(discusses various programs for the change from industrial autocracy to industrial democracy.)

the program of the railway workers for the democratic management of their industry is embodied in the plumb plan. you may learn about it by addressing the weekly paper of the railway brotherhoods, which is called "labor," and is published in washington, d. c. it appears that our transportation industry can be at once socialized, because of a clause in the constitution which gives the national government power over "roads and communications." through decades of mismanagement under the system of private greed, the railroads have been brought to such a financial condition that they will be forced into nationalization, whenever we stop them from dipping their fingers into the public treasury.

under the plumb plan the government is to purchase the roads from their present owners, paying with government bonds. the management is to be under the control of a board consisting in part of representatives of the government, and in part of the workers—this being a combination of the methods of socialism and syndicalism. the same program can be applied constitutionally to telegraphs and telephones, to interstate trolley systems, express companies, oil pipe lines, and all other means of interstate communication and distribution.

the plumb plan also deals with coal and steel and other great industries. these could not be nationalized without a constitutional amendment, but it appears that in the majority of the constitutions of the states are provisions that all corporate charters are held subject to the power of the legislature to amend, modify, or revoke the same. that gives us a right to take over these corporations through state action. the only preliminary is to elect state administrations which will represent us, instead of representing the corporations. also, most state constitutions contain the provision that "no corporation shall issue its stocks or bonds, except for money, labor, or property actually received." the word "labor" gives the opening wedge for the plumb plan. the state can purchase these industries, giving bonds in exchange, and can issue to the workers labor stock, which stock will carry part control of the industry.

also, the railroad brotherhoods have started their own bank, in cleveland, ohio, and it is proving an enormous success. make note of this point; every large labor union can have its own bank, to finance its industries and its propaganda. stop and consider how preposterous it is that the five million organized workers of the united states should deposit their hundreds of millions of savings in capitalist banks, to be used to finance private undertakings which crush unions and hold labor in bondage. let every big labor union have its own building, its own banking and insurance business, its own vacation camp in the country, its own school for training its future leaders. also, let every labor council in every big city start a labor daily, to tell the workers the truth and point the way to freedom. let every farmers' organization follow suit; and let these groups get together, to exchange their products upon a co-operative basis. already the railway men are arranging with the farmers, to buy the farm products and distribute them co-operatively; they are getting together with the clothing workers, to have the latter make clothing for them, and with the shoe-workers to make shoes.

this is the co-operative movement, which has become the largest single industry in great britain, and is the backbone of industrial democracy and sound radicalism. it is spreading rapidly in america now. it is taking the money of the people out of the control of the profit system, and diverting it into channels of public service. it is training men to believe in brotherhood instead of in greed. it is giving them business experience, so that when the time comes the taking over of our industrial machine will not have to be done by amateurs, but by men who know what co-operation is, and how to make a success of it.

this work will go on more rapidly yet when the workers have united politically, and brought into power a government which will assist them instead of assisting the bankers. a most interesting program for the development of working-class financial credit is known as the "douglas plan," which is advocated by a london weekly, the "new age," and is explained in two books, called "economic democracy" and "credit power and democracy," by douglas and orage. this program is in brief that the furnishing of credit shall become a function of organized labor, based upon the fact that the true and ultimate basis of all credit is the power of hand and brain labor to produce wealth. the labor unions, or "guilds," shall pay the management of industry and pay capital for the use of the industrial plant, and shall finance production and new industrial development out of their "credit power," their ability to promise production and to keep their promises.

this "douglas plan" seeks to break the money trust by the method of syndicalism. another method of breaking it, through state regulation of bank loans, you will find most completely set forth in an extremely able book, "the strangle hold," by h. c. cutting, an american business man, whom you may address at san lorenzo, california. another method, utilizing the third factor in industry, the consumer, is the method of banking by consumers' unions. such are the raffeisen banks, widely known in germany, and a specimen of which exists in the single tax colony at arden, delaware. those who wish to know about the co-operative bank, or other forms of co-operation, may apply to the co-operative league of america, 2 west 13th street, new york, whose president is dr. james p. warbasse. information concerning public ownership may be had from the public ownership league, 127 n. dearborn street, chicago; also from the socialist party, 220 south ashland boulevard, chicago, and from the bureau of social research of the rand school of social science, new york.

also, i ought to mention the very interesting plan for social reconstruction set forth by mr. king c. gillette, inventor of the safety razor. this plan you may find in your public library in two encyclopedic volumes, "gillette's social redemption," and "gillette's world solution." the politician seeks to solve the industrial problem by means of the state, and the labor leader seeks to solve it by the unions; it is to be expected that mr. gillette, a capitalist, should seek to solve it by means of the corporation. he points out that the modern "trust" is the greatest instrument of production yet invented by man; and he asks why the people should not form their own "trust," to handle their own affairs, and to purchase and take over the industries from their present private masters. it is interesting to note that mr. gillette's solution is fully as radical and thorough-going as those of the state socialists or the syndicalists. the "people's corporation" which he projects and plans some day to launch upon the world would be a gigantic "consumers' union," whose "credit power" would speedily dominate and absorb all other powers in modern society; it would make us all stockholders, and give us our share of the benefits of social productivity.