The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-07-29
THE SOCIALIST PARTY'S
ANTI-WAR MANIFESTO
AND PEACE PROGRAM
14t4 SOCIALISTS TAKE STAND
AGAINST WAR

Following the deplorable policy OF
the (so-called) Socialists of Europe
the National Committee of the Social
list party of the U. S. A., In session
from May 9 to IA, inclusive, in Chi
cago, failed to take a sincere stand
against war, as members of an inter
national working class political party
The REAL anu-war resolution and
referendum OF Local Everett No. l.
first published as an editorial In this
paper. was turned down in commit
tee. Comrade Kate Sadler later tried
to bring the resolution before the con-
vention, on q substitute motion, and
received but little support. Politician
Victor Berger moved that it be laid
on the table 1t was At that mo-
ment, the Socialist party of the
United States lost its opportunity to
take the moral and political leader
ship of the world. dating sublime
epoch in human history! Our COM
mitteemen had the chance to found a
new era, making May, 1915. the first
month in the Year One of the Socialist
Era-the beginning of true civiliza-
ton.
We do not mean to say that the
taking of a firm stand against war by
our national committeeman, last May,
would have been the beginning OF the
practical establishment of Socialism,
either here or elsewhere. That is not
our thought But such an event would
have marked a new epoch in history,
a date to reckon from, for all time.
In May, 1915, the (so-called) Social,
lists of the United States had the op-
portunity to say to the benighted
world:
We, the Socialists of the United
States, recognizing the international
class interests of the workers, politi
cally and industrially, and the an
tagonism between the interests of the
capitalist class of the world and OF
the workers of the world, do hereby
RESOLVE, That inasmuch as war
today can be but the result of con-
flict of economic interests between
the capitalist exploiters of the workers
of one country and the capitalist ex.
ploiters of the workers of some other
political or geographical division of
the peoples of the EARTH
We, as representatives of the work
ers of all nations, do here and now,
as a fraction of the International So
cialist Party, refuse to take any part
in any wars consequent upon the con-
tinuance of capitalism, murderous
and moribund system to the overthrow
of which we are pledged to exert our
utmost endeavors. Be it further
RESOLVED, That we hereby pledge
ourselves to leave the fighting Of
capitalist class wars to those who vote
for them; namely, to those who vote
for the continuance of the economic
system which breeds wars and makes
them inevitable. Consistently with
our principles of internationalism and
our antagonism to the hellish capt.
talist system anywhere and every
where. Be it
RESOLVED, That in case of war
between the capitalists of the United
States and the capitalists of some 9TH
er profit-mongering nation, we, the
Socialists of the United States, do
hereby agree: that we shall allow the
said capitalists to periodically do all
the fighting and dying for THEIR
country; andl we do hereby offer this
pledge to them, and to one another,
as Socialists, that we will under no
circumstances take up arms in de-
tense of THEIR country, nor will we
bear arms in an aggressive move on
the country of any of their fellow
capitalists, of Europe or elsewhere,
leaving the defense of all privately
owned land, buildings, factories and
machinery to their patriotic owners,
who have "a legal right to do what
they please with their own property"
Furthermore, be it resolved, that in
case we, the Socialists, are forced to
take up arms, we do hereby agree
to use said arms wholly in self-de-
Tense, and only against those who at
tack us personally to do us bodily
harm, or to deprive us of liberty.
1414 ONLY OF US
A resolution to the above effect, and
some of it verbatim as here quoted,
was passed by Local Everett No. l,
at it's regular business meeting, Feb.
28. 1915. On March goth, the Everett
resolution was published in the Am
erican Socialist, calling for seconds,