W HY are you opposed to a labor party? Should not the workers use all and every means to fight the capitalists?—G. H. We are opposed to agitation for a labor party, or for any other political party of whatever name, because we do not believe in fooling the workers. They are being fooled enough as it is, by the mouthpieces of the exploiting class, so we believe in laying off of it. Let us tell our fellow workers the true conditions of things that they are up against, and, knowing the truth, sooner or later they will fight their way out of the morass of capitalism by the use of direct economic action. Now, the truth is that the workers in all capitalist countries are living under the dictatorship of the master class. This class maintains itself in power through various agencies, one of them being the electoral system. The governmental machinery of all capitalist countries is so constructed that it operates to one end, and to one end only-namely, to perpetuate the ruling class in power. It makes no difference under what name one might be sent to the state legislature or to Congress, it makes no difference whether he be called a republican, democrat, socialist, laborite, or what not, the result in every case will be the same: That representative will be a cog in a machine which, while it continues to exist, will be used for the purpose of keeping the workers in subjection. Everybody who knows anything at all knows that none of our law-making or law-enforcing bodies ever did anything for the working class nor will they ever do anything. If by an accident they have passed any laws that benefit the man who works for a living, those laws remain a dead letter if the workers do not have the economic power to back them up. Witness all the eight-hour laws in the United States, almost every state has passed one at one time or another in its history, yet what good are they? Why, no good at all-every school boy knows this. If any class of workers in any industry want the eighthour day they have to fight to get it, and after they have got it they have to fight like the devil to keep it-eight-hour law or no eight-hour law. Every state has on its statute books dozens of laws passed ostensively in the interests of the "horny-handed sons of toil," but the only earthly use they have ever been to anybody is that they offer an excuse for some blatant labor-faking poli tician to "shoot off his mouth" the next time he runs for office about what a wonderful friend he has been to the "poor but honest working people" who elected him. If to the above adjectives he would add the word "simple" he would then have a combination that's hard to beat. Any workingman who will waste his time and effort to put some glibtongued politician into a nice, fat job protecting the bosses' interests, must indeed be possessed of great simplicity of heart-and mind. By trying to get representatives elected to administrative positions the workers are not using one of several means to fight the capitalists: They are merely squandering and misdirecting their energies and fooling themselves in the bargain. But some of our political action friends might say to us: Your arguments are "fine and dandy" as far as they go, but they do not apply to us, since we do not take part in election campaigns because we expect to accomplish anything through our elected representatives, but because that offers us a way to get in touch with the masses, to educate them. Now, that is "the bunk”—par excellence. If that is all they intend to do, then where does the necessity or a political party come in? Why take part in election campaigns at all? The I. W. W. carries on an educational campaign that never ceases,-it publishes newspapers and pamphlets, sends out speakers, hold entertainments, conducts study classes, and we have yet to hear that it has suffered any qualms of conscience for having done all these things without being incorporated as a political party. Why does not the Industrial Workers of the World make an effort to affiliate with the farmers?— L. S. M. Because to organize the farmers is not the object or the function of this organization. The I. W. W. is a labor union which organizes wage workersand wage workers only. When we take into consideration that there are over twenty million industrial workers who work for wages, we will realize that the I. W. W. has a big enough job on its hands, without making an effort to organize, or affiliate with, the farmers. The farmers are being forced into the ranks of the wage earners at the rate of hundreds of thousands every year, and as they become acclimated to their changed condition they INDUSTRIAL PIONEER will gradually assume the outlook of the industrial proletariat, and will see the necessity of industrial unionism. Do you believe that all human beings have descended from the monkeys?—Portland Shorty. We believe that men have evolved from the lower animals, but why all the blame should be put on the monkeys is beyond us. We can think of some bipeds who navigate around in this dusty vale of sweat and tears who would promptly be disowned by any selfrespecting monkey. Think of those specimens of the so-called human race who never bat an eye-lid when asked by some oily parasite to work ten, twelve, or fourteen hours per day for about onetenth of what they actually produce. There is not the shadow of a doubt that these individuals could trace their descent straight back to the mule family. Good thing mules don't understand our lingo, since even they might resent being linked up in any way with some of the human work animals that make a hell on earth for their fellow workers who believe in leaving some of the work undone so the master class would have something to do when the time comes for them to put on overalls. Then again, there are the moonshine guzzlers, the Peruna and hair tonic fiends, and the wise boys who can tell bad hootch from "good whiskey." They think that it is the height of cleverness to exchange six or seven weeks' wages for a big head, and then to take the first job they come across for half the "going wages." This is the breed of animals who love to wallow in dirt, physical, moral and spiritual. They don't like to fight the boss for the better things of life because they have an inborn antipathy to clean living quarters, good grub, good clothes, or anything else that is even remotely associated with cleanliness and manliness. Specimens belonging to this species of sub-human beings have been investigated by various biologists and anthropologists, and it is the consensus of opinion among these scientists that they are lineal descendants from the swine family. Why are you radicals always so pessimistic? Don't you think this world would be much better off if we were to spread more sunshine and optimism?— Violet L. We are inclined to be pessimistic now because we believe it is so much better for the health to be a pessimist with a full bread basket than with an empty one at least while there is still a running chance to keep it replenished two or three times a day. If by being pessimistic now we learn to prepare to take care of ourselves in the future, we will be ten jumps ahead of the game. Look at the Germans: Before the war they were the most optimistic people on earth; they had plenty of work, plenty of lager, and they loved so dearly their Kaiser and their Gott. The thought never entered their heads that they were living in a fool's paradise, and they waxed fat and fatter from drinking so much beer and scattering so much sunshine. In those by-gone days a mere handful of twelve hundred Germans dispatched themselves every year to the happy hunting grounds. But while they were having such a good time and scattering so much sunshine, capitalism was getting in its deadly work, with what awful consequences, we all know. And the end is not yet. Last year sixty thousand Germans committed suicide, an increase of five thousand per cent over the prewar rate. From being the proverbial stout man the German of today is the leanest and skinniest of all human beings. His standard of living has sunk below the poverty level; all his wealth is in the hands of a dozen industrial magnates. He has proven conclusively that optimism does not pay. If we lull ourselves to sleep just because temporarily living conditions are not as bad as they might be, the wily and unscrupulous imperialistic capitalist is sure to steal a march on us and leave us in the lurch when we are least prepared for it. Is it true that the American Federation of Labor is losing members?