The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-04-27

ASASANA L/A6lAoA, 0CIulE11l, rTCuCu OF
American, and the interests of neither
country are considered when compared
with the interests of their values which
are centered in all lands wherever labor.
power, and natural resources exist.
While there is nothing to be gained by
war and much to be lost in the way
OF the unsettling Of values, of stocks,
bonds, etc., there is little likelihood of
war, unless-which is not likely--the
sentiment of the people should rise to
an overwhelming force. If for any rea-
son the leading money kings of the
world desired war, an excuse would
be very quickly found Race prejudice,
patriotism, superstitious hatred, any Of
the emotions always swelling to the
surface OF the common people, would
be appealed to, and the poor working
folks of two countries would be set to
work butchering each other. But no
money lord or politician would get
where he would be hurt.
It is terrible thing to think that
the poor workers of this country should
be sent out to kill and wound the poor
workers of Spain merely because few
leaders may incite them to do so II
there are men brave and strong and
good enough to 60 to Cuba and help the
Cubans to gain their liberty, who will
drive the mistaken soldiers of Spain,
who are themselves poor and are only
killing at their rulers command out of
the island and then let them go and also
come home and let the Cubans arrange
their own affairs, I would say, "God
speed" But war that is to be waged
to the verge of destruction, that will
blacken and ruin the land and sacrifice
countless numbers of lives of innocent
people for the sake of a big gunboat or
even for the sake of the poor soldiers
sacrificed with it, who could not be
brought back to life by it. I deeply hope
it will not come to pass. wish the COM
mon soldiers on one side would send
such a message as the soldiers of the
COu1Luuu0 LII 4CSA SCAI W IAS SOMluOA
soldiers of the Prussian army. In these
days it might be answered in greater,
a higher, spirit than it was then.
The workers on one side Of sea or a
river can conceive of no 1audable excuse
for hating and wanting to murder the
workers on the other side of it. They
are the producers of the worlds wealth,
and they are all suffering alike from a
common wrong. They have but one
genuine enemy on earth, and this is the
united money power that Is fleeing
them Systematically wherever they are.
When they once realize this and refuse
to fight for the property of the rich, for
the wounded honor of some petted par
asite, for the possession of territory out
Of which capital may wiring fresh trib-
ute, for the defining Of a boundary line
that signifies nothing to any one except
a few f1eecers, wars will cease, for the
worlds great men will not declare war
when they see that no one will fight
them. They do not want wars that
must be waged personally-they only
fight by proxy. It is one thing to get up
a quarrel in which millions Of common
men are sacrificed and millions Of dol
lars can be made" and quite another to
precipitate a struggle that must be
fought out by oneself.
No, the only laudable, justifable kind
of war that can ever be waged again
is one of the oppressed against the op-
pressor, Of the producers against their
exploiters, the slaves against the tyrants.
Even such a war, let us hope, need
never be. Intelligence has spread over
the world SO rapidly, so widely, that this
mighty and vital question of the right
of labor to its own productions may be
settled peacefully. If the workers of the
world will awake to the fact that their
interests are the same, and if they will
refrain from quarreling with one an-
other about the color of their skin, the
places where they happened to be born,
the political and religious faiths Of their
grandfathers will be settled. For rulers
and explodters who will not fight their
battles unless they can do 1t with substi
tutes will not fight the common people
if they can find none among them who
will do it for them.
1t Is not necessary that the people all
agree as to theories and remedies, fol-
that would imply that some among them
must be hypocrites or that they should
crush down their honest convictions.
But it is necessary that they have for
each others opinions the utmost toler
ance. It is above all necessary that
they recognize that the needs, aspira-
tions and wrongs Of the people in all
other nations are similar to their own
and that If anybody must be killed it
isn't that kind of people.
Don't, workingmen, be too anxious
to load yourself up with killing ma
chimes and march away to kill lot Of
poor fellows just like yourselves. II
you feel the inspiration to help the Gu
bans, go and do just enough killing to
accomplish your purpose-no more.
Then come home.-Lizzie NJ Holmes.
Watch for the Final Settlement.