"According to the principles of socialism, in order to achieve prosperity for the broad masses, it is necessary to destroy the capitalists, thereby establishing the dictatorship of the working people. Socialism declares a fierce struggle against capital. Socialism sees salvation in the class struggle, from which the workers are supposed to emerge victorious.
We hold a different conviction on this matter and therefore believe that prosperity for the working people can be achieved not through class struggle, but through class cooperation.
Only through close cooperation among the classes can the nation create high value and increase the country’s productivity. Industrial output is exported to foreign markets, thereby attracting foreign capital into the country, which enriches the state and, in turn, its citizens.
A nation that wishes to achieve prosperity and be politically and economically independent must maximize the country’s production, and this can be achieved only through cooperation between labor and capital. The basis for this cooperation must be the fair regulation of relations between workers and employers. This difficult task can be accomplished only with the assistance of the government. Disputes arising between employers and workers must be resolved by a special body of corporate representatives, and if that body fails to resolve the dispute, the government, as the supreme guardian of justice, shall have the final and unappealable say.
The government’s primary concern is to ensure that the state’s interests are not harmed by any disputes that arise, because this would automatically harm the citizens as well. For the common good of the state, each side must sacrifice a portion of its own interests, because only by following this path can common prosperity be achieved.
Lockouts and strikes, as instruments of class struggle that undermine national solidarity, are harmful to the state; therefore, these actions are not only impermissible but, on the contrary, should be severely punished.
Only wealthy countries like the United States and England can afford such a “luxury,” for whom losses of several tens of millions due to a strike or lockout do not pose any significant financial difficulties. For us, however, for whom every cent is precious, such a luxury would be an unjustifiable crime, especially since this approach cannot, in any case, resolve the issue of improving workers’ conditions (as the history of strikes confirms). The damage that strikes inflict on the state is well illustrated by last year’s strike by English coal miners. The workers, having produced nothing for a long time, supported themselves and caused the state several hundred million pounds in losses, while gaining almost nothing for themselves. All of this happened because the labor issue was attempted to be resolved in a completely different way than was necessary. In the name of justice and the common good, an employer cannot exploit workers, just as workers have no right to destroy the country’s industry with their demands. Government leadership is necessary to regulate this matter.
Every sensible and patriotic worker or employer understands that their well-being lies in the well-being of the state, and that this can be achieved not through class struggle, but through the united efforts of the nation. We are convinced that our reborn nation, with its honorable traditions of the past, will show the world examples of a new way of governing and coexistence.”
— Juozas Mantautas | Tautos kelias 1928-Birž.1
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