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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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