The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-05-19
WILLIAM f. McEWEN, Publisher.
THE COST OF LIVING.

When ,lnionsts realize that wage increases
merely meet the rising cost Of living, they often
turn to Socialism. They become convinced that labor
will never receive it's just reward until all the tools
of production are commonly owned and the profit
system abolished
The Socialist ideal can be attained in either Of
two ways The workers go into politics. eve!ltu-
ally obtain full control of government, and then have
the government take over all production and dStrb
ntion Or through unionsm they can gradually in
their collective power until the day arrives
when they will be in full democratic control Of tho
industry in which they employed. At the same
time, the distribution Of food products can be So
calized by the organization Of cooperative societies.
composed of farmers and producers on the one hand
and OF consumers on the other.
Even those unonists who have sympathy with
Socialism place limit to the progress hoped for
through union organization The differences OF
opinion are largely as to methods. Some unionsts
like to take every step with their eyes on a goal
that cannot be reached today or tomorrow. Others
believe that attention should be centered on the
things that can be done today, and that unionsts
who think too much about the attainment Of some
distant goal apt to neglect the business Of the
momcnt,-tlat of taking the next STEP
is there no immediate program on which both
kinds OF unOnlsts can agree,-a program practica!
and simple enough to appeal to the most matter
fact, and yet fundamental and drastic enough to
arouse the enthusiasm Of all who are tired of half
way measures and snail-like progress?
1ncrC is Slcn program, ana II mas Tor It's OBJECT
the removal Of the most obvious and the most col
ossal injustice still prevailing in modern society. It
is program that organized labor adopt and put
through without any departure from it's present att
tude toward political parties or without requiring
any of it's members to join another organization.
Bertrand Russell, the great English pacifist tells
what this injustice is in chapter of his new book
entitled ''Why Men Fght'' He writes:
There is no justification for private property in
land except the historical necessity to conciliate
turbulent robbers who would not otherwise have
obeyed the law 1t is singular example of human
inertia that should have continued until
to endure the tyranny and extortion which small
minority able to inflict by their possession Of
the land. No good to the community, of any sort
kind, results from the private ownership of land.
If men were reasonable, they would decree that it
should tomorrow, with no compensation be-
You'd moderate life income to the present holders.
'The mere abolition Of rent would not remove
the Injustice since it would confer caprcious adj
vantage upon the occupers of the best sites and the
most fertile land 1t necessary that there should
be rent but it should be paid to the state to some
body which performs public service. Such
method would be just, and would not only help to
relieve property, but would prevent wastefu en-
ployment OF land and the tyranny of local magnates
Much that appears the power of capital is really
the power Of the landowner-for example, the power
of railway companies and mine The evil
and injustice of the present system glaring but
mems patience of preventable evils to which they
accustomed is great that it is impossible to
guess when they will put an end to this strange
absurdiy''