The New York herald., 1921-06-08

from two points of view. Look at the
mechanical side of IL and you sea big
mechanical pattern-railways and mines
and steel factories and all kinds OF
machines grouped together in the basic
industries. And then the other side of
ths picture is the grouping of mon
around those industries.
I'VE have railway workers because
We have railways, miners because We
have mines, steel workers because we
| have steel industries. These machines
compel the community TO arrange itself
| in certain way. They impose upon the
| community a pattern of differentiated
industrial groups. The steel bond of the
rail ties the railway workers together
into union of railway workers.
1.-The labor movement is the visible
social consequence of the grouping i'm
posed upon the community by the ma
| chimes. And 1t Is spiritual conse-
| quence, for you cannot have thousands
| of persons carrying on a. common CO.
operative function without there grow
ing up among them a sense OF group
relationship. The machine becomes the
common equation among those people.
| and the coming into consciousness of
| that fact Is the labor movement In other
words, you have a labor movement be-
cause you have certain kind of In
! dustrial society and not because. YOU
| have labor agitators. The labor move
ment is not a conspiracy. 1t is a con-
sequence
New Power Has Arisen.
This realignment is gradual and in
evitable. If you want to destroy the
labor movement you must begin by de-
stroying the character of modern in
dustrial civilization. Let me illustrate.
tara 81
pens to be running the Government none
OF them nor all combined can run the
| railroads without the railway workers.
| The Railroad Labor Board now has
three members representing them. In
| other words. the community has become
conscious OF the fact that a new power
of government has arisen within the
communicable railroad workers.
THE man vino joins a labor move
ment does not do ii because he is a
| revolutionist. nor because he wants to
| overturn society. brt he wants to secure
his own individual income he wantr
more power to bargain with his en-
ployer. But in his attempt to stabilize
HIS existence the labor movement de-
velops certain consequences which he
does not plan. and these consequences
are revolutionary in the sense that they
substitute the group for the individual
The miner. the railroad worker becomes
significant not In the terms of the work
he does, but in the terms of the union
he belongs to.
ut is important to remember that all
labor does that thing, and that all labor
wherever ii may be. is revolutionary,
whether it knows it or not Our Con-
stitution is conceived in terms of the in
| dividual. Thomas Smith and all the old
-
cerned chiefly with the rights. privileges
and obligations of the individual. But
our problems are now becoming prob
lens of dealing with the group rather
than the individual.
I'VE see Congress legislating for
Railroad Labor Board and an Interstate
Commerce Commission. Our legislative
bodies are concerned now primarily with
the problems which a group imposes
upon the community. Their problems
primarily a generation or two hence will
be how much these groups. such as the
railway unions. are going to wrest from
the State. Now. that is revolutionary.
and all labor is doing that all over the
world
Personally can see no other outcome
of it all than the ultimate complete con-
troll of the Industries by the workers.
But 1t must be remembered this does not
represent a conspiracy"
sketches Social Condition.
Tannenbaum here sketched his idea of
social condition when practically all
lines Of activity will be organized into
dominant unions and when these unions
will have their representatives in the
Government, for. he says. "such a sweep
ng change in economic conditions will
be bound to bring about changes in gov
crnment." When he was asked. Under
such a complete organization of the
workers what Is to become of the cap
italists?" he replied:
IF by capitalists you mean those
who live by owning and not by working.
then my answer is that think they will
go to work The unions will have alb
sorbed their control Now mind you, this
is no economic religion of mine. do
not say II ought to happen. When II does
happen ! don't say it is going to work
out perfectly II doubtless will bring it's
own problems and plenty of them.
may even be wholly wrong, but I am
only describing. in the light Of present
day Developments. what l believe Is
coming to pass
"Will 1t come TO pass peaceably or
through violence?, Tannenbaum was
asked. He replied by suggesting that
the achievement of an eight hour day
had been realized after long and patient
agitation-or peaceful evolution-and
also after occasional outbreaks of VI
olence. Every worth while right won
since feudal days. he said. had involved
peaceful evolution mingled with seasons
Of violent revolution at times
"And what part will the Socialist
party play in this evolution or revolu-
tion?"
practically none, because in the spirit
of its economic doctrines Il is organized
on the basis OF the individual and not
on that of the group"
Tannenbaum said that although he
had received not few offers Of jobs.
"and some of them rather fiattering." he
expected to return to the shop to practise
his trade as machinist. He admitted.
however. that he thought he would have
to devote considerable time to writing
and perhaps to lecturing. and therefore
he did not suppose he would work
steadily at his trade.