The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-05-14
The Black Sheep.

ul1Ierence DetWeen Tue INO hiVh W''
that Jack saw man as an animal under
the sway of biologic law, while Col
Inns saw him as a reasoning creature
who by virtue of his intellect ought
TO be able to shape his environment
according to his needs.
Collins looked at him luizically then
remarked. cit sometimes looks as If
you are right. Even you with all your
desire for abstract knowledge are quite
unteachabe. After we had had told
you what to expect at the hands of
those paracites You walk right up and
stick your head into the moose like
all the rest. Your desire for job. that
is for your hereditary source of bread
drove you on like lamb to the
slaughter. There is no use advising any
one Experience is the best teacher and
many worker refuses to learn from it,
will be etemally-if it is not enough
to make man pessimistic. Then
after moments pause during which he
replenished the stove with fir bark he
continued. cit is really funny to see
what asses people are; how completely
addressing Jack directly he said. "you
knew that the workers have no rights
that the exploiters are bound to re-
speot. Still you bought that Job, AMI
went out to it believing the word of
that parasite. A bed-bug persuading its
victim that its bite would be bene.
ficial, " then folding his arms and lean.
ing far over the improvised table mis-
eyes abla7e with the fire of the pro-
Ipagandiot he went on in true soap
box styles "After all you got easy,
for you must remember that the en-
pIoyment agent is not the only one
who is ready to prey upon you" As
he said this Jack was reminded of
his experience at Anamoose and tho
words of Herman who had told him
that there would be many harpies on
bis trail whom he would have to fight
off constantly; but he made no com.
meat, in fact he had no chance for
Collins roared ON like the Falls of
Niagara. "Hhe employment agents are
only one evil fish. spawned by capital-
ism ever swarming in the sewers of
civilization. They land on the worker
wherever they find him like leecbes in
stagnant pools, incapable of production
they have to be parasitic in order 10
live. Their lives are a detriment. TO
every thing that is good and noble
in the human race"
At this point Jack interrupted him
with the remark that he was under the
impression that exploitation could only
take place at the point of production.
The objection did not worry Collins
however. He explained that there was
real distinction between the words OK.
ploitation and robbery. He defined OK.
ploitation as an industrial process es.
sential to capitalistic production
and therefore consented to by
the masses of mankind On the
other hand he defined robbery as the
direct appropriation of one IS sub.
stance by another without any return
N value or service. Exploitation is
business, robbery is a crime,n were the
words in which he summed up mis-
analysis.
This at once started an argument be.
tween Collins and Rudolph the latter
maintaining that Collins had drawn a
distinction without a difference. lie
held that all appropriation of value
was criminal; that it made no differ.
once whether it was done by business
man through bank, or by 'high
jack with a gun. To Rudolph's mind
Inc business man was simply coward
ly criminal who exercised his predatory
proclivities within the limits of a law
which Ee himself had made by the help
Of his class.
But with these views Collins coull
not agree He maintained that right
was determined by the might of onb.
tic consent; that therefore exploitation
was morally right seeing that the mas.
scs agreed to it both by their active
voice and their silent consent. "Auy
process no matter how hideous, be it
burning of witches, mutilation of in
nocencc, persecution of heretics or the
taking of surplus value is legal and
right so long as people condone it.
me minute they cease to condone it,
il Immediately becomes wrong. Robbery
is wrong for the same reason. The
masses object to being robbed directly;
they have not yetevolved intelligence
enough to recognize indirect robbery
that is exploitation. Public consent
alone determines what is business and
what is crime There is no other crite.
ron by which it can be known. Good
and bad, virtue snd sin, business and
crime are not in themselves entities,
They are modes of interaction between
masses of individuals and their en-.
vironment. Sin and crime are generally
the normal acts of our ancerstors. They
shift with every change in our en-.
vironment.
Wien Collins came to this part of
his argument Rudolph was again
agreed, and showed his approval by
quoting from the 'Kasidah'
"They change with place,
They shift with race
Ana in the veriest span of time
Each vice has wore virtues crown
All good was banned as sin and crime.p
On this we are all agreed" Jack
ratified; but 1 do not yet quite see
your distinction between exploitation
and theft"
| Exploitation is the process of get,
ting away with margin between the