November 27, 1918 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE They The Problems of Reconstruction By Louis Fraina To The Workers: tion of the working class from industrial auto There is a theory suggesting that government cracy.
control or government ownership of industry will CHE war is dead unless the sinister interests The problems of peace are problems of recon solve the problems of poverty, of low wages, of represented by the reactionary press provoke struction, and the problems of reconstruction are grinding, health destroying toil. It is a misa new war against Socialism in Russia and Ger problems of peace.
taken theory. After all, government control or many. The war is dead and the real struggle, that this war was a war to end war. ownership of industry still means the capitalist in the great social struggle of the proletariat against this shows how the mass of the people hate war out of the blood and agony of the workers, still They say that this shall be the last war. And power, still means profits and dividends wrung Unless you of the working class, who do the and yearn for universal peace, for the free opporwork and don own the instruments of work, tunity to devote one self to productive tasks is the source of all the evils which oppress the think and act upon the problems of reconstruction, and the simple joys of life.
working class. No! Capitalism itself must be the world, instead of becoming safe for demoBut this war to end war was not the first of overthrown, for fundamentally it makes no real cracy, will become safe and safer for pluto dream of the ages and always a dream. Slightly wage slaves of private Capitalism or State Cap history. Perpetual peace has been the difference to the workers whether they are the Perhaps one of your loved ones is in the army, more than one hundred years ago the world italism.
perhaps one of them has died:what to be done fought France and Napoleon as disturbers of the Instead of state (capitalist) control of industry, after the war? Shall the old world of industrial peace, as yesterday it fought Germany and the there must be established worker control of inoppression persist? All the dead shall have died Kaiser; and after Napoleon was beaten they re dustry, control by those who work for the be in vain, all the living shall have agonized in vain, arranged things to secure permanent peace: peace nefit of those who work, not control by lawyers unless you think and act upon the problems of re did not come, but dark reaction instead. and politicians for the benefit of the capitalist construction, learn out of this war to think and Permanent peace will not come of territorial and the parasites of Capitalism.
act as u class against the capitalist class, who own readjustments or political reconstruction. Per Industry must be turned over to the workers the instruments of work and do no socially ne manent peace will come only if society itself is that is, that must and will be the basis of roless you highly resolve: The horrors of the old ism and the control of society and the world by a reconstruction making for peace, liberty, demoorder of Industrial autocracy shall dissappear; the the Socialist proletariat, the working class. cracy and happiness.
The mill, mines, factories, all the means necesworld shall be a world of peace, of industrial de do so many newspapers, why do so many power sary for the life of the people, must be the possesmocracy, the world for the workers.
ful groups, why do Theodore Roosevelt and others sion of the people: they must be owned, maIt is generally agreed that the world after the urge and campaign for universal military service? naged, directed by the workers themselves, for war will be a new world, a world vastly different Why does Secretary of the Navy Daniels propose the workers which alone will mean for the peofrom the world that produced this war.
larger naval armaments? Militarism is not a gua ple. new world, yes: but of what sort? world rantee of peace.
The workers in the mills, mines and factories of capital, or of labor. world of industrial auto Think, men and women of the working class, will control in each particular workshop. not an cracy, or of industrial democracy?
you who suffer and toil, about these plans for a employer. The vote the industrial vote of the Reactionary Capitalism is learning the lan larger militarism, for universal nilitary service! workers in each particular industry will decide guase of the new order, and it is developing Do they mean peace? Do they mean liberty and affairs. Each factory will not be independent of perfect technique for the deception of the work happiness for the workers?
each other that would be anarchy; but all facters. Industrial democracy is a case in point. You And while considering the end of the horrors ories, will be united by means of appropriate are hearing much of this democracy, financiers of war, consider the horrors of peace: the slaugh administrative organs elected by the votes of the and captains of industry, and their liberal hire ter of workers through preventable industrial workers, culminating in the central industrial golings, are speaking frequently about the need of accidents, the slaughter of workers through pre vernment elected directly by the workers. This industrial democracy. What do they mean? ventable industrial diseases, the slaughter of would be industrial democracy, not the industDo they mean that the workers shall own in workers through over work, the slaughter of rial autocracy which prevails under Capitalism, dustry, shall decide the disposal of the things workers through poor and insufficient food. Cap ruled by Kaiser Morgan, Kaiser Rockefeller, and they produce? Do they mean that the profit syg italism itself is the great horror!
the other Kaisers of the financial empires of motem should end? No! Real industrial democracy New wars may come. They must not come. dern Capitalism.
