NOME INDUSTRIAL WORKER
TRI-WEEKLY
Published Tuesday. Thursday,
and i Saturday.
JBy Nome Mine Workers’ Union, No. 240, International Union of Mine,
Mill and Smelter Workers.
Subscription Price
One Year . $20.00
Six Months . 10.00
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“To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
atarly as possible is a worthy object of any good government.’’—Abru
pt ana Lincoln.
A11 changes in advertisements must reach this office before 9 A. M.
on day of publication to insure in sersiou in same Issue.
Advertising rates made known on application.
Entered as second class matter August 6, 1918, at the Post Office
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
NOME, ALASKA TUESDAY, OC’TOBEK, 1, 1918.
WAK AM) INDUSTRY
One of the effects of the war
ppon industrial conditions is not very
o/ter referred to in the press, mainly
’because it has a great deal of signifi
cance for the future and the press,
usually short sighted itself to the
present and superficial takes no pleas
ure at all in prospective considera
Jjons.
When the Great War began in 1914
'in every country there was a well
marked tendency upon the part of
money and control to centralize. It
As quite unnecessary to recall the fact
that the political surface of the Uni
ted States was stirred by a tempest
■of opposition to this economic tend
ency, and the legislators with the
over ready futility of Mrs Partington
•did their little best to sweep back
the tide with statutory brooms. That
good old time seems part of the ro
mantic age today when men have for
gotten almost everything in the
"higher tide of War.
Yet when the war began in not
•one country did this tendency quiet
itself. Instead fanned by the tempest
«f hostilities, where before it was
merely a faint ripple on the indus
trial tide, today and thereafter, the
tendency become the resistless cur
Tetil that could be over ruled by no
power.
Naturally enough because of the
^advanced condition of its industry
Germany was the first to betray evi
dences of an intensified centraliza
tion and in a few years of war the
independent became so seriously
threatened that this year he awoke
to the seriousness of the situation and
with the fatuity of the Middle Class in
critical situations began to interpel
late the Chancellor and the Kaiser's
ministers thereupon.
The chemical industry began tc
.sweep into its dragnet all the little
fellows; the textile industry followed
suit; the banks became mere subsi
diaries of the Imperial German bank,
the shoe manufacturing industry be
taine controlled by one interest and
so on down the lice.
The question arose then why this
-was brot about by war, for it very
soon became manifest that it was a
condition as evident in France, in
t.reat llritain and in fact in all the
•■varring countries as in Germany.
The fact that such consolidations do
tend towards improved methods of
production, are much more efficient to
vise that much abused word, without
•any doubt Is one of the primary reas
ons why they become more acceptable
to the nation in war time than in
jpeace.
Moreover the government becomes
vr, every way more autocratic. Those
-.'.mall middle class interests which
itn time of peace are noisy, insistent
and very aggressive, are at once sub
missive and bullied when war comes.
The war is regarded as an opportunity
and submissiveness is regarded as
vtbe way which leads to favors in that
opportuity. In consequence the class
which surrenders itself wholly to- the
dominant authority becomes perma
nently in a state of subordination
when the most highly prized privi
leges. rightsvand favors go by the
Aboard. Assuredly because the war
"emergency demands the highest possi
ble speed of production combined with
the highest possible standard of pro
duction, anything and everything that
trends to diminish either of these
♦things is regarded as undesirable ami
b.t> be eliminated. With the major
spheres of production controlled bv
immensely powerful aggregations of
'■capital, it is supremely natural these
should have little difficulty in convinc
ing rightly or wrongly that the more
■centralized becomes control the great
er will be efficiency of the plants. The
smaller independents can make no
headway against this argument and
suffer the penalty for their surrender
m the menace of centralization that
they made in the earlier days of the
war.
In fact that has actually taken
place in not one but many of the bel
ligerents and finally the governments
took a hand in closing down in Ger
many many of the independents and
finally permitted their absorption by
the centralized control that had there
upon followed the suspension of the
smaller units of production in the in
dustry.
It is not unlikely that when the
war ends each industry will have such
a completely centralized control in
the various nations that the day of the
smaller independent will, except as to
a complete degree a subordinate or
subsidiary of the great interests domi
nating the industry, have been passed
for ever.
THE I. W. \V.
One looks in vain thruout the entire
capitalist press for one instructive
word concerning the conviction of the
Industrial Workers of the World.
They are regarded just as our an
cestors regarded some person guilty
of an anti-social act, as it were a per
sonal, voluntary, conscious offending
against the rest.
There's not an intelligent line which
would indicate even a faint inquiry
as to why they are and what brot them
into being. Nothing but denunciation
for wicked and disloyal and criminal
agitators—nothing but congratula
tion that the are finally landed behind
the bars where they can no further
carry on their propoganda.
One looks in vain for a wise writer,
far seeing enuff to ask what brot these
men and these ideas into being.
Surely they came neither from heaven
nor from hell. Our ideas are not born
within us. They come from our enviro
ment. Yet apparently the whole cap
italist p.e-ts and its thotless readers
would maintain the notion that the
I. W. W. was born in the brain of
wicked agitators who coceived within
their souls the idea of tormenting
society with their own baseness.
