The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-08
AS WE SEE IT
By T. J. O'FLAHERTY.

Samuel Gompers believes that
some day machinery will do all the
heavy, laborious work now performed
by human beings, according to a
feature story in a recent issue Of
the Boston Globe. The labor leader
declared that the world has not yet
produced one tenth of what it is
able to produce. When machinery
comes into its own, people will not
starve even tho they may have to do
very little work, Mr.. Gompers says.
Gompers decided to devote his life
to the service of labor we are told
after he witnessed a parade Of starry
ing silkweavers in his native land,
England. The introduction of ma
chinery threw them out of work.
Gom1ers does not say how those who
are thrown out Of industry thru the
speeding up of the productive power
Of machinery are going to be pro-
vided for. Will the capitalists pro-
vide for them?
Gompers believes, according to the
Globe writer, that there is enough T
for every one and then some, and
that each receives what he deserves.
>. +. Morgan once declared that the
longshoreman who worked for $1,000
a week, was not entitled to any more
If he was satisfied with that mearor
wage. Will Mr.. Gompers say that
the workers who produce all the
wealth of society and receive back
in wages only small portion Of IL
get what they are entitled to or de-
serve? If Mr.. Gompers is as he
claimed, devoting his life to the
workers, it would be happy day for
the latter if he got disguised with
their ingratitude and Joined the near
est Chamber of Commerce. Sam has
no solution for the problems that
face the workers today. The devel-
opment of the machine surely will
relieve mankind of the drudgery in
volved in producing the necessities
of life but only when that machine Is
owned and controlled by the workers
themselves and not used to swell up
the profits Of individual owners viii
the machine be a real blessing to
humanity. This is communism; the
ownership of the wealth producing
machinery by the producers and the
control of society by the workers.
Gompers does not like this because
it makes no provision for labor
takers or labor lieutenants Of capi-
talism as the late and unlamented
Mark Hanna called them.
The $15,O00,0O0 suit brought BIZ
the shipments organization against
the Pennsylvania railroad system was
dismissed today by the federal dis
trict court on the ground that the
United States courts had no power
to enforce the decisions of the United
States Railroad Labor Board. Il app
pears the only function this fake
board served was to fool the workers
into the belief that it could serve
them. Whenever the board rules
against the workers the latter must
obey its decisions else injunctions fol-
lowed by armed troops will be hurled
against them, but when the railroads
defy the Boards decisions the courts
are powerless. Yet we are told all
are equal under our laws.
An English worker may now 60 to
sleep just common piece of clay
and wake up an 'aristocrat with a
string of titles and the privilege of
wearing garter and taking bath.
Since Ramsay Macdonald became
prime minister he and the king have
been busy manufacturing peers of
4k1 ~, - ~
tuition certain offices cannot be filled
except by peers, so instead of look
ing around for a peer who might be
100 per cent regular, they simply
turn out brand new one. Thus it
happens that Thomas Griffiths, a for
mer tin plate slave who worked for
eight cents a day, is now treasurer
of the kings household; John Park
inson, a coal digger, is now control
Ter of the royal household. while
John Davidson, whose career started
in a bootshop, is His Majesty's
Vice Chamberlain. The duties of
Vice Chamberlain are said to lack
dignity tho it is possible the newly
created aristocrat, who must see to
Georges personal requirements, may
nave al assloIdh1 W w Tic uirIy
work.
1t would be interesting to know
how the king feels when his three
labor attendants sing the Red Flag
He will probably thank his stars thatI
the leaders Of the British Labor
party don't take revolution as seri-
ously as they do in Russia, for in
stance. The English may try to free
the workers by elevating them to the
peerage. The Russians abolished all
titles and hereditary distinctions and
made the title Of worker" the most
honored in the land. And we believe
that the British workers have their
toughest fight ahead Of them while
the Russians are over theirs.