﻿Mass Production, Mass Begging and Unbalanced Diets 

Relief administration is rapidly becoming chief industry in blase America. Big half of the people are boarding with their children’s children and babies still unborn. I don’t mind it so much being a ward of the tots that are already kicking, but I’m kind of fetched in the mind and pride to draw sustenance from unborn generations.
It is small consolation to say “the system will get so rotten our children will not be able to pay our board.” That’s just what will happen.
Vote and pray! wear a bib!
You’ll get pie from the guy in the crib.
The one, lone, rational thing we can do is organize.

Keeping abreast of mass production, mass begging has taken the place of rugged individual effort—see how they jump into swing position to choke off our harmless pastime. Mass production, mass beggery, balanced budget and balanced diet! Big words? I mention mass production and mass begging because they are a sign of times hysterics, and they tend to show the utter futility of expecting something from politicians so hopelessly tangled in the meshes of the system. Listen to political panaceas and you will become confused, confused as the steer that was wollopped between the horns with a sledge and you will go round and round. Even I, as well balanced as I am, became rather involved and on a limb, like Jim Reed when the water got over his head, when I try to discuss them. But even so, you just keep on reading my stuff and you won’t go picking flowers in a gravel pit. Don’t get discouraged whatever you do; a lad in Wilmar, Minn., feels sure the Supreme Court will die soon and give F.D.R. a chance to appoint saints with pin feathers to render decisions a la charlotte roseyvelt. Might be some thing to it, s’pose we include it in our prayers. Some would say government should not go into business. By the same token business should not go into government. But since business has gone into government, via lobbies, bribery, it is fitting that government go into business. And now that business has all but overthrown democratic government that democratic government overthrows autocratic business.
Let’s quit throwing the bull.
Let us organize industrially and see what’s what.

When the communist party of America endorsed trade unionism it did so because of necessity. Trade unionism was the only unionism that was open to political blandishments. Nevertheles, I think they put their money on a dead horse. They cannot be accused of reaction on such flimsy grounds alone for a man in a sinking condition does not choose his life raft any too carefully—and the comrades may have known all along which way the cat would skedaddle. They simply weren’t traveling in that direction.

Hearst Milk Fund prize fights have now been going on for years and I understand, the babies are filling out in nice shape; some of them near as I can judge, weighing as high as two hundred and fifty-seven pounds in their stocking feet.

National per capita debt may be a political problem but industrial poverty is not. Industrial maladjustments do not lend themselves to political wizardry for correction.

Landon’s out of the red. Kansas has spoils system (politician’s relatives on payrolls) civil service law is on books but dead these several years. “Notwithstanding I had two opponents,” chortles Senator Clapper, “I carried every county and had a majority of thirty-five thousand.” —
So the two opponents split the opposition, did they? heh, heh, heh—Bet you William A. and Henry J. rocked their guts laughing. That’s how they do it in Kansas. Politics is a grfeat game if you don’t weaken.

Gathering in the dead,
Gathering in the yield,
That is what the Christians do
On the battle field.
They bury their dead, also their enemies dead. To leave them uncovered might start a disease epidemic. Epidemics make them nervous. I wonder why? The business they’re in? Ah, they want live to kill and not die by death. Live to kill and kill to live, so as to say. Are they crazy? That s another subject and has nothing to do with national bravery. Surely bravery and lunacy has nothing in common?

Arthur Brisbane has a wan hope for peace in intermarriages. Art must be getting soft? Peace lies in abolition of rent, interest and profit and the road Brisbane points out is a blind alley.

Passed a Spanish section gang in Mississippi valley I watched them closely and saw not the slightest sign of revolution or civil war among them. They were sweating like an overfed business man, or industrial magnate under investigation. This (peace) was probably because no diplomats or politicians were present. The best way to stop sweat is organize a One Big Union—and war will take care of itself.
Then parasites will fight all wars—and labor will be left to enjoy the full product of his creation. (Creation is that part of the world made livable by labor—all else is desert).
Institution of bossism (autocracy) put the first families in dutch—let us organize a cooperative will (not cooperative skinning plants). Our country produces too much for everybody— if you are not getting too much— join the I.W.W.