The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-14
EMPLOYMENT PROBLEM
UNDER SOCIALISM
Fear Of Want Will Soon Leave
Peoples Minds.
THERE WILL Be WORK FOR ALL

The Socialist remedy for disempIoy-
ment is 10 take the employment of the
people from private hands and place 1t
In their own hands. to be managed by
their government. made democratic
and subject to their will In every par
ticunr.
This can be done only through the
people owning the things with which
they work. When they owned the sim
pie tools that once were used and could
get portion of land to work when
land was cheap they could employ
themselves. They can no longer own
the big machinery of production indi-
vidunlly. II they are to control 1t, be
able to employ themselves. they must
do 1t by owning it collectively.
When few people own the machin-
cry which the many must use they can
keep those people without employment
at their Will.
| They become autocrats of industry.
This is why you must ask for job.
They will not employ you unless they
see prospect Of making profit from
your labor. II they make profit from
you you do not receive the full value
Of your product. Ownership Of the
tools becomes the means OF exacting
tribute from you. That tribute insures
that you will always remain poor and
that the owners Of the teols must
grow richer and richer
IL the whole people owned the ma
chinery with which things are produc-
cd and distributed 1t follows that they
would all be able to employ them
selves. II would be of necessity the
public policy to so adjust things as 10
give every owner an opportunity to
work II there should be such thing
az overproduction then 1t would result
In leisure or vacations for all More
over. all would have means whereby
they could afford to take vacations.
There could be no more toll taking.
The workers would receive the full
equivalent Of what they produced in
stead Of a small portion of it, as now.
Even II 1t should not be paid to them
the overpus. now called profits. would
come back to them as the owners. This
would at once end poverty and the
evils that go with it.
The Socialist proposition is that the
people shall organize society and IN
dustry to do things for themselves in
stead of trusting that to individuals
/ who have no interest in it except to
make money from 1t. Socialists ask
! the completion of the work of civiliza-
| ton that was begun many years ago.
At one time the roads were privately
owned, and there were tollgates at in
tervals. Now they are publicly owned
and tollgates are at an end. But there
are tollgates on the railroads and in
the markets, because they are private
! ly owned. At one time the carrying Of
mail was privately done and you paid
whatever owners could get. Now 1t is
collectively owned, and you get every
thing at cost. The express business
has been private monopoly until the
parcel post came, and you know al
ready how the public institution is saw
ing the people money. At one time the
schools were private and only such as
had money could pay tuition. When
the public school came 1t meant that
nearly everybody was enabled to learn
how to read and write
Socialism proposes merely an extern
sion of the principle employed in these
things In order to enable all to live
without being held up by private In
| terests.
There are those. of course, who will
tell you that Socialism favors free
love, Is against religion and other sim
liar nonsense. They are merely try
Ing to keep you from throwing Off the
| yoke because they In some way profit
| from your xploitation-either that or
they 20 not understand Socialism in
tends only to free you, to enable you
to do and think for yourself.
Others very innocently ask where
we can get the money for doing all
| these things. We will get it precise
ly where the present masters of in
dustry get it-frem the people who
can work, from ourselves, by turning
our custom to ourselves rather than
to tribute takers. Only In doing
things for use rather than profit we
will save the entire tribute of rent,
interest and profit, so that instead of
making the few fabulously rich we
will make all secure from want. from
Unemployment and from war