New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-01
THE WORKERS FAMILY
How Its Size Operate, Against the Political
Success of Labor
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor OF Inc lIlpuhe' -
Sir: The recent discussion OF the smali
family idea in The Tribune calls to mind
rather curious situation in German puolio
opiuion on the subject, as disclosed IN the
discussion which ragged there in the months
lust before the beginning OF the war Inc
members of the Social Democracy were gen
erally in favor not only of the right but oil
the duty Of the Limitation of the families OF
the moor; but there was a small though IN
fuentisl and able section OF the Democracy
which was actively opposed to the propa'
ganda While this latter attitude was ideh'i'
cal with that Of the Church and of the en-
nlovin, class. il was naturally taken upon al
entirely different ground. The benehclarle'
Of the wage system, a matter OF course
were interested in maintaining large class
Of labor upon which to draw and which could
be used in competition with ITSELF and the
Church. as the retainer of the employing class
occupied itself in appealing to religious Tear
TO help enforce the will of its masters. Ut
the other hand. the Social Democrats who op'
posed the Limitation of offspring did so IN
the hope that the very numbers OF the work
ers and their consequent desperate poverty
would result in revolution.
That this opinion was shortsighted anc
based upon a msconceptlon of the foundation
of political or governmental control (whlcr
would have TO be secured if a revolution were
to be efFective) il is easy to point out. Inc
historic fact that il is economic power anc
not numbers which governs in any commu'
nifty is the basis Of the argument. In polltl'
cal democracy like the United States II Is
economic interests which elect the lawmakers
or dictate legislation. or falling both OF these
evade the full force of adverse laws through
favorable court action. These economic IN
terests need not be financial. They may be
those Of land-owning class, or manufact'
uring class, or, as we have lately seen, OF the
working class.
The application to the working class of the
fact that il is economic power which results
in political power or control is that 1t Is
through such organization as will enable
them to control the only commodity they pos
sess. their labor power, that they can force
governmental action in their interests. In the
recent threatened. railroad strike this was
clearly demonstrated. 1t was enough that
through intelligent organization the railroad
brotherhoods could give or withhold, and thus
control, their labor power The inevitable
result was a measure of political control suf-
fcient for their purpose. Congress, the
President and the whole country were at the
mercy of this tremendous demonstration OF
economic power, and the general horror which
was expressed was not because such power
had not in the past invariably controlled po-
litical action. but because for the first time
perhaps, in history IL was the power Of the
working class instead of the capitalist or
other owning class which manifested
The metamorphosis then begun will be com
plete when there is only one class, that of
the workers using their own tools Of produc-
ton, and when the government is its crea-
ton.
But this can be brought about only through
intelligent organization, which presupposes a
proletariat able to think. Large families in
a condition of squalid ignorance do not con-
duce to this end. Therefore, the true interest
of the workers is in a smaller, more intelli-
gent and more prosperous wage class.
New York, Nov. 2S, 1916. PORTIA.