Portland labor press., September 06, 1900, Page 4, Image 4

PORTLAND LABOR PRESS
Portland Labor Press
P u b lish e d ev ery T h u rs d a y by th e P o r t­
la n d L a b o r P re ss P u b lish in g A ssociation.
(Incorporate«.. A u g u st 18th, 1900.)
BO A R D O F D IR E C T O R S .
E. E d w a rd s, C ig a rm a k e r, P re sid e n t.
J. A. G o ld rain er, B a rb e r, V lce-P resl-
dent.
■Rushmnn M illw orker. S e c re ta ry -
T re a su re r.
J o h n Beigl, B rew er.
Geo. M. O rton, P re ssm a n .
B. H esselb erg . C om positor.
C. H . W eber, C lerk.
F r a n k A llert, M achinist.
W H . R o b e rtso n , L e tte r-C a rrie r.
A u g u st E sch le, B eer D river.
S U B S C R IP T IO N R A T E S .
U n io n s b elo n g in g to th is A ssociation
and d e sirin g to su b sc rib e fo r th e ir e n tire
m em bership, th e su b sc rip tio n price is
¿1.00 a y e a r p e r copy.
U n io n s w hich do n o t belong to th is A s­
sociation. b u t desire to su b sc rib e fo r th e ir
e n tire m em b ersh ip , th e su b sc rip tio n price
is $1.25 a y e a r p e r copy.
Single su b sc rip tio n s; $1.50 per y ear.
S ingle copies, 5 c e n ts each.
A lw ay s in ad v an ce.
A D V E R T IS IN G R A T E S.
R a te s will be m ad e k now n upon a p ­
plication.
*
• I
E D IT O R IA L a n n o u n c e m e n t s .
To se c u re th e re tu r n of u n u se d m a n u -
c rip ts p o sta g e sh o u ld be enclosed.
C o m m u n icatio n s m u s t re a c h th e office
,y M onday ev en in g p re c e d in g th e issue
n w h ich th e y , a re to a p p e a r.
T he f a c t th a t a sig n ed a rtic le is pub-
ished does n o t co m m it th e P o rtla n d
^abor P re s s to all opinions ex p ressed
h erein .
C o n trib u tio n s a n d ite m s of new s co n ­
cerning th e la b o r m o v em en t a re re -
m ested fro m o u r re a d e rs. E v e ry c o n tn -
iution m u st be acco m p a n ied by th e nam e
,{ th e w rite r, n o t n e c e ssa rily fo r pub-
ic a tio n , b u t a s a n evidence of good
a ith .
P le a se a d d re ss all co m m u n ic a tio n s to
he P o r tla n d L a b o r P re s s P u b lish in g A s-
jociation, room 514 M a rq u a m B uilding,
Portland. O regon.
W e sh all ta k e up th ese o b jections
m ould.”
“ P riv a te in itia tiv e ” is a lre a d y being
suppressed
by
“tr u s t in itia tiv e ,
se ria tim an d try to a n sw e r them from
a " p ra c tic a l" stan d p o in t.
If th e d o c trin e of u n e q u a lity of con­
ditions. as re p re se n te d in cap italism ,
ing class.
It is tin e th a t th e o b ject o f socialism
"w ould be to c re a te
e q u a lity ,” aud
■•to abolish d istin c tio n s o r differences
th a t have th e ir root in p ro p e rty .” It
is e q u a lity of o p p o rtu n ity , how ever,
th a t it w ould e sta b lish ; a n d not, a s is
o fte n said by opponents of socialism ,
"te n d to c a st all persons in th e sam e
n e ith e r does th e in d iv id u al
get
his
re w a rd of u n d e rta k in g th e w a y th in g s
c a n be organized into a system a n d
a re
en fo rced by
sam e m ach in ery be set in m otion for
s ta tis tic s 95 p e r cent, of th e b u sin ess
men a re y early b a n k ru p te d . T h a t is
tin* purpose of e sta b lish in g and m ain ­
th e ir “ re w a rd ” fo r going in to th e “ u n ­
ta in in g a n "e q u a lity of opportunity ?
U nder p rese n t conditions it is only the
d e rta k in g ” business.
