The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-05-22
THE CAUSE Of THE
EUROPEAN WAR
War Will Continue So Long AS
Men Do Not Get All They
Produce.
(BV A. 3. Qu POnt)


\ poor, misguided man killed q
pampercd. hereditary Crown Prince
and his wife, and thereby ignited a
tu$.a. which, in burning, has caused
the explosion of thousands of tons of
+ ammunition. killing and manning
hundreds of thousands of men; and
the fuse still burns, and it's burning
may ultimately cause the destruction
OF the lives Of hundreds of thousands,
III other men. Nay. 1t will cause
the destruction of the lives of more
than = million men, women. and
hidrcu
Not one Of these people who have
been killed. or who are going to be
KILLED. has desired that any one of his
iellowmen be killed.
Bomb Causes Strife.
hat has caused and is causing
iAi* destruction OF life? The fuse.
why does not some one extinguish
or destroy it? Is it not because the
majority of men who live in the
countries now at war fear the burn
ing of the fuse less than they fear
il; eAtinguishment" Why was the
llise constructed and why is it being
extended: Certainly it is not for the
'purpo*e Of killing men, women and
children. 1t must be for some other
Furpose-some purpose that the ma
Jt1'itI of men believe will result in so
',reat y benefit to them that they are
willing to face the risk to their lives
hat is entailed by the construction
end the maintaining of the fuse and
al the war equipment connected
lhcrewith,
There can he only one reason tina.
can justify men to carry on war, and
it is that they believe by means Of it,
lie and happiness in the future can be
sustained by a lessening expenditure
CT effort. 1t is, therefore, pertinent to
lnquire what efforts are required OF
men to sustain life and happiness, and
whether there is not a better way to
permit these efforts to be applied than
through the terrible destruction of life
and happiness that is occurring in Eu-
-o:>e.
What Sustains Lifeo
Life of man is, and always will be
sustained by the consumption of the
product of the application of labor to
materials, directed by intelligence:
and his happiness is wholly depend
ent upon the extent that the gratifi-
cation of his physical and mental ap-
petltes exceeds the burden to hts
body and mind in obtaining the cause
of the qualification.
Therefore, the problem of man is to
find q way to satisfy, as nearly as
possible, his appetites with the ex-
i 4pend1ture of the least possible effort.
Human. experience has proved that
the least effort is required of men
towards satisfying their appetites
hen the labor Of some is applied to
roduce one kind of product and of
fhers to produce other kinds, and
. hese products are exchanged.
How, then, is it possible that men
Will cause the destruction of potential
: lbor and materials by war?
J. is 1t for the reason that their ap-
petltes are satisfied? No.
Is it for the reason that there is
not material enough upon or in the
earth to which potential labor can be
applied IN order to create products
that would tend to satisfy their ap-
petites? No!
Mans Ignorance.
Therefore, it must be that man has
not enough intelligence, or does not
use it sufficiently.
1t Is not absurd that almost ali of
the inhabitants of Europe arc divided
into two great factions, both striving
to their utmost to destroy not only
the products OF labor that they could
ext hanse, but to destroy life (potential
labor). the product-use of which could
-" be exchanged, and thereby also helm
satisfy the appetites Of the contenders?
There can be only one explanation
Tor this folly, and it is that the con-
tenders believe that if they had not
started the war, or if they now stop
1t, they would have less chance of
having their appetites satisfied than
by the war continuing.
! Manifestly there can lie only two
reasons that could have induced any
.ot the nations now at war to engage
IN it, and these are that each nation
nelieved either that it would gain aad-
vantage to its inhabitants at the ex-
pense Of the inhab itants or other ma
lions or that an existing advantage