Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-03-14
War is HE'LL"
Said Sherman

have said, "War is hell''. Several
hundred years ago we had what is
known in history as 1.-THE Thirty
Years War This was between the
Protestants on one side and and the
Catholics on the other. In the civil
war chattel slavery was the cause In
the north slavery wasn't profitable and
the clergy dependant on the wealthy
for their livelihood, could not harmon
ize chattel slavery with christian re-
ligion, and they preached against it.
In the south the invention of the
cotton gin and other inventions made
chattel slavery profitable for their
masters, and the clergy, ever true to
their economic masters, preached for
the slave masters interest and wrote
books defending slavery. One of which
l have read is 1.-THE Bible Defense of
Slavery" So here in the south their
religion was for slavery.
Thus preaching for and against slav-
cry went on until John Brown decided
that he could abolish slavery, which
resulted in the war of the sixties in
which our fathers were killed or Grip
pied, or given us as iDvalids, all in the
name of our christian civilization.
Right here on Cumberland noun
tain stands the magnificent buildings
occupied and owned by one of our lead
ing churches, the Episcopalians. In the
beautiful town of Sewanee. Here is
where some are taught to law, some
to practice medicine, some to preach,
and some trained to kill, and this is
what puzzles me. To save my life
can't see how we can live christians.
and go about teaching and training
the young boys and men to kill their
brothers.
/ have long since decided against
such christianity, even If the boys OF
my own town, and of leading MEM
bers of our churches, have joined the
boy scouts, which is an annex of this
murderous gang, who pray and vote
for war.
Let US, if you please. imagine the
two great generals, Lee and Grant,
with their great armies draw ready
for battle where thousands of innocent
men are to be slain, who do not even
know what for, and have had no quar-
rel. Try to imagine chaplains on both
sides praying to just God, yes, God
of love, who is the father of all. that
each may kill more of their brothers
than the other, and you get glimpse
of the civilization we call christian.
Is it possible that we have christians
who can sing, pray. kill, and then
praise God for victory thus obtained
The only way | can excuse this is to
say that society is evoluting, and these
things had to be to bring US to realize
what the prophet meant when he said
'The swords shall be made into prun-
ing hooks" etc,
Mr.. Watts has said, "A bayonet is a
stinger, made by the working class,
sharpened by the working class, nicely
polished by the working class, and
then patriotically thrust into the
working class by the working class for
the benefit of the capitalist class. ="
The north first held white men as
slaves owned the blacks as chattels, |
but the European plan led on by
England was for capital to control
wages by controlling the money of the
country. The capitalists of the north
liked this better, and they joined the
English bankers and money lenders to
establish wage slavery in lieu.
The capitalists of the south could
not vet see that wage slavery was
cheaper, and had the working men of |
the South to fight the working men OF |
the north for their economic masters,
while they lay back to make millions
by lOaning money and saddllng debt !
upon the unborn, which never will be
paid, for it was intended with which |
to control the money of the country |
and thereby the wages Qabor.
Now, our economic masters have us
in their clutches and are closing tight
er and tighter every year, and we
poor, foolish, ignorant, deluded NOR
tails are pining our lives away in pow
erty, and woe, voting for the two
grand old parties, that they may con-
tinue to rivet the chains of poverty
upon us, and almost the entire clergy
of the country are preaching and
praying Gods blessings on the system
framed for no other purpose than that
the few could coin our lives and the
lives of our children into dollars, that
this same few may spend $4,000 to
bury poodle dog, and that their
wives may wear 5000, 900 necklaces,
and pile up millions they can never
use.
Tell me that sensible, honest men
would vote for such when they know {
il, and | will deny it. 1t cannot be,
1t requires dishonesty of purpose to /
practice dishonesty. This is why we
spent five hundred and twenty-fi ;
million dollars for war in the year I
1909 The system cannot exist without /
war or force, for no honest nation of (
workers will consent to produce and {
live in poverty while our economic ,
masters, who have been curse to So {
ciety, live in luxury, and cannot spend '
what is worse than stolen from those
who produce.
Inspect the soldiery of our country
and YOU will find them to be working
men, not a banker, not a bishop, not a
railway president, not coal baron, s
not a United States Senator, and not s
even an anti labor injunction judge. I
I could mention others, but it is not
necessary. These are those who make
'our'' laws, declare wars. and work 7
inpmen hold the laborers while they
rife their pockets. This is what war
has done and is doing for the workers i
of the world.
Men in gold buttons forcing men in c
rags TO kill their brothers in rags.