Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-09-10
By Oscar Ameringer.

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We are told by the German7American
capitalist press that the news OF the
outbreak Of war was received WITH
wild enthusiasm" in the capitals OF
the nations.
l can easily understand why people
should become wild at the prosper
OF war, but wild with enthusiasm
never. { ?
Take a city like Berlin for instance
Five out of every six men in the Ger
man capital are Socialists. They may
not all be thoroughly class conscious.
Indeed there Is q liberal sprinkling OF
those who vote the Socialist ticket
only because they are opposed to mill
taryism. But is there any reason un,
der the sun why even. this class snoutd
grow wild with enthusiasm!
| Surely the mass of the SoclaIlst
workers feel no crying need to XIII
their brother wage slaves on the otnef
side to be killed, by them.
The unions are internationally ami
lated. the cooperative societies OF the
different countries are sympathetic
ally connected with the Socialist party
| Is in its very essence international.
The leaders Of the -Proletariat are
known and loved by the workers IN
every land. Bebel was as highly ap-
nreciated by the French toilers as
Jean Joures was by. their German
brothers. Vandervelda drew as large
an audience in Hamburg as he did IN
Brussels. :s,
| German worHngmen. assisted Frenc.
strikers and French and English
trades unionists supported Swedish
and Russian strikers in their strug-
giles. \
How the prospect Of charging their
brothers with bayonettes and driving
cold steel into hearts that beat IN
unison must ceheer the working people
may. be realized by any mad man. i,
l can not speak for all people but
II know that the bulk Of the gunner
are not crazy. The intelligent workers
of that counery are bitterly hostile
to war and time will prove that today
they are hating their own government
a thousand times more than they hate
the people they are about to butcher
Only helplessness and iron discip
line can force the masses into this
unhappy war.
From the meager reports received
from the Labor and Socialist press
the governments of Austria and Ger
many have confiscated the property Of
the cooperative societies and are com
Wandering the savings Of the people
At least one leading Socialist has
been reported shot and from what
know of the PrusSian war party / feal
that the worst Is not known yet.
Surely all this must be highly elat
ling to people who see the acquisi
tions Of the last so years swept aside
in one insane rush.
And the burgeoisie? How happy
how wildly enthusiastic this war must
make them.
Their pride, the foreign commerce
they build up since 1910 is gone al
lready. The magnificent fleet OF the
North German Lloyd and the Ham
burg American line is bottled upv and
Trusting in foreign ports.
4 What will be left Of the German
colonies win not I'LL a flower pot after
this war Is over. And this even il the
German army should be victorious on
1 land.
/ The war is scarcely two weeks old
and already Germany is cut on from
outside communication. What this
means to the exports and imports OF
i that country may be imagined.
Certainly there is in every country
q hurrah mob. People without heart.
brain, or principle, will shout them.
selves hoarse for almost anything from
'tHoch der Kaiser" to ''''''''' u cmfwyp
':Hoch der Kaiser" to Lynch That
Niger"
But nobody, not even the "Milkau-
kee Germania," can make me believe
that the easy going staid and peace
loving German burgers are going wild
with enthusiasm at the prospect OF
I bowling over Frenchmen instead Of
nine pine.