The New York herald., 1921-01-02
American Born Ultra Radical Agitator Much
in Public Eye Again by Scheme to
Unite All Workers,

low workers have so successfully done with
theirs"
1t is interesting to note in connection with
Fosters announcement of the establishment
of a national organ Of the Workers Educa-
tional League" that in his book on Syndi
calism he says that the usual French method
of organizing is to establish a paper devoted
to Syndicalism. Through the columns of
this paper they propagate revolutionary
ideas, standardize their policies. instigate
strike movements and organize their attacks
on the conservative forces in the unions
A fighting machine Is thus built up which
enables the Syndicalists to act as unit and
to exploit their combined power.
The basis Of Fosters expressed social
philosophy is. this
Although this country IS supposed to be
the land of freedom. Justice and equality
nevertheless whichever way we turn we are
confronted with the most glaring social in
equality. On the one side we see myriads
of workers toiling at a furious pace, yet suf-
fering under a crushing poverty, and on the
other side minority of idlers. doing nothing
useful for society yet revellng in boundlesf
luxury and wealth."
These views, Of course, are neither orig
inal nor new. They were proclaimed by
every Populist orator thirty years ago and
they have been scattered throughout the
social literature of ali countries since the
days Of Carl Marx, not to go back to Rous-
seau.
Would Regulate Production
As Well As Distribution
Fosters remedy Is more original. The
millennium Of universal justice and happi-
ness, In his opinion, is to be attained through
the regulation Of production as well as Of
distribution, and the entire elimination of
both wages and capital Under his pro-
posed system-an era of science and justice
the makeshift institution which we call
Government. becoming useless, will shrivel
and die. War will disappear; likewise the
jails and the criminal classes. Everything
will be controlled by the workers"
"The wages system" he says, rs the
most brazen and gigantic robbery ever per-
petrated since the world began. So disas-
trous are its consequences on the vast
armies of slaves within its tolls that it is
threatening the very existence of society
If society is even to be perpetuated-to say
nothing of being organized upon an equi-
table basis-the wages system must be
abolished. The thieves at present in control
Of the industries must be stripped Of their
booty. and society so organized that every
individual shall have free access to the So
cial means Of production This social reor-
ganization will be a revolution. Only after
such a revolution will the great ineaualf-
These doctrines are a hodge-podge OF
Sovietism and French Syndicalism, and
Fosters book on Syndicalism bears some
evidence in places of literal translation
Of French literature on that subject.
According to Foster. although many OF
the minor details Of the organization plan
Of the new society can only be guessed at.
many of its larger outlines are fairly clear.
One Of these is that there will be no State.
The Syndicalst sees in the State only an
instrument of oppression and a bungling
administrator of industry, and proposes to
exclude It from the future society. He secs
no need for any general supervising COVER
mental body and intends that the workers
in each industry shall manage the affairs
of their particular industry.
And though the average American may
or may not fout all this as an impossible
dream, yet the foreign elements harken TO
these revelations as to the massage OF
Messiah. During the steel strike many Of
these foreigners insisted, mo need BOSSES
no need superintendents; committee run
mills all right"
Foster told the last Socialist National Con-
vention. at which he was a guest Of the
New York delegation. that at the psyche
logical moment the steel and iron workers
would strike again; that they hoped then to
have the moral and physical support Of a
general strike Of all labor tangent upon
their industry.
when the next big strike comes on in the
steel district" he said I'VE want the rail-
road men. the miners and everybody else
to strike with us-and the applause was
uproarious.
The political parties. Foster says, have ac-
complished practically nothing for the work.
ing class All substantial concessions. such