The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915, 1915-04-29

We are told that the men who
guide the destinies of the nations at
war are not yet ready to quit.
This Is not at all surprising.
The men who guide the destnies of
the nations Mt war are running few
risks, and are reaping huge profits as
a result of the saturnala of slaughter
unleashed on the European continent.
The men who guide the destinies OF
the nations at war--the rulers and
great financial and industrial giants
are not found In the trenches. There
Is little chance of their well-groomed
bodies being torn by shot and sharp
mel. There Is little chance of their
families being turned starving out of
house and home.
On the other hand we read how In
bleeding Austria huge frauds have
been discovered In the furnishing of
war supplies. The patriotic Austrian
capitalists have been selling shoes
with paper soles to the government
for the use of the soldiers at the
front
We read how the Hapsburg dynasty
has provided against emergencies
by buying $17,000,000 worth of Amer
lean real estate and securities No
wolf Is going to howl at the Hapsburg
door even If things.go against them.
We read how In England army con-
tractors are piling up millions while
refusing any increase In wages to the
workingmen, in spite of the increased
pace of work and the increased price
of food which has cut down the pur
chasing power of wages to n consider
able extent.
We read how the Krupp factories
! are working night and day time turn
ing out shot and shell and cannon.
The Krupp people worked hard to
create the war, even going to the ex
tent of bribing the French newspapers
to keep the French people stirred up
against Germany. Victory or defeat.
1t all means money for Krupp. II the
Russians take German cannon, Krupp
gets another order
American Capitalists Not Ready for
Peace.
The American capitalists also are
not yet ready for peace. The DUPONT
| Powder company, the United States
Steel corporation and the Standard
Oil Trust are doing very well, thank
you. They do not object to national
prayer day for peace, such as we have
recently had by order Of President
| Wilson, but this is only because they
are quite ready to take their chances
on the efficacy of prayer.
They are not, however, willing to
take their chances on the proposal Of
the Socialists to stop exporting am
munition and food to Europe.
Prayer does not hurt dividends, but
to "starve the war and feed America"
would mean big loss in profits.
Socialists Oppose the Continuance of
War.
The Socialists of the Nations at war,
however, are becoming more and more
determined that they are not going to
wait until the masters are ready to
quit-they are going to make them
quit. Louder and louder are becom-
ing the murmurings of discomfort.
The Independent Labor Party of
Great Britain has openly thrown down
the gauntlet to the government and
is calling upon the workingmen to re-
fuse to enlist.
In Russia five Socialist members of
the Duma have been sent to Siberia.
The Russian members of the Duma
heroically refused to grant any war
credits to the Russian Government.
They refused to accept the RESPONSE
bility of the slaughter of Russia's
workers.
And now in iron-ruled Germany
where we have been told the Socialists
enthusiastically supported the govern
ment, ringing manifesto has been is
sued calling upon the workers of
France and England to help put an
end to the war. Part of the manifest
reads as follows:
Ringing Manifesto
1.-THE Number of men who have
persisted through the monster of war
on the eastern and western fronts sur
passes a million. The number of
wounded is thrice higher
Those who are responsible know
that the material damage caused by
the invasion can only be repaired with
difficulty The damage caused by the
invasion of eastern Prussia was esti-
mated in January at over a hundred
million dollars. The figures amount
to billions in Belgium. The European
war expenditure already exceeds six
teen billion dollars. The bill in
creases daily and the working classes
will have to pay for it.
Besides exhausting us the present
war is running futllre generations