The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-09-24
NAL
IS Made That Protection Was
the Cause of the Great
War in Europe.
5(By b. 81. Kintser, Socialist Candidate
for Congressman-at-large.)

(By E. 81. Kintzer, Socialist Candidate
for Congressman-at-large.)
afr. r. N. Fisher. in his article In
the Telegram on what caused the war,
1 had had a true vision and was honest
to his convictions when he summed up
his reasoning by saying capitalism
has gone mad.
The person who fails to read and In
i terpret history through out material
ism is missing the point. The Social
list not alone interprets history through
D the prevailing mode OF the securing
4 OF a living by people, but asks you
Ito examine the cause OF your own and
4 the action Of others, and you will find
| an economic (materiaD reason for the
1 Individual action.
II Political economists agree that our
II historical events are but the renex OF
| our securing the means OF life as
nation.
Then we must look for the economic
-materialistic (mode of getting
|4living) cause for the war, ana Wnal
do we find? Like Mr.. Fisher has
shown, we find that Immigration from
Germany has ceased to be the factor
| or regulator of the German people.
Instead, the people staid at home Tin
their own country and built up an
Industrial completely that has been
N the wonder of all people and the night-
| mare of the capitalists OF other coun-
tries. AS Mr.. Fisher says, they did it
under the protective tariff (Which he
\ now supports as the only difference
| between the Republican and Progress
| sive parties and the Democratic party,
H Protection, however, was not the
I cause of the war. 1t only deferred II
Il for time The cause lies in the fact
u that the German industries multiplied
SO rapidly and developed in machine
Il production SO intensively that the
4 products became g1ut in the mar
kets at home. One labor-saving device
after another was invented and in
n stalled for use Hand-tool labor Is
much of curiosity. Machinery has
been not only made to perform the
| work better and much more rapid, but
II there is another economic factor IN
H that the machines (the producer) is
unlike the human worker (producef),
H for it is not consumer.
H We find that the goods that are pro-
Il duced can find no market under the
l wage system. Wages in Germany are
| what 1t is here-the labor-market
| price of the laborer. If there are many
| unemployed, wages are lower than
when there are brisk" times. IL all
\ the workers could find employment
IsL1
\ higher Thus we see that the workers
| product and his wages are not rela-
| tive hThe product may be great and
H still the wages would be what another
H idle, hungry man would be willing to
N work for. Even though the product OF
\ the worker Is less, his wages may be
4 higher, due to the scarcity of idle men
| in the labor-market.
| But whether much or little product,
Il hicrf Iuxa
III is never equal to the price of his own
l product. 1t is always less. And as
| these two get further apart, the sooner
comes the need for expansion. The
| chick has developed inside the she'll
up to the point where it picks its way
| out,
4 Germany found that she could not
| (under the wage system) consume her
| products, and the capitalists of Ger
/ many demanded OF the political repre-
sentatives and the kaiser that foreign
| markets be opened to them. This is
done, like unto the statesmen of rival
l firms. through competition, form of
4 war. In the ordinary struggle the SUI
! perior goods and the lowest prices
win. In the big fight the superior
guns and the greatest national credit
i wins.
Germany is superior in both of these
to any one of her rival statesmen (gov-
ernments) But if Germany should
win new markets, what do you think
would become of the merchant class OF
England, France. Russia, Belgium and
other nations that are also needing ex-
pansion? 1t is not difficult to see why
the democratic French government al
lies herself with the barbaric car.
Thus, we see capitalism. the private
Ownership of industry, demanding
more markets; markets where the peo-
pie by virtue of being governed by an
other stronger country, are compelled
to buy the goods made in the mother
country" by reason of repressive laws
against foreign" imports.
When such conditions as described
Lin Germany exist in more countries,
there will be more wars, and they will
each be greater than the other, as this
is the greatest war of all times. And
4 suggest as we may, it will not appear
logical to the conquerors in this war,
4 to disarm themselves. The conqueror,
Eof course, will agree to disarmament
n Soon the nations that are now fighting
together common enemy will be
i fighting each other, and over the same
causes.
II disarmament takes place then the
lsooner will capitalism disappear. The