The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-01-14

V. Debs so that his prison term end
ed on Christmas day last seems to
be based more on class prejudice
than on a desire for justice.
Debs is, as he declared himself
when he entered the Atlanta prison,
a flaming revolutionist," not revo-
lutionist against the government of
the United States, but against the
present social order. He would de-
stroy Capitalism and plant Socialism
In its place. He would Danish an
industrial system founded on profit
| and existing through avarice and
greed, and he would substitute for
1t a new system with service as its
propelling force, which would thrive
| through love and corporation.
In some respects we are all revo-
lutionists against the present social
order, firing at it only minnie balls
while Debs is shooting cannon shots.
He is at war with a system that pro-
duces abundance and starvation,
millionaires and paupers, an idle,
useless rich and an over-worked,
hapless poor; pinched faced children
and stunted men and women, a sys-
tenn that knights with wealth one
set of criminals and jails another.
Many Have Condemned.
Such a social order has been con-
.demned by leaders Of every school of
liberal and radical thought. Henry
George indicted it. Theodore Roose-
welt scorched it. Woodrow Wilson
scored it. Samuel Untermeyer, for
mer Wall street lawyer, is battling it
as are La Toilette, Townley, Frazier,
Borah and great many other high
mindedf patriotic mon.
When the evils that have grown
up under the present social system
are enumerated it will be found that
Debs, the indicter. is in mighty fine
company, from which he largely
parts when he becomes Debs, the
builder of q new order Debs at
tributes all evils which tend to OPP
press and enslave men to Capital
ism. To him and to his adherents
Socialism and perhaps Communism
Is the great cure-all. He is met
with the answer that it will not
work; that men must have some ma
teria1 incentive to develop their ini-
t1ative. There are. it is true, a
small number Of men and women in
every community who do some work
for the love Of it alone, but the
great mass Of the folks everywhere
labor from necessity with gain as
their object.
Russia's Experiment.
The great experiment made. in
Russia has shown that enforced Ia
Dor under Communism is but he SUBJ
stitution Of state slavery for SOCIAL
ed industrial slavery. Men are re-
quired to labor at such work and at
such places as the commissariat die
tates. There is no free action. Given
sufficient time to work Communism
may be able to supply certain mater
1al wants and needs of the worker.
but it will unquestionally rob him
OF the liberty for which his heart
hungers. It can't be otherwise.
Lenin has admitted he has never
talked of or promised liberty. In
his mind that is but shadow. The
substance. he holds is in getting the
full fruit of ones toll.
1t will be impossible for Social
ism or Communism to make amy
greater inroads into America thought
than 1t has already made unless and
until the characted of our population
completely changes. Some Of the
larger corporations, particularly
those Of the "open shop" kind, are
assisting in directing the thought of
their employees in the paternalistic
direction with their welfare plans,
model cities, insurance schemes and
other benevolent enterprises.
Privilege The Curse.
The larger number of American
workers and liberals go with the
Socialists in many Of their COM
plants against the present social or
der but there they stop. They are
not prepared to abolish Capitalism.
They do not believe that Capitalism
In itself is the root of the many evils
and 1njustices Of which we complain.
They rather charge them up to Pri-
vilege and to Autocracy in industry.
There is not and there will not
be any chance for class party,
socialist, labor or other, to win in
america for many. many years.
socialism can only come to us by
revolution and e. dictatorship. It
can not be hoped for through the bal
lot. 1t is too slow. The people
Will not suffer through a progress
sive. transitory period. The ratifi-
cation OF constitutional amendments
by three-fourths Of the states, the
tWo-th1rds vote in Congress, the
makeup Of our courts and numer-
GUS other barriers stand in the way
Of a peaceful Socialist revolution.
Americans did not go to the old
world for their political government
nor will they go to Europe for their
social order, even If the large Ameri-
can corporations have found it con-
venient to tear a page form the book
Of European corporations to copy
their palliative welfare schemes. Any
change in our social system must
include the preservation of human
liberty and the lawful right Of the
individual to work out his own dest-
my in his own way.
But It's Organizing.
And that Is why the constructive
liberal thought of America. largely
unorganized though it is, but grow
ing stronger every day, stands first
fors the abolition Of special privi-
lege, the parent Of monopoly. the as
sassin Of competition and the des-
tr0yer Of opportunity PRIVILEGE is