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THE VOICE eof PEOPLE
(Formerly "The Lumberjack.")
Education I Freedom in
WW
Organization B/kkER$41 Industrial
Emaancipation a I)emocracy
I'ubllVted Weekly by Nattiinal Industrlal Union of Forest and Lamlber
Wurkera. Southero District.
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EXE('UTIVE IIOAIII- -Hi4(TIIKIIN DIISTRItT.
J. N. Phllips. W. 9. Hollingsworth. D. R. Gordon, a. L. Asbworth,
Fredonla Stevenson.
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THE QUESTION OF DECENTRALIZATION.
7.
Centralization in Industry.
The centralists, wl en beaten at all other points, make what
they consider a conclusive argument in the following: The I. W. W.
is building up the structure of the new society, and a,; modern in
dustry is highly centralized the I. W. W. must be highly centralized
also.
This argument is sound save for two details, 1st, the I. W. W.
is not building up the structure of the new society (as this is gen
erally understood), 2nd, modern industry is not centralized (as cen
tralists understand and use this tern). Let us consider the first of
tl:e shocking plrop)ositions in this altogether shocking rejoinder.
Summed up, the current theory is that the labor unions will,
in the new society, take charge of and over.,ee production. As our
noted theoretician W. E. 'Irautmann says; they will "legislate the
industries." How unnecessary will be the interference-of the labor
unions is readily apparent whetn one considers the existing produc
ing ,or shop organization of modetrn industry. The shop organiza
tions are the totality of workers of all kinds in tl e various indus
tries. They have been called into ,being solely for the purpose of
carrying on production. They are the social producing organism
They are the embodimnent of the best thought and experience that
humanity has been able to apply to production. These shop organi
zations are not capitalistic in nature, hibut economic. They will not
perish with: the fall of capitalism. O()n the contrary, the revolution
will give a strong stimulus to their still higher developnment. They
will not need the assistance, as protlucing organizations, from any
government, te it political or lablor union in character.
(:ompared to the shol, organizations the labor unions would be
ridiicullots as Iroducing organizatitn ~. The labor uniious are only
fighting organizatias;" they know nothiing alout carrying on iro
lucti',n. T'heir chief function is to overthrow catpitalism. If they
i ave any function to perform in the new socicty it will doubtless h..
to serve as employment ag+encies. It is worthy of note that even un
der capitalism the labor untiols so strongly sees the nieed for a dis
tributive shop organization for the workers that they are univer
sally trying to serve as emliloyment agencies. This is equally trut.
of both the reddest and ycllowest unions. Thou'l'lgh unlions may have\
nothing else in common, not even, the strike, they will all be found
functioning as employment agetlncies as est they catn.
But, for tl:e sake of argument, let us withdraw our shop or
ganization theory and accept as correct the centralist theory that
the highly developed shop organizations of modern industry, which
know all albout prodluction, will be supelrseded in the new society by
the lalx)r unions, which know nothing albout pIroduction. And then
let us examine in order to learn if the labor unions, as future pro
ducing organizations, should Ie centralized or not.
The term centralization, as used by the centralists in relation
to industry, means the bringing of great groups of workers and
vast industrial processes under the arbitrary control of a few indi
viduals. Let us admit at once that the comhination of the owner
ship of great industries into the hands of a few men is throwing th,'
workers involved directly under the control of these men, who are
using their power in the most arbitrary fashion, compelling the
workers to give them more and more of tlheir product. The modern
industries, as regards the relations of the workers and capitalists,
are, therefore, admittedly centralized. But as exploitation of the
workers will cease with the fall of capitalism, and masters and
slaves will be merged into one army of producers, this phase of in
dustrial centralization will pass away. The workers will be free;
they will no longer need to be compelled to work; the centralized
boss system will vanish. The sole problem then will be the best way
of exploiting the industrial processes. Our task is therefore, to
learn wl-ether the industrial processes of modern industries ara
centralized.
Let us admit at once, that unquestionably a certain amount of
centralization does exist in the operation of the industrial pro
cesses. But let us call attention to the facts that this centralization
is distinctly detrimental to industry, and that it is in course of rapid
disappearance. Or in other words, that the tendency in modern in
dustry is frca a partial centralization to a completer decentraliza
tion of the industrial processes. Let us first outline why industrial
decentralization is necessary; then indicate the harm of industrial
centralization, and, Nually, conclude by a typical example of decen
tralization in modern industry.
