Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-09-03
Making
For Socialism
Il BY Marian Louise Israel.


: OF the forces making toward Social
ism, the two most conspicuous at the
present time are Militarism and Fem
inism.
Mo modern nation could. exist with
out it's army and navy and militia and
constabulary. Every civilized nation
literally "lives by the sword" The
object of armament in the protection
amount of protection. That is because
of people for the exploitation of an
other. The thief who enters my house
at night can ply his trade more sue
cessfully If he equipped with good
automatic even If he seldom has
to use it. Armies and navies are to
the modern state what the automatic
Is to the thief. When the state ceases
to maintain an armed force It can no
longer continue to exploit its people
No state was ever satisfied with ex-
plotting its own people. This is an
additional reason for ornaments. If
China does not open her doors to
American capitalists, we will force her
to do. SO. But if our army and navy
are powerful enough, we shall not have
to use them. Hence, every CONNER
cial nation must have a bigger army
and navy than any other nation, and
t one adds battleship, the rest must
do likewise. The increase of arma-
ments keep pace with commercial ex-
pansion.
There is limit, however, to this
Increase, determined by the ability and
consent of the people to pay for it,
and when they are too heavily taxed
they rebel. When a nation reaches
sthi stage it must do one of two things
yield to its people, and thus lose
its power of subjecting themto ex-
plo1tation, or plunge into war, to tenn
pOrarily check the increase of arma-
ments among its rivals Either course
leads inevitably to Socialism, to say
nothing of the immense growth Of So
.cialist sentiment which antfmilitary
propaganda accomplishes. Militarism
destroys itself, and the statefhat lives
by it. In these days Of war, of panic
and OF threatening famine. this is the
one high hope, that capitalism will ex-
haust Its lastvstrength in this almost
universal conflict, and the period of
reconstruction which follows this war
will be the beginning of the new order
Militarism is negative force: max
ing for Socialism through the destruc-
ton OF capitalism. Feminism is a con-
structiVe force. Military power exists
for the sake Of property alone. Fem
fn1sm puts life above property. It
values childhood above ornaments.
M1litarism keeps the people in the
power Of the ruling class. Feminism
stands for the complete freedom Of
individual. economic, political, social.
Like all constructive forces. it works
slowly. The feminist movement will
not label itself Socialist for some time
TO come. One reason for this is be-
cause Socialism has so long been pre-
sented as destructive force: The
overthrow of capitalism has been en-
phasized at the expense of the con-
struction of new system. We have
accented the fight against the old or
Ter, rather than the building Of the
new. And woman, whose Inherited
is essentially constructive.
has been repealed by this rather than
won. Nevertheless, the whole trend
y feminism is Humanitarian, and the
simple release Of the constructive. con.
serving spirit of womanhS0d and
Motherhood for world activity is itself
powerful contribution to the progress
4 Socialism.