The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-09-09
WHAT IS A SLAVE.

What is a slavep Not long ago, when
Lincoln lived. slave was one whose
person was sold as commodity. Now
| it is one who is obliged to sell his labor
power as a commodity. Once the
slaves body was held as property.
Then the master cared for that body in
order to preserve the labor power in
herent, in ii. He fed the slave well,
housed him and protected him exactly
as breeder Of fancy horses cared for
a thorough bred horse,
Now the master does NOT care for the
slaves body, he only buys the labor
power. If one slaves body gives out
from hunger or occupationaI disease
or industrial accident it is discarded,
fired, showed out of the way and the
master buys the labor power of an
ether. He is not buying bodies, he is
buying labor power. The preservation
of the body Of his slave does not inter
est him as long as there are others to
be gotten.
In Lincoln's time when the slaves
body was bot, the master fed and hous-
ed that body even during unemploy-
ment. 1t is cheaper for the master to
have slave-selling labor power. Dur
ing unemployment he does not need to
feed him. The slave goes hungry, for
the pittance allowed him as wage does
not give him a decent living, much
less does it permit him to lay BY fol-
sickness or unemployment.
The colored chattle slave knew what
he was talking about when he refused
TO climb up on rickety roof saying,
Hey, boss, send that white man up
there. If is killed | cos you one thous-
and dollars. If he's killed he cos you
thirty cents an hour.
Owning nothing but his labor power,
the wage slave is obliged to hunt mas
ter, beg for a job, take what the mas
ter gives him or go out and stawe.
Any wage worker who thinks he is
not a slave gives evidence that he is
also in mental subsection To his master.
He lets his master do his thinking for
him. Otherwise he would analyze
life as he is forced 10 live it under the
wage system and he would recognize
his slavery and work for his emancina-
ton.
What is wage workers life but
weary drudgery, day in, day out, al
ways haunted by the fear Of sickness
Or unemployment Always forced to
rent cheap houses, obliged to buy
cheap shoddy clothes and cheap food.
He must deny his children the right
to higher education, must see his wife
grow prematurely old from drudgery
and privation He and his family are
forced to remain in enc locality a life
time, without any pleasure trips or
travel for education anywhere. Chain
ed thru lack of funds as firmly as dog
IS chained to his kennel. Denied Tie |
right to organize, bounded by stool pig
cons and armed gunner. framed with |
bomb plots. befuddled with master
class teaching, this is the wage worker. |
And is he not slave?
There is one point on which we a.
gree with the editor Of the Duluth Her
aid. He says that a government that
would perpetrate such an outrage as
slavery would not last. We agree. Il will 1
lot last. She government that permit
ed chattle slavery did not last, neither
giIl a government that permits wage
ilayery.
History now records chattle slavery /
IS thing of the past. The time is com
pg when wage slavery will also be re-
.orded as past, and it viii be described
IS even more cruel than chattIe slavery.
Duluth Truth.