As fo r th e w o rk in g m a n "becom ing
favored few who. th ro u g h th e pos­
session of th e m eans of production
p ra c tic a lly in
a p a rt of th e m ach in e.” \ \ h at. pray,
is th e position of m ost of th e
w o rk in g m e n ’ to d ay ? C ap italism has
control of the go v ern m en t a n d ru n it
n a rro w e d th e field of in d iv id u al e f­
fo r th e ir ow n special benefit.
As f a r a s the in d u stria l a n d p ro fe s­
sional em ploym ents a re concerned,
fort. cru sh ed m anhood a n d in d iv id u a l­
law ,
and d istrib u tio n ,
w hy
a re
c a n n o t th e
going
n o w adays.
A ccording to
ity. a n d th e c h a n ce s a re liecom ing less
th e ir incom e d e p en d s not so m uch u p ­
every day fo r w o rk in g m en to raise
th em selv es to independence. In fact,
on th e ir m erits as upon com petition
th e tendency is d o w n w a rd s, an d the
fo r em ploym ent.
I n m an y in stan ces,
best proof is to lie found in th e fa s t
so-called "p ro fe ssio n a ls” e a rn f a r less
d isa p p e a ra n c e of th e m iddle class.
No person w ith a tru ly a rtis tic m ind
th a n m an u al laborers.
T he tru s t is to d ay d isposing of " p ri­
will claim th a t a r t is enco u rag ed by
v a te c a p ita l” in such a m a n n e r t h a t it
cap italism .
p ra c tic a lly
case.
a m o u n ts to “confiscation
you a t once d estro y its re a l value. I t
of b u sin ess w hich is controlled by a
c an n o t find its
tru s t, a n d he w ill soon be convinced
t h a t th e d a y s of “p riv a te c a p ita l,” as
fulfill its sa cre d m ission.
T he O regonian m ay th in k th a t so­
of
g en erally u nderstood, a re counted.
B u t now w e com e to th e m ain point.
cialism is a dream , b u t w e a re su re of
the fa c t th a t cap italism is a n ig h t­
T ru s ts ,” w hich ap p eared in o u r first
issue, th e O regonian ex p re sse s its r e ­
F or upon th is re sts th e w hole s tr u c t­
" It
m are.
"T h e d rea m s th a t
g re t fo r th e ten d en cy am ong a por­
tion of th e m em bers of o u r lab o r
could not be to le rate d th a t a n y
in­
come tru e .”
ticle
e n title d
“T h e
T en d en cy
unions to w a rd s socialism
proceeds to prove, not
and
in
th en
so m any
w ords, b u t in fe ren tia lly . th a t th e p re s­
e n t sy stem o f org an ized society in­
su res to its m em Ders
th e
g re a te s t
am o u n t of freedom , h ap p in ess and
e o u a lity of o p p o rtu n ity . H ow ever, it
does n o t a tte m p t to e ith e r deny o r d is ­
prove t h a t th e p rese n t social system
is to give place to an o th er, an d p re ­
sum ably. b e tte r one.
It m erely con­
fines itse lf to a gen eral criticism of
socialism , a n d en d e av o rs to prove its
im p racticab ility .
"T h is,” it says, "is the d o ctrin e of
e q u a lity o f conditions, to l»e organized
into a system a n d enforced by law .
It m u st include not only in d u stria l,
b u t all p rofessional
em ploy m en is.
T here w ould no longer be any p riv a te
capital, not even o f individual ta le n ts ,
fo r governm ent, ta k in g ch arg e of d is­
trib u tio n . w ould enforce a rigorous
eq u ality .
It could not be to le rate d
th a t an y individual should receive
m ore th a n his ju s t proportion of the
proceeds, and w h a t w as the ju s t p ro ­
p o rtion w ould be determ in ed by the
general suffrage of a com m unity the
m ass o f w hose m em bers w ould not be
disposed to look w ith fav o r on larg e
o r even co n sid e rab le rew a rd s for ta l­
e n ts how ever g reat. I t m ust be p er­
ceived a t once th a t th is w ould change
th e w hole s tru c tu re of organized so­
ciety. w ould elim in ate its v a st v ariety
a n d com plexity o f form , fe a tu re ami
action, a n d tend to cast all persons in
th e sam e m ould. T he object w ould
be to c re a te e q u a lity , to abolish d is­
tin c tio n s an d differences th a t have
tn e ir root in p roperty, ta le n ts o r op­
p o rtu n ity .