Not a single man of them cannects
the existence of the I. W. W. with
the industrial conditions that pre
vail thruout various sections of the
United States. Not a single one of
them connects the existence of this
revolutionary organization with the
conditions such as say were revealed
in the report of the Industrial Rela
tion Commission.
Yet are the facts so simple and so
patent and so manifest that indeed
he who runs may read them.
Further it is a peculiarly insidious
error which fails to note that if such
conditions as called certain effects in
to existence are allowed to continue,
it is only the vainest of vanities, the
emptiest of empty efforts which
thinks that by punishing the effects of
those conditions manifest in the ex
istence of the I. W. W., therefore
will these effects cease. Just as long
as those things which caused the I.
W. W. to spring into being exist, just
so long will the I. W. W. or what
may not be called that, but surely the
same thing if the name be different,
continue.
We cannot too often insist upon
this. Yet, it is too true, that the
workers themselves have acted in this
way too often that they divert the
social facts to personal responsibili
ties and see in the persons guilty of
anti-social acts, one solely responsi
ble for those acts. We take no
stock of the driving force of economic
circumstances and in the person of the
capitalist see the shortcomings of cap
italism. It is the system, not the
persons that are creatures of the sys
tem that is blame worthy. And' we
can never adopt proper measures of
reform until such time as we fully
appreciate that it is not the man but
the circumstances which surround
and make the man, that reforms must
begin upon. i
NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS
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Attention to this will save disap
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changes with dispatch.
Remember, any donations for the
“Belgian relief” must be shipped out
on the last fleet. Adv.
PROVE THE PUDDING BY EATING
BUTTER EGGS PIG PORK PRE
SERVES AT INDEPENDENT GROC
ERY.
It is a patriotic duty to aid in the
government's call to assist our little
sister nation Belgium, and the spirit
of justice rather than charity should
prompt all to do their very best. Any
clothing that is not good for six
months wear can be used to advan
tage here in Nome. Adv.
FOR REPRESENTATIVE
JAMES J. BOGAN
(DEMOCRAT)
ELECTION NOVEMBER, 5tli 1918.
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
I
FOR REPRESENTATIVE
ALMER (Slim) RYDEEN
(DEMOCRAT) of Candle.
ELECTION NOV. 5th, 1918.
For Re-election
JOHN A. WILSON
For Road Commissioner
Election, November 5, 1918
FOR ROAD COMMISSIONER
SECOND DIVISION
BARNEY QIBNEY
(DEMOCRAT)
ELECTION, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 1018
FOR TERRITORIAL ROAD COMMISSIONER
AL WINKLER
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
ELECTION NOVEMBER 5, 1918.
ALASKA STEAMSHIP CO.
S. S. VICTORIA
Last Sailing of the Season
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OCTOBER THE 20TH
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S.S.ADM. WATSON
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October 4th
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Schedule Subject to change
Without Notice
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L. C. Wolfe Agent==Nome
*•« *•« »|« »|< *■< »J« *■« *•« »•« *•« *•« ►]« *|«
The Dawson Hotel!
• *!•
• (Includes THE DAWSON, GREEN TREE and THE LINCOLN)
I* 4*
Finest Rooms In Nome t
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HOMELIKE AND COMFORTABLE QUARTERS FOR TRANS- ^
• IENT OR PERMANENT GUESTS.
. BY DAY, WEEK OR MONTH. .J.
r BARNEY GIBNEY.Proprietor
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North Pole Bakery
& Coffee House
BREAD
.j. 15 cents per loaf
I 2 Loa\es 25c.
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PAID ADVERTISEMENTS
WASHINGTON STATE
FEDERATION OF LABOR
EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
•|«*|« *1* *i* *1*
EVEKETTE, WASH. Sept, 9th, 19XG.
To Trade Unionists of Alaska,
Greeting.
Ordinarily we would not think of making any sugges
tions to you concerning political candidacies in your Territory
but in the present situation we feel justified in doing so. The
interests of labor in the entire northwestern group of otates
and particularly Washington, is closely allied with the interest
of labor in Alaska. We have watched with growing concern
the efforts of large corporate aggregations to tighten their
hold upon the wealth of your country and have watched the
splendid fight waged in Congress by your Delegate Mr Wick
ersham.
It is because we believe Mr Wickersham is fighting in
Congress against the exploitation of labor and. the great nat
ural wealth of Alaska by powerful private, interests, that we
are taking the liebrty of urging our fellow unionists in Alaska
to rally to his support in his campaign for re-election.
Knowing that you will accept this communication in the
spirit in which it is written and. assuring you the continued co
operation and good will of your fellow' trade unionists, we beg
leave to remain,
Fraternally Yours,
E. F. M\RSH
President Washington State Federation of Labor.
CHAS, R. CASE
Chairman Legislative Committee, Seattle Central Labor Council.
J. G BROWN
President International Shingle Weavers’ Union of America.
WILLIAM SHORT
Sec.-Treas. Dist. No. 10, United Mine Workers of America.