Young Socialists Magazine 1913 July Dec.pdf

•1'!CB ~OU1lG looU.LII'ft' ... GAZIlftSOCIALISM AND LIBERTY.One of the most common objectionsto Socialism is that it wouldtake away the freedom of thepeople. Now I will say right herethat this would be a very seriousobjection, and Communism atleast il. open to. that objection.There m~ be; alSQ certain kindsof Socialism that would takeaway the people's freedom, but;ocial-Democracy will never do it.BUI a!l to freedCSm and liberty,who has liberty and who is freeunder the present economic $)'5-tern ?Some time ago. an employerwho was on the witness standg-ave the following definition ofliberty:" 'Vhy. liberty is the right oian American to do as he d-­pleases." And he added, "Thisis the ideal of American manhood:'Ln one way, the man was right.Our present conditions have madeit possible for a sman class ofAmericans to do as they d-­please, and that is looked upon bythe press, the pulpit, and thes~hools as the ideal of Americanmanhoorl.Of course, it can never be realfreedom. It may be the liberty ofthe libertine-of the slave. whohas just got free-but it neveris the freedom of the free man.The e."(-slavu of the old Romanswere called libertines, and whenset at liberty they were noted fOItheir licentiousness. They diu"as they d-- pleased."If the capitalist right to oppressothers is liberty. then our 'presentcapitalist liberty is neht.By Victor L. B~rgercan he ultd or abused, and oureconomic conditions set a premiumupon the abuse of liberty byany ex-slave of the system whohas become free.But freedom as such can neverbe abused. Freedom is inbonlwith us. ~nd the only trouble is,we cannot enjoy it, because a ceru.insmall class, the capitalistclass-the libertines of the presenteconomic system-is absolutelyat liberty. And these menlise their liberty to oppress us.F reedom is closely connectedwith economic conditions. A Illallis not free who is dependent nponanother for a job-for a chance'to make a livelihood. Under thepresent economic system with itsunbridled competition ~ only thesuccessftll are free. Only the successfulcan throw off the shacklesLiberty of that kind, of course.of industrial slavery-and withthis liberty they often becomelibertines, in every sense of theword. For further detai1s ,- plus~read the columns of any metro.­politan daily.. But we cannol li ve moral li ves,unless we are free. Hence, freedomis the ideal of the Social­Democrats, and we win combatand defy anything and anybody,even within the Socialist movementand within the labor move·ment, that will curtail our freedom.Rut who has freedom under thePRESENT economic system?Take all the different classes ofour people, and in all of them youwill find the same lack of freedom-aUexcept a handful ofplutocrats who have succeededin gaining the monopoly of" liberty:' All the others, busintssmen, farmers, and wageeamen, are not free.Let us take the business menfirst. Now we all know that competitivebusiness is by its verynaturecorrupt. Every sincerebusi ness man will tell yOll thatit is im'possible to conduct hisaffairs as an upright man and besuccessful , for the simple reasonthat it is always the unscrupulousrogue who sets the standard. Iti~ the rascal who commences withadulterating goods, with' usingfalse ad,'crtising- bm the honestman must follow suit. The sameholds good for the manufacturer.It is the rascal who begins cuttingthe wages of the employes.endangering 'the Ih' es of theworkmen by neglecting tg put upappliances for their protection,and employing the labor 0-£women and children - but thehonest man must str'i~e the samepace.Another s uggestive fact. About90 per cent. of all business menat lea!.t once in their Jives go intoba ,kruJ>tcy. Still another; themammoth store-the departmentstore-is continually wiping outsmall merchants, and the I.argemanufacturing establishments andthe trusts are doing the samething for the small shops. So itis pretty clear that the businessmen, the merchants, the manufacturen.are not free.lt is hardly necessary to add,that the pryfessional class, law.yen, doctors, teachers, preacher!,are not free. They are of coursemainly dependent uPon the otherclasses. and especially upon theclass WITH MONEY, for a liv-(Co~ti nued on Page 14.)JLINCO'LN,LINCOLN, LAQOR. ANII SLAVER>'.t1t4~~:~~I;·Co.~~IS~~!~ ::.;~. vs:c:The history of our school days,the work of famous hi storians. thetales and traditions ha~ded downi rom generation to generation havealways told of great kings, grealleaders. great generals and ~ tate ;­men. It was a history o f ~rsons.great men and women, who~ bytheir individual ICts, turned th l!",orld in its course, changed thelives of whole races. whole nation ;;.~ t01/JrG IOOU.LUTII' JU.GASDB tLABOR,A fler a short sketch of generalpolitical and social conditions in."merica, in the early half o f thc19th Ce ntury. in which the authorshows how economic inter~sti\\'cre gradually driving the Nortiland South into the inevi table con·n;CI, the book carrie s us into theworld of organized labor. Spac(dees not permit our entering he r~ul::Jn the fundamental causes ofIhe war. The question of slaver,'"lrom which developed the conRict01 er neIY te rritories. and Ihegrowlh of new parties, Ihe ri ;;e ofc"pilaiisl indu :oitry in the North.and Ihe consequent demand agai n s~Rut with th~ spread o f Sociali 'ilthought comes a realization o f the{act thai history is not made byi:ldividuals. They are ~~t the puppets.Lhe "ehement opposition of th·'the representative!! of great Smuh. for a protecti ve' tariff. allsocial and economic forces. Historyuf these were polenl factor;; ;n theis not a story of individu ~ 1 laming struggle.hatreds. individual al11bitioll ~.\\'hile events i l ~ America we reTrue hi story is the story of th ·~~Iow l r coming to a cr i5i