American Capital and American Labor.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 31, 6 October 1911, Page 6

American Capital and American Labor.

An Article Sent from America for our Readers.

By WILLIAM E. BOHN.

I.—CAPITAL. 'The characteristic trait of American public life has been its successful hypocrisy. For decade after decade the politicians have pretended to "bust the trusts," but all the time the trusts kept growing. The game was a good one, however, and kept the innocent public going like the donkey Avith the thistle dangled before his nose. But all that belongs to the past. The trusts have outgrown the swaddling clothes of sham. Judge E. H. Gary, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United States Steel Company, says so himself. The Judge appeared recently before a Committee of Congress to testify about the Avays of his corporation. Time was when officials like this-/would sneak all round the Avorld to escape an investigating committee. But the good and great Judge Avent doAvn to Washington, and treated the commiteemen like a lot of schoolboys. When he got through they knew something about the organisation of industry. In so many Avords, Judge Gary told them that competition is dead. When they asked him Avhat he thought ought to be done about it, he said that prices should be regulated by the Government. Did you get that ? Ten years ago business , men Avere ready to fbrm a ."Let-us-alone" Club. Interference by the GoA'ornment was supposed to be contrary to the sacred laws- of economics. Now the head of our chief trust deliberately proposes GoA*ernment regulation of prices. And Avith remarkable unanimity he has been supported by the chief men in the industrial world! The meaning of it? When the trusts were small and imperfectly organised they paid the public the compliment of making a bluff. That day is noAV pitst. They are ready to come out into the open. Their strength, they think, is unassailable. The Government, they knoAV, is their humble servant. What better plan than to have this Government, Avhich many of the people still revere, set the prices at tbe dictation of the- interests and see to it that the official prices are enforced? That Avould be trustifying indeed. This is the next step in capitalist development,. In thirty years business lias developed from hordes of little competing companies to the point where this is the next logical step. lI—LABOR. And what about the forces of labor? The only class that can fight against the slavery of the present and the future is the working-class. The 'only persons being Avronged by the 'Steel 'Trust are the steel workers; the only persons being Avronged by the Tobacco Trust are the tobacco Avorkers ; and so on to the end of the list. The robberies being perpetrated are perpetrated on the working-class. Each great concern -is busy fleecing its' oavu section of the - working-class. Consequently, if ever a fight is to be made on these great concerns, if ;ever their tyranny is to be ended, the workingclass must do the job. The steel Avorkers must fight the Steel Trust ;

the tobacco Avorkers must fight the Tobacco Trust.

A pretty fight they are making nowl A pretty fight they are likely to make in"'-.jthe near, future!,

Look at the forces of labor. There is the American Federation of Labor. It is said to have . 2,000,000 members. But it can't fight,, and it AA'on't fight. It isn't organised to fight. To be sure, there are Avithin it some splendid 1 "bodies of fighting men. There are the United Mine Workers, 350,000 strong, ready and able do take care of themselves. And there is the latest comer in the Federation,, the Western Federation of Miners; there •is ho finer body of militants in the world than that. These and many members of other unions. affiliated the Federation believe in Industrial Unionism. And the editor of the "Miners' Magazine" prophesied recently that the revolutionary forces would soon "relegate the present policy of the American Federation of Labor to the scrapheap." That is something that remains to be seen. ■:•.'

Then there are the Industrial Workers Of the World. They have right.: principles and magnificent energy, but under 25,000 members. Their great function now is that of a propaganda organisation. No ' matter how many -■ mistakes they have made, or how narrow the spirit of many of them may be, it must be •confessed that they, have done, and are doing, a splendid work for the idea of proletarian unity.:

And the Socialist Party is not to Deleft out of the account. Of its 100,000 members the great majority believe in revolutionary unionism. Some of them may fear to speak out for. the faith that is in them '] but there is no doubt of the fact that, the great majority of the rank and file are solid for: the unionism that is organised to fight andwm. -... ■"".■ ~-.-'.'■"

There s is..-.'• one - other.. element of strength. During tlie past year or two there has '.■been.-?an astonishing development of : spirit among -the unorganised. Every noAV ; and as in the great strike at McKees Rocks, the bosses are surprised by• the sudden uprising of men Avho never before dared even talk of a union, and, .stranger still, these uiiiorgaaiised workers, . usually recent immigrants, are almost always ready to fight to the, death. ... ;

By itself .this . alignment of : revolutionary foreeJs=;might look strong. It is Stronger than it. ever was before. But put it alongside the organisation of capital. Or compare it Avithrthe. organisation fore shade AA'ed i n Judge Gary's testimony. Then * you see capital, organised, united, and Labor, just beginning to feel the spirit of unity, just beginning to see the need of organisation. That is the difference; capital is organised-Labor sees that it must be organised. . j

' Many are- busy foretelling just how the organisation of American Labor is to come about. , Some say the'A.F. of L. will be revolutionised; others think the LW.W/ will• develop into -the ■; organisation : ' still'"other's-"" believe that a new organisation will spring up at the right moment and join in its ranks all the revolutionary forces. But there is no more thankless or useless task than that of prophesy.- The one tiling certain'"is"'.that' calpital has a; fighting or-' ganisatioh and that therefore Labor must fuvve one.