New Ulm review., 1922-03-08
Starving Amidst Plenty.

Starving Amidst Plenty.
The American Manuta acturers' Export
Association has the remedy for unemploy
ment. According to them, before the
United States can ever hope to enjoy the
return Of business as usual it is essen
,tial that American manufacturers obtain
the worlds S markets in which to dispose
of their surplus. products.
We call especial attention to the pro-
noun in the preceding sentence: Their. 4
IS It is a tacit admission Of what we
have declared all along namely, that all
the surplus which the American workers
produce becomes the property Of the
American capitalist class. The capitalists
MUST get rid Of this surplus at a profit
we are told, before the average American
citizen can be sure Of a good job at liv-
ing wages. ia II
VI In the midst Of the unparalleled suf-
fering and poverty of millions of jobless,
there is no attempt made to deny that
the good things Of life are here in album
|dance. The only trouble is that the capi-
talist class is unable to dispose Of these
good things in foreign markets. And until
they persuade the peoples Of other lands
to buy and consume them, the American
people who produced the surplus will have
to do without.
| It's a sad commentary upon the in
telligence Of the American voter that he
will vote to continue a system which pre-
vents him from eating because he has
produced too much food. Likewise it is
"a strange departure from the spirit OF
America First to insist that American
made goods must be consumed by foreign
nations before the needs Of Americans
can be filed.
But the same song has been sung be-
FORE. Every few years we experience a
panic and are told that we are suffering
from soverproduction,' or under-con-
sumption, the results in suffering to
the working class are the same.
The fact Of the matter is that labor
saving machinery has made it possible
for the workers Of all highly developed
industrial nations to- produce so much
that the world, with its present low stan
dard Of living for the workers, is unable
to consume all that THE workers are able
to produce. AS result production ceases
unemployment grows, and the capitalist
class OF all nations enter a mad compete
ton tor the markets Of the world
The world war was fought as a result
Of this competition for markets. But the
number st markets are limited, while pro-
duction Keeps on at its old rate OF speed:
AS a result, IN 1921, three years after
the war, we are faced by an unemploy-
ment army which is last climbing IN mum
bers to the figures Of 100000 idle in
August, 1914. The world. war has failed
to solve the unemployment question.
What, then, is the remedy?
The American Manufacturers Export
Association points the way: We must get
rid Of that perplexing surplus. &:
a=s5 We agree that it would BE foolish to
resume production when we already have
a. surplus Of The things we need. But
there are various ways in which this sur
plus can be disposed of. 4
.ss The capitalist way is to ship it to.
foreign nations for the profit Of the capi-
talist class. I. 81 if5sS s
The Socialist: way IS to permit the
workers Of America, who produced the
surplus, to also consume it. Not only
that, but BY reducing the hours Of labor
and permitting the worker to- consume
what he has produced let us put an end
for all time to unemploy yment and the
fear Of producing a surplus.
sss We ask our readers to seriously COM
pare these two solutions for the rnenploy-
ment problem and decide which he pre-
fers. IF he is content with a prosperity
which depends upon the ability Of the
capitalist class to exploit him, then he
should not complain when unemplo loyment
knocks at his door and he finds himself
starving ID the midst Of plenty. But if
he believes that the American workers
should enjoy the fruits Of American in
-