Sailg Norn? 3nbuatrial Wnrkfr.
Published Daily except Sunday
Mr Nome Mine Workers' Union, No. *40. Western Federation of Miners.
Subscription Price
One Tear .
Six Months.
One Month
__ $20.00
_ _ $10.00
. _ $1*00
"To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
nearly as possible, Is a worthy object of any good government."—
nbranam Lincoln
Address all Communications to Dally Nome Industrial Worker,
Box 210 Nome, Alaska. Phone, Black 1S4.
All changes In standing advertisements must reach thlB office at six
I’clock each evening to insure insertion In the following issue.
Advertising rates made tfbown on application.
Entered as second class matter March 1, 1911, at the post office at
siome, - Alassa, under the Act of March I, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, September IS, Ifilft.
1
AX INDIGNANT MAItXIAN.
The following communication cri
ticizing some few remarks in this
paper some time ago was received
for publication:
“Nome, Alaska, Sept. 13, 1916.
To the Editor Nome Industrial
Worker.
This letter is prompted by .an ar
ticle which appeared in your paper
issue Aug. 15, said article being a
reply to a criticism I believe was
in the Nome Industrial Worker, to
wit: That it is not the socially ap
plied labor that gives a commodity
value, but ownership. If that is
correct—I did not read the first ar
ticle—I certainly want to take issue
with you. Mr. Editor as to that
statement, as it is on the correctness
that it is the socially necessary labor
which gives and adds value to a
commodity that Marxian # Socialism
stands or falls. Iu connection with
this it is important to remember
that Carl Marx and Frederick En
gels are the founders of Scintific
Socialism, and in “Capital", by Carl
Marx is laid bare the Law of \ alue,
and iu no place as far as I know
does Marx admit that it is owner
ship that gives value to a commo
dity. You, Mr. Editor are not the first
one who has tried to upset the
Marxian theory of value. Of late
years there has been numerous per
sons who have tried it—among
whom we find the late Prof. O. T>.
Skelton, P. D. D , Sir John A.
McDonald. Professor of Political
Science, Queen's University, King
ston, Canada, who in his 300 page
book. "Socialism, a Critical Ana
lysis”, a book that took the $1,000
prize offered by the firm of Hart,
Shaffner and Marx of Chicago foi
the best essay against socialism,
tried to refute the Marxian theory
of value and wflo was put to rout
by the grand old warrier for the
emancipation of the working class,
the late Daniel DeLeon, Editor ot
the Weekly People, S. L. P., and 1
will quote a paragraph from the
first article written by DeLeon in
contradiction of Prof. Skelton's
book, “Socialism, a Critical Analysis
in the Weekly People, April 27,
1912, which states briefly the Law
on Value as enunciated by Marx as
follows: “The value, exchange
value of commodities is determined
by the amount of socially necessary
labor power for production crystall
ized in them. Actual exchange does
not always take place by that stand
ard, the perturbation of the market
due mainly to varying supply and
demand one time sends the price
up above other times sends it down
below the value. Value is the cen
ter towards which cuhrent prices
gravitate. Hence ‘value’ and ‘prices
are different things, though they
may and periodically, in the long
run, do coincide.”
The illustration you give—if the
air was owned that that would give
it value—can not be called a fair
illustraiton of how your theory of
what gives value to a commodity
is drawn. In the first place, you are
giving ur, a hypothetical illustra
tion; nothing is proven by suppoa
ing and letting it go at that. 1
want you, Mr. Editor, to give us
some authority for your statement
as to ownership gives value and not
the socially necessary labor to a com
modity. In ^controversies affecting
Socialism, the student of the Science
of Socialism must have, yes, insist
on having, facts and authority, and
that you have failed to give.
In closing I will quote an example
of how the socially necessary labor
gives value to a commodity. It is
a letter written by a comrade in
San Francisco to the present editor
of the Weekly People which takes
up and very neatly exposes capital
istic superficiality on this—“Marx
ian theory of value”—and whlca
again establishes the correctness of
the Marxian theory and the -con
founding of your, Mr. Editor's theo
ry that it is ownership that gives
value to a commodity. The letter
reads as follows: “There is an in- ,
herent value in the materials. The
pine tree does not bring so much in
the market as the mahogany—you
can not get over it”. The above
quotation from the Reimer—Mrs.
Averv debate recalls an interesting
experience and at the same time ,
proves the absurdity of her state- (
ment.
When I was about to leave Guate
mala some years ago, I wanted to ,
secure a packing case (pine box) for
the shipment of some things that 1 (
had collected. I supposed this would (
be an easy matter, so I went to the (
supply store with my request. No ,
box was forthcoming. Finally 1 ^
discovered one and upon investiga- ■
tion discovered that the “owner’
held it to be worth about its weight
in gold. The result was that I had (
a native carpenter make me a beau- j
tiful mahogany chest of native wood ,
and this was secured at a price well .
under that asked for a pine box
case.
