The Alaska citizen., 1911-11-20

be as our peasants arr. Sl.1NNl-p
with mortgages CT vic..ms OF the
Sheriff's sale. whether under French
or the German system. to oe sub
jet to the acquisitions Of the
French advocate-gG general or "A German
one. to be turned inside out by
French or German police. TO be SHOT
down in case of strike by French
or German soldiers. what does 1t
matter to us. the CCuu;TylCss ones
But if the Kaiser should auaeN
u.s. objects the Aforementioned
BY that question of the publ min
lister an easily disproved vi ness
was set up and as easily 'Ora o
shreds. He. the minister. stammer
out that in that case he himself
would shoulder arms.
THAT the members OF your class
should love their country is nothing
wonderful. That you should ardonjs
desire to die for It can understand.
The nation is for you d bountc us
mother; she nursed you when You
We're infants; she instructed YOU;
she afforded you happy youth, AMI
YOU look forward to measured and
well recompensed labor, to long holt
DAYS and to security for the morrow
and for your cid age. When two
nations go to war the big capitalist
and government journals OF each
loudly declare that it is the other
that is in the wrong. As for us
we are well aware that. should q
war break out between France and
England or Germany it w.uId be
but the capitalists of each cudgel
ing themselves for the markets of
the world. Therefore, whoever might
be the apparent aggressor, not a
musket would we shoulder. We
anti-patriots. if, with what motive
Whatsoever you should request oI
us the only property We really do
possess, namely, our lives, you may
be mighty sure We would NOT give
them to YOU.
You should not be at all sorry
if we should remain pari is and
cheerfully steal, In the name OF
your civilization, another Tunis,
another Tonkin, another MADAGASCAR.
or pillage anew Picking for the ben
eft of your financiers.
IT would not displease So per
cent of your class in the least II
in case your fnanciers and diplomats
did not agree tomorrow with tho--
of Germany, we French and German
proletarians should march against
each other and slaughter each other
by the hundreds of thousands {.
decide whether Morocco should he
long to the capitalists Of Paris or
Berlin.
The nations, all nations, Whatever
may be the etiquette of their system
of government. are composed Of two
sets Of men. one for the smaller in
numbers, the other comprising the
vast majority of the population.
THE first class is seated around
a well-set table. where nothing is
wanting. At the head of the table
in the place of honor. are the high
financiers. They may be in dis
agreement with one another over
questions of religion or philoso-
ply. or even over rates Of interest;
but as against the great mass Of
people they are banded like thieves
at fair.
TO the right and left OF them
are the ministers Of the state, thc
high functionaries of the civil, re-
ligious or military administrations,
not to omit the general reasurers,
with their 80, 40, or 50 thousand
francs salaries per year. A little
further around is the Full Council
of the Order of Lawyers, the elor-
ious Spokesman of the Universal
Conscience; next the gentlemen of
the courts and their precicus aux
ilaries, the solicitors, nOtaries and
bailiffs.
"The big stockholders in mines,
factories, railroads and steamship
companies. the merchants, the pos
SCISSORS of castles and large estates
are all at this table; all those who
own fourpence are here also, at
the foot of the table; they are the
small fry, who have, nevertheless
all the prejudices, all the reactionary
instincts of the big capitalists.
you, also, gentlemen of the jury,
must place among the number
of privileged persons gathered
around this table. 1t is not an evil
fate, l assure you. In return Tor
work when you do work which
is of an intellectual character, often
pleasant. which always allows plenty
of leisure, which flatters your pride
and vanity, you get in return
bounteous life, rendered endurable
by all the comfort, all the luxury
which the progress Of science has
placed at the disposal of the favor
ties of fortune.
Far from that table | see