Iridustrial processes are based on natural laws which submit to
no arbitrary authority. TIey can be best exploited when the work
ers thoroughly understand them and shape their conduct strictly
in atcordance with their mandates. Any attempt to run counter to
these Iwvs, whether through ignorance or arbitrariness, inevitably
results .in decreased efficiency. So vast and complicated is modern
industry that no one man, or central group of men, can possibly be
sufficiently informed to direct the operations of the vast armies of
workers in such manner as to produce the greatest efficiency. Spe
cialization, which necessarily carries with it decentralization of
power, is inevitable. The man on the job must be given outonomy to
perform the task in hand in order to develop the greatest efficiency
This applies equally to an individual worker, shop, or an industry
as a whole.
Intelligent capitalists and managers are getting an inkling of
the necessity for autonomy in ir.dustry and the trend everywhere is
towards specialization and decentralization. The day is rapidly
passing of the old fashioned industrial dictator who kept all tie
"threads of his business" in his own hands, with a consequent im
mense loss of efficiency, due to his ignorance, etc. His arbitrary
rule is being replaced by the natural rule of the facts and figures of
the industries. These facts and figures cannot rule where arbitrary
power exists to check their free expression. llence the necessity to
abolish the industrial dictators.
Though the influence of the industrial dictators is decidedly on
the wane still many of their kind linger to blight industrial efficien
cy. As owners, boards of directors, managers, etc., they are afflict
ed with all the diseases of centralization, viz., ignorance, stupidity
cowardice, conservatism, stubbornness, recklessness, etc. And as
such dictators cannot possibly be well enough informed to act in all
cases, these diseases of centralization constantly make themselves
felt, to the extreme detriment of industry.
The introduction of the automatic car coupler offers one of a
thousand typical instances of the stupidity of centralized manage
ment. This invention has revolutionized railroading and vastly in
creased the earnings of the railroads; yet for years, the railroad
dictators, in the face of facts, figures and common sense, bitterly
contested it. They were brought to accept it only by a national law.
The same short-sighted policy is now being pursued in the warfare
against the introduction of safety appliances, better sanitary con
ditions, etc., in the various industries. The dictators refuse to ac
cept these innovations, though it is patent it would be profitable to
do so. Ti eir conservative attitude is typical of all centralized
ibodies.
As a result of centralized management many industries are lit
tie better thaitn scrap heaps ann slaughter pens. Their necessarily
incompetent dictators refuse to adopt the processes, machinery etc.
that woull put them on a modern basis. However this backward
condition is being eliminated in the higher developed industries by
the application of the decentralist principle. The arbitrary despot
is being replaced by the specialist. The prejudices and conserva
tism of the former are giving way to the facts and figures of the
latter. The specialist, or the man on the job, is being recognized as
the only competent authority and being given the autonomy neces
sary to his work. This tendency is so widespread and well recog
nized tt at it were needless to give specific instances.
Let us illustrate the naturally decentralized character of mod
ern industry, by citing a fragment of the process of railroading
aru industry that the centralists call highly centralized:
A freight train pulls into a freight yard from a foreign rail
road. The foreign train crew leave it at the specified place-a place
that has been selected for its convenience, and riot because some
official arbitrarily chose it. The car inspectors immediately inspect
the train. Without interference from over officials they send to tº-.,
repair track all cars unfit for the road. They have no arbitrary
power in the matter, nor have their bosses. All must submit to the
dictates of the industry, or serious trouble results. Meanwhile the
yard clerk has received the bills of lading from the foreignl train
conductor. Automatically, if you will, he makes out a list of the car
numbers and tl eir destination. lie hands this to the car marker
who, without further ado, marks the cars accordingly. The switch
engine then takes hold of them and they are switched, not in ac
cordance with the whims of some dictator, but as the industry dic
tates. As soon as a train is made up a timely call is made for a
train crew. These take the proper engine, and after going throughl
all the necessary road regulations, etc., they deliver the cars, not
w here they might wish to, but where they belcong.
