The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-02-02
Compulsory Social lnsur-
ance Is Condemded.

|
ionists and railroad brotherhood ex-
ecutives.
Grand Chief Stone of the Bro
therhood of Locomotive Engineers,
read statement against compul
sorry insurance by President Comp
ers, who is attending the quarterly
session of the A. F. of L. execu-
tive council at Washington.
Social insurance cannot remove
or prevent poverty" wrote Presi
dent Gompers. 1T does not get
at the causes of social injustice.
The only agency that does get at
the causes of social injustice. The
: only agency that does get at the
causes of poverty is the organized
labor movement Social insurar ce,
in its various phases OF sickness in
surance unemployment insurance,
death benefit, etc, only provides
the means for tiding over an emer-
gency The labor movement aims
at constructive results.
The real permanent benefits
that come into the lives of the
workers, those which are felt from
day to day and not merely during
/ times of special need, are brought
= about by the trade union move
ment.
The trade union movement
does not detract from the power or
the opportunity of wage earners.
On the other hand, methods for
: providing social insurance delegate
to outside authorities some of the
pow-rs and opportunities that
rightfully belong to wage earners.
THE trade union movement
does not detract from the power or
the opportunity of wage earners.
On the other band, methods for
providing social insurance delegate
to outside authorities some Of the
powers and opportunities that
rightfully belong to wage earners
, At first only a limited amount of
authority and power may be dele
gated to and exercised by the gov.
eminent agent, but the application
! of eveu hat little power constitutes
, Limitation upon the rights and
freedom of wage earners and creates
situation which has in it the
j, germs of tyranny and autocratic
, power. Governmental power
: grows by that upon which it feeds.
, Give an agency political power and
1t at once tries to reach out after
more.
Compulsory social insurance
, cannot be administered without ex.
ercising control over wage earners.
This is the meat of the whole mat
ter. Industrial freedom exists only
6 when wage earners have complete
control over their labor power. To
delegate control over their labor
power TO an outside agency takes
away from the economic power of
those wage earners and creates an
other agency for power. Whoever
has control of this new agency ac-
qulres some degree of control over
the workers There is nothing to
guarantee control over that agency
to the employed. 1t may also be
controlled by employers. In other
words, giving the government con-
troll over industrial relations creates
a fulcrum which means great power
LCi oil un kHOWu uSEI.
Compulsory social insurance is
in its essence undemocratic. The
first step in establishing social in
surance is to divide people into two
groups-those eligible for benefits
and those considered capable to care
for themselves. The division is
based upon wage earning capacity.
The governmental regulation tends
to fix the citizens Of the country
into classes and even divide the
wage workers into classes, and a
long established insurance system
would tend to make these classes
rigid.
"The workers of America adhere
to voluntary institutions in prefer
ence to compulsory systems which
are held TO be not only impractical
bic, but a menace to their rights.
welfare and liberty.
ITO delegate to the government
or to employers the right and the
power to make compulsory vista
tions under the guise of health con,