Page:Emile Vandervelde - Three Aspects of the Russian Revolution - tr. Jean Elmslie Henderson Findlay (1918).djvu/81

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The Revolution in the Factories

the newly elected committee, faced with the same problems, acquiring the same experience, came to the same conclusions, and agreed to the same concessions, until finally the workmen, realizing that a further change would be useless, agreed to leave the last committee in office and to follow their advice. They had no doubt come to see themselves that the committee were right.

7. The Responsibilities of Power.

In short, after a relatively short lapse of time business habits tend to develop in the most intelligent of the working class a more real sense of their responsibilities, and there is good reason to hope that with reciprocal good-will between employers and workmen Russia may escape the industrial chaos which threatened her, and that the necessary development of her economic system will be accomplished without catastrophe. Though in the early days of the new government we had reason to fear formidable strikes and monster lock-outs, which would indeed have thrown out of gear the whole social machine, it is rather

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