-J. S. Yes, during the past year the federation lost close to eight hundred thousand members. During the preceding year it lost almost as many. If this keeps up there won't be much left of it five or ten years from now. It is only natural that the federation should lose in membership. With the advance of the machine process skilled labor is fast being displaced by unskilled or semi-skilled labor, and craft unions, being protective societies for skilled workers, or, in other words, job trusts, tend to go out of existence when they no longer have a function to perform. When an unskilled man after a few days of practice can operate a machine just as efficiently as a machinist who has spent four years learning his trade, how is it possible for a machinists' protective society to conserve that job for its members exclusively? When that cannot be done the reason for the machinist continuing his membership in the job trust ceases to exist. The same applies to most of the other trades as well. Under the present methods of production the only form of unionism that has a chance to grow is industrial unionism. The craft unions are doomed. An effort is being made to prolong their life by "boring from within" tactics and by attempts at amalgamation, that is, welding the various craft unions together to the end of transforming them into industrial unions, but, unless the lessons of all history are to be reversed, that move also is foredoomed to failure. Thinking that the craft unions, which for so many years have served as instruments in the hands of the capitalists to divide and disorganize the workers, can be turned into genuine industrial labor unions is the same as imagining that the capitalist state can be transformed into a proletarian state. The idea is ridiculous on the face of it. This does not mean, of course, that those of us who belong to craft unions should not carry on agitation for radical ideas among the other members. The craft unionist is as a rule just as ignorant of how capitalism operates and of the manner in which he is exploited, and just as little amenable to the great concept of working class solidarity, as is the unorganized worker. Let us do all we can to set his rusty thinking wheels in motion, at least until we get kicked out by the big-bellied agents of capitalism who are in control of practically all the craft unions in the United States. But let us not be foolish enough to be carried away by the vain idea that these protective societies can ever be transformed into genuine industrial unions. Waste Fires Burn on Every Hand NY one who has a sense of thrift in his nature ANY must be hurt by the sight of the waste fires to be seen at the tail-end of every sawmill in the Northwest. One remembers that for five years and more there has been a fuel famine in the East, while all Europe is suffering for substance with which to heat its homes and turn its industrial wheels. Constantly the waste-fires burn at the mills. The owners call it necessary waste; they say that transportation of this wood would cost too much to do anything else with it except burn it up; they say there are not enough cars. Meanwhile, prices for fuel are high in the cities, in keeping with the cost of everything that people eat and wear and utilize in their daily lives. Why could not all this waste wood from the mill be used as fuel for great central heating plants for the JUNE, 1923 cities? The central heating idea is in operation in Toledo, Ohio, and from all accounts it has worked out successfully there. Central heating is one of the big economic values to be expected when the workers shall have reached the point of establishing industrial democracy. To Labor By CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN (Air: "Maryland, My Maryland") HALL you complain who feed the world, Who clothe the world, Who house the world? Shall you complain who are the world, The world must follow you. The world's life hangs in your right hand, Your skilled right hand. The world is made by you. Then rise as you never rose before, Nor dared before, And show as was never shown before The power that lies in you. Stand all as one See Justice done; Believe and dare and do. Special Offer Reduced Rates on All I. W. W. Publications for Three Months In order to obtain the greatest circulation possible, for the papers and magazines published by our organization, we have decided to give our readers an opportunity, never before available. Club rates for all our publications have been arranged, and the club arrangements under which the Industrial Pioneer may be obtained are shown below. These arrangements will be in force for three months, and any one wishing to obtain our publications at reduced rates, can do no better than take advantage of this opportunity. If the club arrangements shown below, do not appeal, any of our publications, the rates of which are the same, may be substituted at the pleasure of our readers. All of these papers and magazines, with the exception of the Industrial Worker, are published at I. W. W. headquarters, 1001 West Madison St., Chicago, Ill. The Industrial Worker is published in Seattle, Wash., Box 1857. Money orders for any of these club rates may be sent to whichever address is most convenient. Preamble of the Industrial Workers of the World The working class and the employing class have nothing in comThere can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the earth and the machinery of production, and abolish the wage system. We find that the centering of management of the industries into fewer and fewer hands makes the trade unions unable to cope with the ever growing power of the employing class. The trade unions foster a state of affairs which allows one set of workers to be pitted agains another set of workers in the same industry, thereby helping defeat one another in wage wars. Moreover, the trade unions aid the employing class to mislead the workers into the belief that the working class have interests in common with their employers. These conditions can be changed and the interest of the working class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that all its members in any one industry, or in all industries if necessary, cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on in any department thereof, thus making an injury to one an injury to all. Instead of the conservative motto, "A fair day's wage for a fair day's work," we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, "Abolition of the wage system." It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with capitalism. The army of production must be organized, not only for the every-day struggle with capitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall have been overthrown. By organizing industrially we are forming the structure of the new society within the shell of the old. Printed by Printing and Publishing Workers |