The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1913-11-13
OPEN REVOLT RATHER THAN
WAR.
The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown Down
-Win Uncle sam Pick Il Up2

OF all the news contained in tn
November issue of the Internationa
Socialist Review, nothing is so graft
flying to the way-weary rebel as tn
report which comes from the late
| w. w, convention. II appears tina
these sudden, impetuous "Wobblies
have taken matters into their owl
hands in a way that bids fair to ge
results of some kind, be they gooC
or be they bad.
While the Socialist party has beer
dreaming and talking, the l. w. w
has been doing; witness the following
resolution;
BE it resolved, That we go OF
record that if the U. S. goes to wal
with Mexico We will raise the REL
FLAG IN THIS COUNTRY. OPEN
REVOLT RATHER THAN WAR"
And the best part of it is, the
w. w. mean business. viii Uncle
Sam pick up the gauntlet? VIII he
take a chance on open revolt al
home, just for the sake of satisfy
ing the greedy wishes of the Plum
der Bund? Will he? We think
hardly.
While the l. w. w. is, admittedly
comparatively weak organization
as far as numbers go, still they are
sufficiently strong, and hold such an
important position in the body polite
that they can, if they wish, plunge
this country into the most terrible
reign of terror the world has ever
known. And they have the temper
to do it if they can bring themselves
to believe that it is to the interests
of the working class to do so. More
over, in a move such as the above
resolution conteranlates. II goes with
out saying that they will have the
hearty support of every real revo
lutionist in the U. S. and the entire
sympathy of the enlightened work
ing class.
Nobody wants war. That is, no
body but the capitalists, and they
don't want war if they have to do the
fighting. They depend on the work,
ing class dupes to do their fighting
for them; but the time has about
passed when the working class can be
induced to go out and get shot just
to further line the pockets of their
masters.
Most any man will fight to defend
his home, but only a fool of the first
water will fight for boarding house
or a roll of lousy blankets; and thai
| is about all many an American vot
ing sovereign of today can boast Of
If the l. w. w. should go out oi
business tomorrow, they would live
for years in the hearts of all liberty
loving peoples. Their memory would
be cherished as the pioneer group oi
rebels who dared to openly declare
the secret wish that lay nearest the
heart of every true man and true
woman of the working class.
War? What for? The writer Of
this is not opposed to war. He thinks
that war is sometimes necessary, bu
he is unalterably opposed to fighting
the battles of the masters. He would
fight the masters rather. He does
not think that armed revolt is the
best method of accomplishing th'
social revolution. He thinks rathel
that it is the poorest method, and thu
method most likely to fail. But
the masters are just dying for
scrap. if they wish to commit sui
eide, we'll then, let them go to II
They will assuredly get all they ar
looking for, and then some.
The campaign Of "anti-militarism
which the Socialists have been carry
ing on is a splendid move; but w
should be careful not to carry tn
thing TOO far. We should be careful
that we do not make of the worker
themselves such "mollycoddles" tina
they will not have the backbone t
defend themselves if it comes to
crisis where such defense entails
taste Of real fighting.
Lay on, McDuff, and dam'd be b
who first cries Hold enough
JOHN M'SLARROW.