Denver labor bulletin., 1916-05-27
Denver, Colo, May "a, 1916.

Denver, Colo, May "a, 1916.
Editor Denver Labor Bulletin:
A thing that should interest every
laboring man is the work being done by
the committee that is drafting new
school laws for Colorado. For many
years labor leaders have been insisting
that our school laws be revised, and they
should now pay close attention to the
way the work is being done. To be good
critics, they, of course, must have clear
ideas on the right kind of work they
want the schools to do with moulding
opinion, and as public opinion is the
great governing force in this country,
they should see to it that correct opin-
ions-especially along economic lines
are implanted in the minds of the pupils.
Every labor leader has learned in the
school of experience, that while all
wealth is produced by labor, it is dis
tributed by law, and that under our
present laws-which find their main
support in the opinions formed in our
public schools-those who produce the
most wealth get least of it. They know,
therefore, that the great problem for
this generation to solve, is not how to
produce more wealth, but to SO change
our laws, that all wealth will be equit-
ably distributed. They know, too, that
in order to secure an equitable distribu-
tion of wealth the science of political
economy must be taught in our public
schools. Indeed, that is the main reason
why they have been insisting that our
school laws be revised.
The crying need for a revision of these
laws on economic lines is revealed by
every boy and girl and by every young
man or woman who crowds into the
ranks OF labor from our public schools
I 1t is always easy to see that they are
not prepared for the struggle that lies
before them. The are taught in the
schools that their success in the indus
trial struggle depends upon their indus
I try. their diligence and their frugality
and so they begin the struggle by set.
I ting each other a pace that kills. In q
I few years many of them, OF course, arc
relecated to the scrap heap, where they
either become criminals or swell the
army OF the unemployed This result
has been observed by every intelligent
wage Garner and by nearly every farmer
and that is the reason why the cry has
gone forth that our school laws must be
changed
/ And il should not be hard for the com.
mittee to see what kind Of a change is
needed Every student will some day be
n citizen, and our schools should not
only teach him what his civic relations
are. but they should also teach him the
true nature of the economic forces
which determine those relations. II the
student become factor in our indus
trial system. he must either be a land
lord, laborer or capitalist, and he
should no longer be kept in ignorance OF
the great natural laws which regulate
the distribution of wealth in the form
of rent. wages or interest. among thest
three factors. When he knows what
these economic laws are, he will be pre-
pared to vote intelligently, when s
change is proposed in the conventional
laws. which violate them
Every labor leader now sees that Il
is general ignorance of economic science
and consequent unpreparedness to vote
iptelllingently that has brought our in
dustrial system into the chaotic statt
it is now in. II our school children hat
received as much instruction in econom'
les as they received in the other exact
sciences. whose names end in les, sucf
as mathematics, physics, etc, sixty pei