The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-08-19

they refused, and nobly called upon
the Socialists OF the world to refuse
to shoot one another, they would
have been courtmartialed and shot"
we are told. They were not "utopian,"
and became enthused with capitalist
class German patriotism, and saved
their skins-for day.
PRACTICAL" RESULTS
But now the plains of Europe are
strewn with the mangled bodies of
millions of what were a few months
ago strong and beautiful young men.
The lack of Red action in Socialist
congresses has been paid for--is being
paid for--by the red blood of millions
of martyrs to the unholy cause of
murderous Capitalism.
We assert that firm, bold, defiant
stand on the question of war and
peace on the part of Socialists in their
various congresses and conventions,
and In the capitalists parliaments,
would have been adequate to have
postponed the catastrophe of Austria s
peremptory note to Servia, on July
23rd, 1914, inspired as 1t was by Ger.
many. backed by a Social-Democratic
Party which had refused to take any
practical steps to avert worldwide
conflict, though urged by English, Bel.
gian, French and Italian delegates to
various international congresses. Had
the outbreak been postponed one or
two years longer, there might, indeed,
have been an armed conflict In Eu-
rope, but the battle would have been
between the robbers and the robbed,
capitalists and wage-slaves, exploit
ers and exploited, battle of the
workers of the world for worldwide
industrial democracy! What consola-
ton to fight and def need be-in
such a Cause! But to have ones
limbs torn from the body, the eyes
scraped from their sockets, or the
bowels strewn on the ground for the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the exploiters of
Germany, France, England, Austria, or
elsewhere-ah, this is, indeed, un.
mitigated horror! This is, indeed,
"utopian!"
No, comrades, If we are to die, let
us die in our own Cause.
We have a frightful illustration in
Europe of what happens when the tao.
tics advocated by Untermann and our
national committeeman are adopted
Personally, we refuse to be led to
ignominious slaughter by majority
rule" We'd rather die like man,
alone, than like sheep with the ma.
jority."
Still speaking from the safety first
line of argument, we maintain that the
war now devastating Europe would
have been more easily brought to a
close had the Socialist Party Of the
United States adopted resolutions
along the lines of those presented by
l<OSoi AIVCiCIt A>O. L, anu Iulo uCopltC
our woeful numerical weakness as a
factor in world politics. We should
have repudiated the principle of ma
tionalism, called from the roofs of the
world for international working-cl
solidarity, for desertion of capitalist
standards by working people, and
boldly announced that insofar as the
Socialist Party of the United States is
concerned, capitalist wars are ended,
NOW!
WHAT COULD WE DO?
Comrade Untermann desires to
know what we propose to do in the
case the capitalists, or their tools, in
sist upon forcing us to join the army
and enter the war.
According to the Dick Military Law
every able-bodied male citizen of the
United States from IS to As years of
age is a member of the army, await
ing only the call of the president for
service. Refusal to respond promptly
to his "call" would be met by court