would mean the unconditional surrender of Ca But understanding of social facts and proletarian Efforts will be made by the hirelings of Capitalpitalism. They mean that the workers should be action alone will prevent new wars.
ism to direct the energy of the workers into consulted, that the workers should be allowed Two great powers developed during the war struggles for small objects, and particularly for to form committees with a say but no power, the state power and the financial power. The State Capitalism. Do not allow this to happen!
they mean that the workers should remain wage state aquired new and wider powers becoming All problems are centralized into one problem.
slaves while playing with the toy of a fraudulent centralized, more authoritative, and establishing the overthrow of Capitalism, the abolition of the industrial democracy. Society, that is to say, the a drastic control over industry. The state now wages system.
workers, should own and control industry, and by tells workers often that they cannot strike; and This is the great issue, and as you struggle for means of the industrial vote govern industry this policy may persist after the war. Indeed, this fundamental object, you will take lesser that and that alone, is industrial democracy: in many capitalists want to see the state absolutely gains, but over and above all, this ideal of Socialdustrial self government of the working class. control labor and prevent strikes. Finance cap ism must guide your energy and your struggles.
The bourgeois prattle of industrial democracy ital is becoming rapidly more powerful; the pro The energy of the proletariat after the war pure camouflage. Equally camouflage is the fiteers and the profiteer is nothing but a capital must be directed in our great final class struggle general discussion of reconstruction.
Reconstruction, in the mouth of the capitalist, more reserve capital, acquiring larger powers for ist. are making, enormous profits, developing against Capitalism.
Not this or that thing, but Capitalism itself means reconstruction that promotes Capitalism, imperialistic financial conquests and oppressing must go: that is the only class conscious course.
that retains the subjection of the proletariatthe workers.
The immediate demands in this great stre Capitalist reconstruction means adapting Capitalism to the new world conditions so that new and ital are becoming unified in imperialistic State industrial and political action will be These two powers the state and finance cap for the conquest of power by means of Socialist Real reconstruction is fundamental. Not this Capitalism, the final stage of Capitalism, the or that thing shall be reconstructed, but the whole greatest instrument for the oppression of the pro cised by industrial organizations of the workers of society.
and the industrial vote.
letariat, of the working class. Repudiation of national debts the workers con. this issue the great social struggle will der be directed against this state Capitalism, which shall not assume new burdens latent with unpadepend the destiny of the world. Workers: are means against imperialistic Capitalism itself.
you thinking, preparing, organizing?
State Capitalism is the unity of finance cap3. Expropriation of the banks finance conditions after the war to make more profits, State Capitalism means that the state Controls ized and used for the reople, instead of the people Capital is organizing itself, is preparing to use ital and the state against the working class. capital must be destroyed, the banks nationalto acquire more wealth, to oppress still more the industry, controls labor, in the interest of the being used for the banks. Expropriation of the railways, the steel inworking class. Capital is preparing for Imperial capitalistate capitalism means Capitalism at the dustry and other large (trust) orfanizations of Labor must organize not along the old lines climax of its power, more malevolent, more tyran capital not one cent compensation to be paid, as of barcaining, of small concessions, but for the nical, more murderous. And it is precisely this buying out the capitalists would insure a contransformation of the industrial autocracy of State Capitalism that is comprised in the new tinuance of the exploitation of the workers: proCapitalism into the industrial democracy of sa world after the war as used by the apologists of vision, however, to be made for small owners of cialism. The working class must organize indust Capitalism, in other words, the new world stock not exceeding 10, 000 or unable to work for rially and politically to dispute with capital the world of dominant Capitalism, of mastery of government, the mastery of industry, working class.
oppressive state power, of a still more oppressed The nationalization of foreign trade this the mastery of the world. Labor must fight cato insure the ending of the commercial antagonof the class struggle, until labor conquero capital conscious noththe world for an intelligent worker, isms that might produce new wars.
These fundamental measures, of course, would and becomes supreme. The working class must for the only new world which will bring peace. imply a struggle against Capitalism itself, the prepare for Socialism.
liberty, happiness. the new world of universal conquest of power by the workers. These meaNow is the time to prepare! Socialism is your Socialism. a world for the workers, in which in sures would be introduced on the basis of a new instrument the instrument against the profiteer, dustrial liberty and democracy will prevail. It is Socialist State, and would be preliminary mea who is a capitalist, and against the capitalist, who the struggle for the new world that will engage sures in the establishment of Sorialiem. industis a profiteer the instrument for the emancipa the energy of class conscious workers.
rial self government, the world for the workere is would mean a living