The sash and doors in the house '
where I lived were all of mahogany
aid though some of the panels were
so beautiful as to be priceless were
they in the United States, these
doors were really cheaper to pro- <
duce than pine doors would have
been, so it is obvious that the pine
tree may bring more in the market
titan does the mahogany, and does
actually bring more In a land for- i
eign to its habitat.
The labor required to place a pine j
board in the hands of a Guatemala ;
carpenter raises the value of such j
a board beyond the value of a board j
of native mahogany.”
I think for the present that this
will be enough to prove that your
theory, Mr. Editor, is entirely wrong
and dangerously misleading. I wish
to say that both your articles ot
Aug. 12 and Aug. 15 have been
mailed to the Weekly People for a
critical analysis.
In conclusion, I would say that It
would be well to read all of the
Socialist Labor Party literature—
especially the Weekly People, as
that party is the only true political
party of the working class, and is
the only party that has a clear-cut
program for the emancipation of the
working class in the United States.
The Socialist Labor Party is the
only true exponent of the Marxian
Theory of Value in the United
States and carries only one plank in
its platform: The complete over
throw of the Capitalist system and
the inaguration of the Co-operative
Commonwealth.
I am fraternaly,
HAROLD 1ENSEN”.
In reply we certainly object to the
idea that we have endeavored to up
set the theory of exchange values in
commodities as expounded by Karl
Marx. We did in the course of an
editorial in this paper on Aug. 12
emphasize the fact that there could
be no exchange value without own
ership. And in the issue of Aug.
15th while commenting upon an ex
ception taken by a socialist critic
while granting the correctness of
the Marx theory that social labor j
power was the measurement ot i
value, again insisted 'upon the fact j
of ownership being premised in any J
such a theoretical consideration.
Marx himself says that there can be i
no value without utility, and the
historical essential of all exchange
value is private ownership in that
utility. That fact is not recognized
sufficiently by "Marxian” socialists,
but it is the important fact above all
other ^acts as far as the capitalist
economy* is concerned.
Our correspondent is not himself
clear on the Marxian conception r.t j
Value, otherwise he would have re |
cognized the fact that the Gi-atem- j
ala-travelled man whom ho quotes j
from, is muddled up in his ideas ot |
value and price. The reason why |
pine is dear and mahogany cheap in j
Guatemala is simply that the price 1
the variable co-efficient of values, fo
ubject to the law of supply and de- i
land. 1
Marx recognizes a two-fold func- :
ion of labor as far as commodities
re concerned. One is to produce <
se values, an essential of _all com
ities. The other as the stand- <
rd of measurement of comrno
aodities in economic relation to one
nother in exactly the same (way :
hat a yard measure is used to esti
nate the lengths of pieces of cloth
nd ounces and pounds estimate the
weight of a substance. Yetya com
nodity can have a value without
ny labor being applied to its pro
luction. If one finds a nugget in
he open it will exchange for pre
isely the same value as that where
n great labor has been applied to
iroduce. The Marxian theory of
alue in exchange is the unit of
abor time cost in the production or
■e-production of a commodity and
vliat it would cost to re-produce the
mgget would be its exchange value.
Now to understand our reference
o the historical essential in all
•alue: private ownership. And that
ve have not been explicit enough in
>ur previous refereneces may justify
n a measure the criticism of our
■orrespondent.
Exchange values are not possible
vhere such are not privately owned
lor trade and barter, fo^commerce;
he social power given by ownership
jeing used to extract a price from
ndividual need. “Whoever directly
satisfies his own wants with the pro
luce of his labor creates indeed use
values, but not commodities” Social
y necessary labor power is not ne
:esr.arily creator of value. it can
)e applied to the raw material with
>ut resulting in the production ot
mmmodities, the historic receptacle
>f all exchange values. Marx him
self shows that this is so. “We
lave too close at hand in patriarhal
ndustries of the peasant family that
iroduces corn, cattle, yard, linen |
ind clothing for home use. The dift
irent articles are, as regards the
amilv, so many products of its la
ior. but as between themselves they
ire not commodities. The different
cinds of which result in the various
iroducts are in themselves and such
is they are direct social functions
jecause functions of the family,
which just as much as society based
lpon the production commodities
jossesses a spontaneously developed
system of the division of labor”. It
ve consider wherein arises the diff
;renec in these two form of produc
ion and the accompanying economic
iistinction in the social product ot
abor,. we will discover clearly that
t is therefore absolutely correct to
say without such private ownership
?ngaged in production for the
markets as an essential, exchange
values could not exist. It is the ex
santial of the capitalist economy, ol
:he economy involving exchange
values.
