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war of the classes-第12部分

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would seem that England; fronted by the hostile Continental Union

and flanked by the great American scab; has nothing left but to join

with the scab and play the historic labor role of armed Pinkerton。

Granting the words of Cecil Rhodes; the United States would be

enabled to scab without let or hindrance on Europe; while England;

as professional strike…breaker and policeman; destroyed the unions

and kept order。



All this may appear fantastic and erroneous; but there is in it a

soul of truth vastly more significant than it may seem。

Civilization may be expressed today in terms of trade…unionism。

Individual struggles have largely passed away; but group…struggles

increase prodigiously。  And the things for which the groups struggle

are the same as of old。  Shorn of all subtleties and complexities;

the chief struggle of men; and of groups of men; is for food and

shelter。  And; as of old they struggled with tooth and nail; so

today they struggle with teeth and nails elongated into armies and

navies; machines; and economic advantages。



Under the definition that a scab is ONE WHO GIVES MORE VALUE FOR THE

SAME PRICE THAN ANOTHER; it would seem that society can be generally

divided into the two classes of the scabs and the non…scabs。  But on

closer investigation; however; it will be seen that the non…scab is

a vanishing quantity。  In the social jungle; everybody is preying

upon everybody else。  As in the case of Mr。 Rockefeller; he who was

a scab yesterday is a non…scab today; and tomorrow may be a scab

again。



The woman stenographer or book…keeper who receives forty dollars per

month where a man was receiving seventy…five is a scab。  So is the

woman who does a man's work at a weaving…machine; and the child who

goes into the mill or factory。  And the father; who is scabbed out

of work by the wives and children of other men; sends his own wife

and children to scab in order to save himself。



When a publisher offers an author better royalties than other

publishers have been paying him; he is scabbing on those other

publishers。  The reporter on a newspaper; who feels he should be

receiving a larger salary for his work; says so; and is shown the

door; is replaced by a reporter who is a scab; whereupon; when the

belly…need presses; the displaced reporter goes to another paper and

scabs himself。  The minister who hardens his heart to a call; and

waits for a certain congregation to offer him say 500 a year more;

often finds himself scabbed upon by another and more impecunious

minister; and the next time it is HIS turn to scab while a brother

minister is hardening his heart to a call。  The scab is everywhere。

The professional strike…breakers; who as a class receive large

wages; will scab on one another; while scab unions are even formed

to prevent scabbing upon scabs。



There are non…scabs; but they are usually born so; and are protected

by the whole might of society in the possession of their food and

shelter。  King Edward is such a type; as are all individuals who

receive hereditary food…and…shelter privileges;such as the present

Duke of Bedford; for instance; who yearly receives 75;000 from the

good people of London because some former king gave some former

ancestor of his the market privileges of Covent Garden。  The

irresponsible rich are likewise non…scabs;and by them is meant

that coupon…clipping class which hires its managers and brains to

invest the money usually left it by its ancestors。



Outside these lucky creatures; all the rest; at one time or another

in their lives; are scabs; at one time or another are engaged in

giving more for a certain price than any one else。  The meek

professor in some endowed institution; by his meek suppression of

his convictions; is giving more for his salary than gave the other

and more outspoken professor whose chair he occupies。  And when a

political party dangles a full dinner…pail in the eyes of the

toiling masses; it is offering more for a vote than the dubious

dollar of the opposing party。  Even a money…lender is not above

taking a slightly lower rate of interest and saying nothing about

it。



Such is the tangle of conflicting interests in a tooth…and…nail

society that people cannot avoid being scabs; are often made so

against their desires; and are often unconsciously made so。  When

several trades in a certain locality demand and receive an advance

in wages; they are unwittingly making scabs of their fellow…laborers

in that district who have received no advance in wages。  In San

Francisco the barbers; laundry…workers; and milk…wagon drivers

received such an advance in wages。  Their employers promptly added

the amount of this advance to the selling price of their wares。  The

price of shaves; of washing; and of milk went up。  This reduced the

purchasing power of the unorganized laborers; and; in point of fact;

reduced their wages and made them greater scabs。



Because the British laborer is disinclined to scab;that is;

because he restricts his output in order to give less for the wage

he receives;it is to a certain extent made possible for the

American capitalist; who receives a less restricted output from his

laborers; to play the scab on the English capitalist。  As a result

of this; (of course combined with other causes); the American

capitalist and the American laborer are striking at the food and

shelter of the English capitalist and laborer。



The English laborer is starving today because; among other things;

he is not a scab。  He practises the policy of 〃ca' canny;〃 which may

be defined as 〃go easy。〃  In order to get most for least; in many

trades he performs but from one…fourth to one…sixth of the labor he

is well able to perform。  An instance of this is found in the

building of the Westinghouse Electric Works at Manchester。  The

British limit per man was 400 bricks per day。  The Westinghouse

Company imported a 〃driving〃 American contractor; aided by half a

dozen 〃driving〃 American foremen; and the British bricklayer swiftly

attained an average of 1800 bricks per day; with a maximum of 2500

bricks for the plainest work。



But; the British laborer's policy of 〃ca' canny;〃 which is the very

honorable one of giving least for most; and which is likewise the

policy of the English capitalist; is nevertheless frowned upon by

the English capitalist; whose business existence is threatened by

the great American scab。  From the rise of the factory system; the

English capitalist gladly embraced the opportunity; wherever he

found it; of giving least for most。  He did it all over the world

whenever he enjoyed a market monopoly; and he did it at home with

the laborers employed in his mills; destroying them like flies till

prevented; within limits; by the passage of the Factory Acts。  Some

of the proudest fortunes of England today may trace their origin to

the giving of least for most to the miserable slaves of the factory

towns。  But at the present time the English capitalist is outraged

because his laborers are employing against him precisely the same

policy he employed against them; and which he would employ again did

the chance present itself。



Yet 〃ca' canny〃 is a disastrous thing to the British laborer。  It

has driven ship…building from England to Scotland; bottle…making

from Scotland to Belgium; flint…glass…making from England to

Germany; and today is steadily driving industry after industry to

other countries。  A correspondent from Northampton wrote not long

ago:  〃Factories are working half and third time。 。 。 。 There is no

strike; there is no real labor trouble; but the masters and men are

alike suffering from sheer lack of employment。  Markets which were

once theirs are now American。〃  It would seem that the unfortunate

British laborer is 'twixt the devil and the deep sea。  If he gives

most for least; he faces a frightful slavery such as marked the

beginning of the factory system。  If he gives least for most; he

drives industry away to other countries and has no work at all。



But the union laborers of the United States have nothing of which to

boast; while; according to their trade…union ethics; they have a

great deal of which to be ashamed。  They passionately preach short

hours and big wages; the shorter the hours and the bigger the wages

the better。  Their hatred for a scab is as terrible as the hatred of

a patriot for a traitor; of a Christian for a Judas。  And in the

face of all this; they are as colossal scabs as the United States is

a colossal scab。  For all of their boasted unions and high labor

ideals; they are about the most thoroughgoing scabs on the planet。



Receiving 4。50 per day; because of his proficiency and immense

working power; the American laborer has been known to scab upon

scabs (so called) who took his place and received only 0。90 per day

for a longer day。  In this particular instance; five Chinese

coolies; working longer hours; gave less v
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