P riv a te in itia tiv e w ould
be com pletely suppressed, fo r the in­
div id u al w ould n o t be p e rm itted to
hold th e re w a rd of his u n d ertak in g .
F or th e w o rk in g m a n it w ould be the
sam e a s fo r a n y o th er, fo r he also
would be p a rt of ‘th e m achine.” an d
never could expect, to rise th rough his
special ta le n t, w h a te v e r it m ight be,
to any su p e rio r o r in dependent posi­
tion. W h a te v e r e x is ts fo r lu x u ry or
o rn a m e n t would d isa p p e a r, for individ­
u a ls would h a v e no m ea n s of employ-
ure
of
u n e q u a lity and sla v e ry :
tru e
ex p ressio n nor
n a tio n s
dream
d ividual should receive m ore th a n his
ju st p ro p o rtio n
of
th e
p roceeds.”
H ere. then, lies th e secret.
W ill th e O regonian kindly tell us
w hy a n y ind iv id u al
m ore th a n his
should
receive
ju s t p ro p o rtio n ?
No
m an is e n title d to m ore th a n th a t, and
a social sy stem w hich sa n ctio n s th a t
th re e -fo u rth s of th e proceeds sh a ll go
to th e few , w ho g en erally p erfo rm no
usefu l labor, a n d only o n e-fo u rth to
th e a c tu a l p roducers, is bound to re ­
s u lt in in eq u a lity an d slav ery . And
th a t is th e condition in w hich the
g re a t m ass of th e people o f th is coun­
try find th em se lv e s to day.
T h e proceeds w hich th e p ro d u cers
receive n o w a d a y s is not d eterm in ed
by “ju s tic e ” or by “ gen eral su ffrag e."
b u t by com petition am ong them selves.
C apital, how ever, is ceasin g to com ­
pete. but o rg an iz in g an d co-operating
fo r its ow n benefit.
I t is tru e th a t a ch a n g e in th e in­
d u s tria l conditions w ould also b rin g
ab o u t a c h an g e in the w hole s tru c tu re
of o rg an ized society.
It h a s a lre a d y
undergone m any c h a n g es in tim es
past, and w ill co n tinue to a d a p t Itself
to th e co n d itio n s of th e fu tu re .
is n a tu ra l and in
s tr ic t
T h is
A labor paper, in order to properly
fulfill its mission, must be supported
by the laboring men themselves. This
is the way to success for labor jour­
nalism.
As many of you workingmen as are
in favor of the present condition of
things, will signify the same by voting
for the old parties.
The man who owns the tools of pro­
duction owns the man that works with
them. This is the main basis of in­
.
dustrial slavery.
acco rd an ce
w ith th e law of evolution.
T a lk in g a b o u t “ v a rie ty a n d com plex-
city of fo rm .” how m uch v a rie ty in
life is th e re fo r th e a v e ra g e w orking-
m an?
The Beer Drivers’ Union, at its last
regular meeting, unanimously voted
to subscribe both towards the general
fund and for the Portland Labor
Press for its entire membership. The
Beer Drivers are evidently anxious to
be among the pioneers of the cause of
labor in this city, and are doing
everything within their power to earn
that enviable reputation. For the
short space of time they have been
organized, they have already estab­
lished a record for themselves of
which many an older and larger union
might be proud of.
It is only th e
deluded w ork in g m en w ho still w o r­
ships a t th e sh rin e of com petition.
If he h ap p en s to h av e a “jo b ,”
lie leads th e sam e m onotonous life day
The time for the millenium may be
far off—but the time to join your union
is right now.
Competition may be the life of
trade, but it is death to the traders.
in a n d d ay out. T he only “ v a rie ty ”
lie has is w hen he h a p p en s to get
"laid off.”
And this, to a g re a te r or
M EN
FOR
NEW
T IM E S .
N ew
tim e s d e m a n d new m e a s u re s a n d
new m en ;
T h e w orld a d v a n c e s, a n d in tim e o u t­
g ro w s
T he law s t h a t in o u r f a th e r s ’ d a y w ere
b e st;
A nd, d o u b tle ss, a f te r us, som e p u re r
schem e
W ill be sh a p e d o u t by w iser m e n th a n
we.