Private ownership is the sine qua
non of capitalist economy and all
that that capitalist economy in
volves, deluding commodities and
their measurement of value, that is
the socially necessary labor time
taken in their reproduction.
We need hardly remind the writer
of the above letter, that “labor al
though the substa.nce and the im
manent measure of value has itselt
no value”. It is the yard stick
whereby the Owners measure their
property. But it is because ot this
condition of ownership that the
values can be measured in labor
power, exchanged for other commo
dities also owned, because Hii”h pri
vate ownership is the supreme fact
of capitalist economy, without which
it could not be.
Back of tnat private ownership is
the might which makes the annexa
tion of surplus values a right,
makes it a legal and a social right,
and that was the point we made in
the article of August 12, even if we
did not, make it clear enough for
some Marxians.
'Besides and in conclusion, these
things are immaterial. Instinctively
the facts of exploitation are borne
in upon the mind of the most “un
Intellectual” worker. The iron dis
cipline of the job to which he is sub
jected is an educator far more po
tent than any economic dogmatism,
that leads only to foggery, mysti
cism, intellectual hair splitting, and
dangerously misleading “heresies"
to be punished by excommunication.
Stoves, Phonographs, Beds, etc.,
at Crooks, next Fire Department.
W
If
&
Now is the time to Subscribe
Milo’s
Cafe
OPEN DAV AND*NIGHT
Next dour to Pacific Cold
Storage.
iififiS****1
LOMEN BROS. |
Prescription Drugists
and
Drug Sundries
a
I
Occident Flour
Buy a Sack of Occident Flour and make as many bakings
as you wish. If you are not satisfied that it is better than any
other Flour you ever used return the unused Flour and get
Your Money Back
MOLLERS GROCERY
211 FRONT STREET PHONE, MAIN M
Steamer Arctic
will sail for St. Michaels and all way points Including Solomon,
Blulf and Ghtnlk, August 24.
For information call up Al-aska lighterage & Com. On. or
U. S. Mercantile Co.
MUSIC
I ALL THE LATEST POPULAR |!
| SONGS
| Just Received on the S
IS. S. UMATILLA |
HILLS PHARMACY I
We Deliver The Geode. |
SRIiiHMMagjaMBRJEKfMgJMaMMHHaaMMMWIMMHBMWMIMlIBHHWWMMBMHWW
HMiMaMiBfiifaiMBIHBIMBMiififEaBBfilil
“$. S. UMATILLA”
For Seattle Direct
SAILING FROM
NOME
OCTOBER 3
OCTOBER 29.
SAILING FROM
SEATTLE.
SEPTEMBER 20.
OCTOBER 15.
SCHEDULES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
ALASKA L. St O. OO.
Agents
F. J. O’CONNOR,
Commercial Agent,
Front St. and Steadman Are. At Dock. £|
ALASKA STEAMSHIP CO.
S. S. VICTORIA
LEAVE SEATTLE:
SEPTEMBER 18.
OCTOBER 15.
LEAVE NOME.
SEPTEMBER 11.
OCTOBER 1.
OCTOBER 29.
R. A. Carroll, Agent, Nome |
For
Maccinaw Coats
LOGGERS SHIRTS, STETSON HATS, FLORESKEIM SHOES,
FLANNEL!, SHIRTS AND A GOOD SELECTION OF UNDER
WEAR. LATEST VICTOR RECORDS AT
Cheap John Store
Tel. Main 48.
ONE PRICE TO ALL
Kent Transfer Co.
General Transfer & Freighting
Qoal & Qi±
Phone Main 139.
MR. MINER
I HAVE PURCHASED WHILE OUTSIDE THE BEST LINE
OF FURNISHINGS AND WINTER SUPPLIES TO BE HAD, AND
AM DETERMINED TO MAKE THIS STORE THE BEST PLACE
IN ALASKA TO TRADE.
PHIL MURPHY
MURPHY HAS THE 80QPS
GET THE NEWS RIGHT. READ Anything In the line of Job work
WORKER. Satisfaction assured.
MINERS
RESTAURANT
Opposite Industrial Worker.
FIRST CLASS MEALS.
Served In
FIRST CLASS STYLE.
Under New Management
OPEN ALL NIGHT.
Phone Main IBS.
S. H. SIMEON
4. 4> 4. 4. 4. 4, 41 4,4,
'H'*J, + 4,4,,H,4, + 4,4,4,4,+ +
** *********** *•+*
+ * + + + + + + + 4»+t
U. S. MAIL BOAT
“Silver Wave"
Making scheduled trips be
tween St. Michaels and all
way points, including Bluff,
Solomon, Nome, Teller, York,
Tin City, Deerlng, Candle and
Kotzebue.
*+++***+****
*+++++++++++++4*