PAGE 16
THE TOILER
SATURDAY, 1)1
P. 25, 1920.
to pay the grocery, meat, coal, gas and rent bills.
The kids are out of shoes, and little George is
wearing his patched up war times clothes.
And behold you! The other day a solicitor ven
tured into rur home, in quest of funds for the
suffering children of Europe. Of course I can
sympathize with the children of Europe as I
sympathize with all suffering humanity, particul
arly with the people of Russia, against which this
government and the Allied Nations, who fought
against the Kaiser to make the world safe for
Democracy, have established a blockade, compel
ling millions of the children of Russia to starva
tion. I made no contribution to the solicitor. I
may have had other reasons but the main reason
was: that I had nothing to give.
However, in our own shop we are building a
new pottery; that is: the contractor is doing the
building, while we laborers are just doing the
work. We have what is commonly called a "cinch,"
for all we have to do is : do the work.
The contractor "assumes the responsibility," he
doesn't get wages, he just TAKES the profits.
John Price, whom I spoke of above, is a dogone
queer fellow. He hasn't the slighest respect for
his employer, he does as little work as he possibly
can, and often times I have seen him stop right
in the middle of his work and argue with one of
the other fellows, about "class consciousness!"
sciousness!"
At our noon day lunch, when we discuss the
cause of high prices and low wages, Price
will bust in like a whirlwind and proceed to
lecture us about Value, Price and Profit and end
up in condemning the Capitalist System. Some
times he will launch into- an attack upon the
American Federation of Labor with a fury that
would make Billy Sundry's attack upon the Devil
appear as a Gramma siool oration in com
parison, i
And so the days passion, wjth Price continually
adding converts to his rospollof "class conscious
ness", I, too, having sucummed, partly due to his
teachings and partly to the low wages.
Hard economic conditions, nurished with the
sound logic of the teachings of Price has develop
ed more brains within me than all the other
years of my life combined.
"Hiince oecoming ciass-cunswuua i mu LrcgiumiiK
read up' a little, and I know now what a
i have been all these years.
fa
T hflvp heen refldincr miite a bit d I
the plans of the Chamber of Commef violence
;canize the industries by destroying"
I JVAIl.-
and estab ishinsr the C-Den Shoo. Ni jwy is
think that the Chamber of Commet Woyed in
Unions as they are organized at the jBJves very
What the C. of C. fears, is the sjate field
movement that is developing rothMjrwi say
which will inevitably and very soon f 1
F. of L. and make of it a Revolution)
tion, aimed, not at the raising of wal
A. F. of L. is at the present time, but (I
i Alt J 1 I
tne complete overthrow oi tne capitaiiers in
At present however, the capitalist clasffcictypg
ing to fear irom the A. F. of L. and iSq the
But these officials, as well as the Clnmis-
Commerce are fully aware that the raifcnenr
of these Unions are greasing the toblj
Gompers and his Labor Lieutenants are
for a ride into oblivion. However the en
is but the natural and logical developm
class struggle, and we can patiently
1 1 JJ "Jt l-A. J. i-Jr V
wnoie matter wiui complete optimism, tgry
The present offensive against Laboifter
Unions, develops the class conflict more Pry
The class lines will be more tensely diP16
the working class will realize more and yd
necessity of class organization and cla;
The Revolution is inevitable, and the Ch tt
Commerce is unconsciously assisting ii -velopment
cf that condition which is mc i
sary for the success of the Proletariat R
"Class-Consciousness."
If the Unions are destroyed and we ar
to abject slavery, then class organizatioj
workers will automatically follow. Tl
oppressed nations of people are always
Revolutionary. Russia was considered
oppressed people on earth, yet today it
the vanguard of the Proletarian Revolut
a bulwark against capitalism that has
the death knell of capitalism over all the
Marx snyy that Capitalism will dig
grave, and J might add thereto, that
will it dig its own grave, but it will
crawl into the grave, lie down and commit
In conclusion I want to pay my utmost
to the thousands of John Prices in th
movement, for it is such as they that lea
Iiabor Movement. May their work never ce
their spirit never die. y