr.. SWeetland seems to get somewhat
excited about those tools. Probably, he is
afraid somebody will put him to working
with them.
The more land, mules, tools, implements,
&c, that the capitalist owns, down here, the
more he has to hustle for the labor of the man
who has nothing but his hands.
1t wasn't literally SO in the days of Adam,
of course, for at that time there was a Gods
lavish Of fruit, vegetables. fish, Aocks, &c.
The fact that the man who owns the tools
has to have the help of the man who owns
only his hands, is demonstrated every day Of
our lives. When the men lay down the tools
everything stops. The engine stays in the
round-house, the ship lies idle, in the slip,
the building stays unfinished, the freight is
halted en- route
Nothing can be done until the man, aoho
o2cn8 the tools can come to an agreement qcith
the man qvh0 uses the tools.
lS Tho Liz DG4