M ade w ise r by th e s te a d y g ro w th of
tr u th .
W e c a n n o t ta k e U to p ia on by fo rc e ;
B u t b e tte r, a lm o st, be a t w o rk in sin
T h a n in a b r u te in a c tio n b ro w se an d
sleep.
T h e tim e is
change;
T h e n le t It
w hat
Is c alled fo r
N o r th in k I
a p a rt
B ecau se w e
less.
ripe, a n d r o tte n rip e, fo r
com e; I h a v e no d re a d of
by th e In s tin c t of m a n k u id ;
t h a t G od’s w o rld w ill fa ll
te a r a p a rc h m e n t m ore or
L e t us sp e a k p la in ; th e re is m ore force
in n a m e s
T h a n m o st m en d re a m of; a n d a He m ay
keep
I ts th ro n e a w hole a g e lo n g er, if it sk u lk
B ehind th e shield of som e fa ir-se e m in g
nam e.
L e t us call ty r a n ts ty r a n ts , a n d m a in ta in
T h a t only freed o m com es by g ra c e of
God,
A nd a ll th a t com es n o t by h is e ra c e
m u s t fa ll;
F o r m en in e a r n e s t h a v e no tim e to
w a ste
In p a tc h in g fig leaves fo r th e n a k e d
tr u th .
—J a m e s R u sse ll L ow ell.
S T IM U L A T IO N
NOT
I
t
N O U R IS H ­
M ENT.
T he g re a te s t a r tis ts of th e p re s ­
try n o w a d a y s to en g ag e in som e line
w ith o u t co m pensation.” J u s t let some
NEW
J u s t th e opposite is th e
one w ith a sm all a m o u n t of c a p ital
C om m enting e d ito ria lly upon an a r ­
1 1
less e x te n t, is tru e of th e w hole w o rk ­
en t tim e b e a r testim o n y to this. By
p u ttin g a com m ercial v a lu e on a rt,
T H E S E R V IT U D E OF C A P IT A L IS M .
Ì
iu such directions, anti th e com m un­
ity w ould have no m ind fo r it. A so­
cial system organized on such a b a sis
w ould lie th e d e a th of a r t a s w ell as
o f e n te rp risin g ta le n ts, and every
m em ber of th e com m unity w ould have
no m ind fo r it. A social sy stem o r­
ganized on such a b a sis w ould be the
d e a th of a rt a s well as of e n te rp risin g
ta le n ts, a n d every m em ber of th e com ­
m u n ity w o u ld find his volitions all
su p p ressed and h im self com pelled to
pass his life in ab so lu te se rv itu d e to
th e system , o r m achine.”
Remember the Union Label!
It is true enough that the noon-time
luncher who takes a cupful or two of
strong coffee or tea with his meal may
feel elegantly braced for the resump­
tion of business directly thereafter;
but his feeling results from the drug,
the immediate physiological effect of
which is to paralyze the glands which
secrete the gastric juice, producing in
another way the same effect observed
in the case of Doctor Virez’ coach dog,
referred to in the January Health
Culture, complete suspension of the
digestive process. The arbitrary in­
terference with any natural, physi­
ological function is necessarily harm­
ful. When, a little later in the day,
the stimulating effects of the coffee
disappear, there is a reaction which
too often induces the “patient” to re­
sort to a still stronger stimulant to
keep up to concert pitch, and this, in
turn, passes off, and he may reach
home “too tired to eat.” Then, instead
of taking water, resting, and permit­
ting the stomach to set to work to di­
gest the food taken at noon, he is apt
to force down more or less dinner, and
so make a bad matter worse.
Man not only wants to be fed, but
filled. A substantial meal, enough in
amount to give one a feeling of satis­
faction, favors digestion; but it is cer­
tain that three such meals in twenty-
four hours for the average person is
excessive; hence, if one would derive
the most pleasure and satisfaction
possible from his feeding, and secure
the best nourishment, he will limit the
number of his meals sufficiently to
enable him to take each time an
amount of food that will afford the
feeling of contentment which is so.de-
sirable.—Health Culture.
N O TIC E
TO
S E C R E TA R IE S .
Secretaries are requested to send
in, at their earliest convenience, the
correct names and addresses of the
president and corresponding-secretary
of their respective unions.
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I
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