The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-10-02

road men was guilty of appalling cowardice.
 That is a most interesting expression | of opinion. When the railroad com- panies found the situation dead locked. they appealed to Wilson. | And when Wilson gives in that the eight hour day is sound in principle. he is guilty of equalization! Obviously had Wilson decided other wise, he would have been all that he should be in the bankers opinion.
 Now it is not safe to declare .aht Wilson was immune from popular clamor, and that in deciding ill favor of the eight hour day he did not succumb to the temptations Of the political situation to certain extent. But what man is immune from popular or other pressure?
 Take these bankers. How do they obtain their power? Why are they listened to with such respect? Why do the papers reprint their utter ances as each were pearl of wis dom? Why do pulpiteeTs and preachers, politicians and press re- porters all fall over one another to adjust their views in decorous re spect to the views of the bankers
 In truth the trouble is that all are guilty of appalling cowardice. Hu- man beings have enabled some to control the means whereby others live. To obtain the means of sab sistence. those who have to obtain access thereto, must be ready to ac- comodate themselves to the require ments of those who control the means of living. In other words the bankers wield whip as powerful as can be imagined to keep in line those who might otherwise kicl. the l traces.
 They rule because the rest of lis are too cowardly to deny them d right which is founded upon the ] omnipotent force is contro! of the economic power. That is why the commercial magnates, the Iinancia! magnates, the industrial maFnates have such terrific power ard why it is we are all guilty of the ap- paling cowardice of submitting thereto.
 The popular clamor which rnsists this authority of the economically supreme is as nothing. And hence the power of the railroad brother hoods is quite an unimportant mat ter compared to the economic power of the railroad presidents. IL is manifest that Wilson was, as a man between the two, unable right ly to decide and he compromised He supported the eight hour day, and insisted upon the employees eli minating their penalized overtime demands.
 It appears to the bankers that he is guilty of enormous cowardice be- cause he favors the employees. but they would never have complained had he succumbed to their economic power, and sided as so many of the politicians do side. with the privi never see cowardice in that. It is too much the normal condition il every community. It is accepted as the right and proper thing to do tc succumb before the demands ot those who control the means where by the rest live. It is done every day. It is highly respectable. It is conventional. It is endorsed by com mon sense in all practical men. Il is wisdom.
 Yet men have known that this economic power is menace to per sonal freedom. It has been borne in upon them that it is subversive of democracy, of popular control, O. individual independence and that 1. why there is a great, wide, all en composing movement today tt establish an industrial democrac! where the few will no longer con trol the means whereby the masse live, but ill the socialization of pro duction and distribution, the entir
 scheme of society will be altered s' that no man or set of men will mak ; any man or set of men afraid t.
 act as they feel is right, and as the , could do no other.
 } That will be something. It wil
 be everything. It will restore tn
 human being to the plane of free dom which he, as an individual "has loved long since but los | awhile"