The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-06-28

advertising? Is the fact so obvious,
that the leisured well-wishers Of the
poor and thrifty must take upon them
selves the thankless duty of calling
attention to it? Honest Toil' is an
other delicious mouthful. Why the
coupling adjectives 'honest"? Is it
secretly assumed that he who does
not toll is-not-quite honest? Or is
the leisure class SO indebted to the
toilers that, as a token of its touching
gratitude. it will praise labor for its
commendabIe honesty, if not for its
(commendable) lack of cleverness?
The leisure folk are as honest as the
workers encourage them to be.
Revolutions in morals, both bust
ness and professional, must proceed
from the enlightened scepticism of
the wage-earners.
Naughty culture came into this in
stinct-driven world when economic Sc
curity relieved cunning of the need
flor daily drudgery. Cunning in sheer
desperation, took to learning things;
preferably the means of perpetuating
it's own filched privileges. Leisure in
evitably becamera class prerogative.
Culture was the especial attribute of
the shirkers. BY dramatic juxtaposi-
ton, mere drudgery became the sign
of mental inferiority. Thus the cleav-
age has continued turnout the ages.
Scott Nearing says: 1.-THE pages of
history may be searched in vain for
the records of civilization which did
not evolve some device whereby the
strong or~tl1e astute could live at the
expense of the weak and the less able.
The parasitic class has always bull
warked its position by the ownership
of something. The land, which was
originally common property, was grad
ually absorbed by small landholding
aristocracy or oligarchy, which was
enabled by the possession of proper
ty titles, franchises, and special privi-
leges to enjoy the fruits of other
mems labor. AS social organization
has grown more complex the oppor-
tunities for parasitism have become
greater. In primitive society, the pow
er of the parasites was ephemeral.
They held their prerogatives by
might. For them, eternal vigilance
was the price of living at the ex-
pense of the workers. AS civilization
advanced, the spiritual SIS we'll as the
physical forces of thu world were
called upon to place additional con-
trolling power in the hands of the
ruler.
"The church held out the threat of
hell. The state, with ga1lows, jails,
and stocksedrove the unfortunate sub
jects into line. The name tax gath
erer' grew to be name of reproach,
because tax gathering was the out
ward manifestation of organized, le-
galized, sanctifed and time-honored
i exploitation; it was the process
whereby the few who did not work
lived at the expense of the many who
did work" -. "The recipients of prop
erty income are the benefciaries of
power. Behind them they have con
situations, laws, customs, beliefs, phi
losophies, practices and convention
alities that are ages old. They draw
upon the resources of a system of so
cial organization that has been evolv-
ing with the evolution of civilization.
Their economic advantage is the di-
rect outcome of the repressive coer-
Give activities of vested interests all
thru the ages. They constitute one
generation in the lineal descent Of ex-
ploiters-monarchs, landlords, slave
owners, capitalists, and all Of those
who have devised means of living at
the expense of the toll of their fell
lows. Those who receive incomes
from property rights, hold their titles
and draw their income out Of the
struggles which the propertied class
have waged, and thus far successfully,
to keep in their hands the power to
tax the labor of mankind" Why mar
vel that the Drudges are the sworn
enemies Of the Leisures? Culture,