Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1915-03-17
INDUSTRIAL EVOLUTION
AND CLASS STRUGGLE
San Frnnciseo Far The Product Of
Labor.



In feudal times. when the noble lord
dth"d those not possessing rank or title
sat below the salt" al the table In the
lofty dining han OF the castle. OF course
tN" places. he placed the mobiles and
knights and the honor.d ones at the head
and those who wote not mobiles and
knights he seated below the salt, which
seemed To be the dividing line.
Great changes have taken place In the
world since then Industrial evolution
and the march OF the centuries has left
trtfn hehfnh IN the wake of human pro-
gress. To be examined by sntiausrians and
those who love TO dive and delve In the
dust 1f past ages
but a great many relies Of old ideas are
siill doing duty In the human brain. Tn.
dyinely assigned places OF those Of In
f.rior station still hold good. As the de-
scendants Of those who sat below the
tn the same seat the Almighty placed for
them In ages gone HIS decr..s are ir-
retocable as regards inferiori,y. but AS
Taft and others say. he works In a mys
terous way His Wonders to perform
In those old days /, was considered q
sla," rad no soul Just as some people
cantend.d that black man was not a
human being most people Will now con
csde thar II was a wrong view. They Will
admit he had soul AMI was human. The
slaN. and serf have evolved into the pre-
sent Wag" worker aud still sit below the
salt liz occupies an inferior position
h. Is IA work animal. who NAV or NAV
But, lurking In the brain Of the modern
industrial lord Is the idea that he, the
worker. is inferior and without rank or
title.
In the city of San Francisco, just inside
the Golden Gate the most beautiful and
artistic OF all inteIna'lonal expositlons
their domes. towers, statuary. and artistic
surroundings are "A magnificent monume mt
TO those who designed and built them
thousands OF workers in the past few
years have given their skin. their strength
and their health. They have toiled In the
sun and rain and fog. Their very lives
have been sacrificed In the risky and haz :
ardous work OF climbing hundreds OF feet
In the air In the necessary act OF erecting
those who were engaged to labor were
| "grsciously given passes OF admittance TO
the grounds and numerous guards were
employed to see that no wag. slave could
get In without the necessary permission.
These passes were good for two daily ad-
missions SATURDAY., February 70. was the
stamped with the word void which
means no free admittance for the work
ers on that date. In effect the promotins
plute Gays to the worker. We bought and
paid for your blood and sweat We are
| not interested In you any further. You
are below the salt Without the price
you can't come In.
TIE MsAsv. E.pioises.
This Is a powerful searchiight thrown
upon the psychology of the modern ex.
ploiter. There IL no recognition OF wha,
|
He erected these beautiful structures and
| filled them with the things necessary and
useful To human society. The product OF
his skill and brain Is gathered from ali
over tn. world that millions may come
and gaze with rapture on the works of ART
that twentieth century science has pro-
ducei.
The dollar headed capitalist can see
nothing but money value In the work
er's work These sofdid mer.enarie,
fee can only see the eagle. above whose
wings 10 stamped In God we Trust" or
sanized labor has conceded to these ex-
| position promoters many advantages. In
| some crafts a lower wage scale was main
| tained inside the fence than was paid out.
side and by the agreement no strike,
were to take place during the buildins
period Hut these concessions do not In
any way alter the opinion Of the exploiter,
regarding the workers. They would not
even concede To them as "A complimentar,
I ticket the coupons on their passes foi
| opening day.
| cents admission. but II Is the principle
| that lies back OF 1t. No surer evidence
exists that labor power Is a commodity
| bought and sold at its market price. when
| the commodity has served Its purpose II
| IL cast aside. there being always an abun-
dant supply on hand. The message that
| ls reVerberating around the world TO the
workers is "plscard forever the old idea
nf the slave past. that you are Inferior
Show the masters OF the means and
sources OF life. that II is they who should
| b. considered inferior. They are para
sites on the worlds workers and only
those who have a right TO exist are they
who perform useful labor"
| The exposition workers could have re.
| scented this insult by refusing to work
1 the week previous 10 the opening and
| thus have left the finishing OF the booth.
and exhibits to the soft handed eNploiter.
| Of labor This would have been the great
es, lesson ever taught the plutes and
others who occupy the high places at tn.
| tabl. of the human family Ii would have
made 1t clear 10 them that without thes'
despised workers there would be no beau.
| tiful structures to please the artistic sens,
OF mankind
| The solution OF labors problem ther
| rests with ourselves Recognizing that W.
are the only useful class IN society, IN,
old idea 81 inferiority viii fade into ths
mists Of an age past and dead. Let "a,
organize with one purpose In view. tn.
| purpose that should inspire every worker
| The seating of ourselves by our own aid
at the table of the human family. thai
table piled high with the good things oi
| tho earth, the honored seats being fol-
these who do the worlds useful work