The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-12-23
&!24>.*A
"Scientific"- and Dirt Cheap
By JORGE

"Sclentlfic" and Dirt Cheap
"Unionism must be brought up to date runs
the sub-head in an I.W.W. leaflet. Why have
an old union when you can get, new one2
Why indeed? 81
But suppose, fellow workers, that somebody
started still fresher union? What then? All,
ha! You never thought of that, did you But,
first of all, does newness oldneSs make any
difference? Fascism is something comparatively
new, recent, modern and up to date So per-
haps that is the reason the I.W.W. is embracing
fascist policies. 1t has to keep up to date"
Just to show how up to date" it is, it speaks
about the success of capitalism" and goes on to
remark that:
LAS monopoly after monopoly is created
by the merging of business interests
ard the annihiEation of others, something in
addition to the thought of profits promuts
the gigantic Capitalization Of productive
forces" VII
We read further in an attempt to find out
just what the capitalists were playing around
with productive forces for, if not for profits
but could find nothing definite except the
following:
"The improvements mainly comprise the
use of more efficient machinery and methods,
whereby the output of each worker is greatly
increased"
Yes that's very true, but what, fellow workers.
is the aim of all this if it is not "the thought
of profits? Do you not realize that capitalists
centralize the ownership of productive forces
more than they centralize the actual productive
forces?
You appear to think that capitalism is not
anarchy in production but perfect order and
scientific" organization. You appear to think
that the capitalists are interested in building
perfectly functioning productive machine rather
than getting profits out of that machine-elsa
why do you gable about something in addition
to the thought of profits?
And where does this lead? When the capital
lists declare that the farmers must grow less
wheat, the shoe factories make fewer shoes, so
as to balance production with demand" that is
to say, to organize industry, you have already
approved this reactionary program because none
can deny that it is an Improvement" from the
capitalist viewpoint.
Indeed in your leaflet you mention the more
efficient methods whereby the output of each
worker is greatly increased" with considerable
approval and certainly no condemnation, though
you ought to know that the methods of work
aside from the matter of machinery are the
methods of speeding the workers to death, to
take out the greatest possible life force of the
worker and translate it into Increased output"
and-do you deny it?-increased profits.
So the I.W.W. has no quarrel with the employ
speed up Improvement and something
up to date" and tells the workers the boss does
not speed them up with the thought of profits"
So you call the I.W.W. "up to date" and "scien-
tific"! And to top it tall, you wind up the leaf
let with the following superb reasoning
"The initiation fee is two dollars, with a
monthly dues of fifty cents being generally
charged, and at present quarterly assess
ment of one dollar. This completes the cost
for worker to become a member of this
scientific, militant working class organi-
zation." d.
What wonderful bargain counter offer! But
it is neither scientific, nor militant, nor working
class, any more than any company union is.
And even your last reason the cheapness, is
knocked out, because company unions with ex-
actly the same policy usually don't charge 60
much. But them OF course. they don't often
pretend to be anything but company unions.