The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-12

onstrate not only that he had not
been to blame, but also that his fell
low workers had not been to blame.
This idea was overcome by the putt
ting forward of the principle that
industry should care for all hazs, ds
to safety; and the same principle Of
collective responsibility for hazards
to economic security is logically
consistent and economically neces-
sary.
Likewise emerges the idea that So
cial economic security against loss
of income due to sickness, to old
age and to maternity can be
established only by the collective
action Of the whole society The
workers Bill provides only in part
for this type Of security; it aims
merely to insure continuous income
that is, to compensate for In
security Thus it raises but does
not answer the larger problem Of
removing the causes Of insecurity.
But in the raising Of the problem it
undertakes to meet the pressing
needs arising out Of mass unenploy-
ment.
The Workers Bill introduces an
ethe- new principle, namely, that
the primary source of funds shall
be the higher incomes of individuals
and of corporation and inheritances
and Gifts, which are to be taxed
at sufficiently high rate to bring
about redistribution Of the national
income during periods Of mass I'M
employment, thus diverting funds
from investment to purchasing
power in the hands of workers for
the necessities of life.
A third new principle introduced
into the movement for social in
suranee by the workers Bill is the
idea of administration under Ghe
control Of commissions directly
elected by the workers in their
various occupations. This is of far
reaching Importance. 1t is in line
with the obvious need to apply the
principles of democracy to economic
life. 1t must be clearly recognized
that the aims efiviseged in the poll
tical democracy Of the United States
have not been fulfilled under the
conditions of highly centralized
economic development controlled by
corporations which are representa-
tive of ownership and not of work
ers. This long struggle, as yet tar
from victory, to secure the right Of
collective bargaining for the trade
unions of the United States, shows
how far We are from democracy in
economic life. The claim that
workers should control the admins
tration of social insu. ance is a rein
forcement of this struggle for a
voice for the workers in economic
policies and industrial management.
The idea of commission is not a
new principle in administration Of
laws in America. A recent example
Of delegation Of power to admins
ter is the National Industrial Re-
covsry Act, which has delegated to
trade associations representative OF
industrial ownership the authority
vested in the President to enforce
the codes drawn by these same trade
associations Under the provisions OF
the act. Exactly analogous would
be the delegation Of authority to
administer social insurance to
chosen representatives of workers.
Objections to the Workers Bill
Objections TO the workers Bill
come hot only from those who op-
pose all social insurance, but also
from advocates of more limited
measures and to some extent from
workers who are impressed by srgu-
nents which undertake to show
that it is not practical" to impose
taxes high enough to insure con-
tinuity of income during mass I'M
employment The whole range Of
objection thus brought forward be-
longs to the problems which will
arise and must be solved as this
movement for security gains
strength and impetus. But certain
statements can nov be made which