And so it goes throughout the entire railroad industry, as well
as all other industries; It will be seen by this that ti e nature of the
industry is thie determining factor in the industrial process, not the
arbitrary will of .some dictator. To the extent that ossism inter
feres with those natural processes decreasedl efficiency results. On
ly when the arbitrary thuman factor is eliminated altogether will
the acme of efficiency result. And capitalism, though from its an
iressive character it can never achlieve it, is drifting rapidly to
wards this goal. Only in the future society, when there will be no
need for slave driving, that complete industrial decentralizatior,
will be reached. Then "the man on the job," whether this be an in
dividual worker, shop, or industry, will be given full charge of the
work that falls within its natural jurisdiction. Ti e result will b.,
the absolute negation of government, whether it he an exterrior
political or labr union government, or an interior system of cen
tralized bossism.
Centralists when they turn to modern industry for support of
their theory are met with a strong rebuff. For, in industry, more
than in any labor union, is found in operation the decentralist prin
ciple that the only competent one to perform a task, is the man or
group having it in hand, and what centralization exists, is in a de
cidedly bad way.
The centralization in the management of the industrial pro
cesses is recognizedly bad, and the tendency is all away from it. No
doubt it will be abolished altogether in the future society. As for
the centralization in the relations between the capitalists and the
workers, even the centralists would hardly defend that. Its future
is not bright either, for unless all signs fails, the revolution will de
stroy it and give the workers the control over their own labor pow
or. Centralization, that lingering child of theology and kingeraft,
can find no excuse in modern industry for its being. It is an inter
looper there. And it is high time that it is recognized as such in the
labor movement and treated accordingly.
PAUL DUPRES.
Winnipeg, Canada, Sept. 29, 1913.
Editor's note:
This article should be No. 6 of the series; the one published
last week, "A World Wide Movement," should have closed the
series.
C. H.
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New Orleas, La., Oct., 25th, 1913.
Mr. Covington Hall,
City.
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('OVINGTON HALL
DIRECI' ACTION.
By Covington Hall.
The one thing that seems to give all tht Social Owls a pain is
direct action. Direct Action means action in the shop-on the job
-for the workers affected to make their demands on the Boss him
self Themselves and quit begging "lahbor ,ieutenants," priests,
preachers, rabbis and politicians to pray ano intercede for them. It
means for the workers to Force, to Take by their Own Might that
which they desire, when there will be no danger of them losing the
advantage gained. The only real action a Labor Union can take is
Direct Action--A4ction in the Shop--Action on the Job. Only when
it becomes powerful enough to control the Jobs under its jurisdic
tion is a labor union able to affect social conditions elsewhere, for
on the Job All Society rests. The class which Controls the Jobs
Owns the earth and all the wealth upon it, for all wealth is of labor,
flows from the Job. Around this fact swings the world-wide war of
the classes; on it is based all the teachings and tactics of the I. W.
W.; Ownership in Modern Industry Amounts to Nothing; Control
of the Jobs to everything, and tl e I. W. W. is out after this CAn
trol of the Jobs by the Workers and for the Workers, the establish.
ment of an Industrial Democracy, a system of production under
which every worker shall have a voice in the management of indus.
try, Control the work of the world, receive the full produc' of their
toil, and in which the ITnion shall supersede the State as the Gener
al Administration of Society. A new world, owned and controlled
by free workers, that is the mighty visioin of the I. W. W.,- the on
ly real labor U!nion on the North American Continent. Direct Ac
tion-inagine, if you can, a Labor Union acting effectively other
wise! If it can, then the Union is useless and ought to be abolished.
All the working class has, or ever will have, has been and will be
gotten by-Direct Action-action in the Shop-against the Bos
On the Job-Through the Unions.
Direct Action * * * it is essentially a cry to the workers
to get off their knees, do their own thinking, and act for them
selves through their own organizations, for which reason:
Hear the hooting of the owls,
O)f the owls, of the owls of the night,
Hear them hooting, hooting, hooting,
All in vain against the light!
The owls, the owls, the owls,
Hear their hedious hoots and screeches,
As for them the arm of Justice reaches
The owls, the owls, the owls,
Hear the hooting of the owls of the night!
