The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-08-26
TO UNTERMANN AND OTHERS

any foreign foe GU who does not want
us to kill him; who desires merely
that we do not resist his Invasion"
why should we worry7 Let him "in-
wade" to his hearts content. We're
used to Il. But we would resist to
the death domestic enemy, whether
a traitorous wage-slave or a murder
GUS capitalist who should insist at the
point OF bayonet that we join him
in numbering or being murdered In
support of capitalists war, or in
defense of their particular rulership
OF this or any other country. What
could a foreign boss do TO us worse
than Is handed us by our patriotic
American bosses? We would Just as
soon be ruled and robbed by the CAPT
talist class of Germany or England or
elsewhere, as by the industrial tyrants
of this country, whether they be allen
or naturalized, German, Scotch or
Irish When we wear out sole-leather
looking for an employer and brace a
boss for job, do we first ask him
what flag he kowtows to? Should
say not What we patriots" must
have is a chance to slave ten hours a
day at hard labor for a barely living
wage. We should worry as to whether
our eXploiter Is good patriotic Amer
lean or an immigrant from Berlin or
Vienna.
! Is 1t doing John II, Lawson any good
that he is ruled from Washington and
New York rather than from Potsdam
or Berlin?
Is John r. Lawson happier because
he is unjustly imprisoned under the
Red. White and Blue. rather than I'M
der the Red, White and Black?
Let's cut out the National patriot
ism" and get down to working-cIass
patriotism, to class solidarity, nation
al and international. Then wholesale
murder and retail assassination will
become thing of the past. and race
hatred and national antagonisms will
dissolve like murky clouds beneath
the rising sun of decentralization, a
real Brotherhood Of Man, based upon
identity of economic interests, upon a
common conquest of the world and
Of the forces of Nature for the uplift
Of all humanity. Well wage war for
this idea" THIS is THE ONLY
REAL PATRIOTISM,
In any other sense we are not
patriotic" We are not puffed up
over having been born in Baltimore
rather than in Munich or Venice. We
are not strong for race pride or for
race hatred
We love our foreignborn brothers
in toll better than we love our native
born oppressors
Through their ignorance, for which
the ruling class of each nation is re-
sponsible, many members of our class,
foreign-born and native, are against
us, and wilfully prosecute us. They've
been miseducated that way They
know not what they do. So we do not
hate them. We will not fight back at
them. We would do good to them,
teach them and serve them, except
ing only when they, through their ig-
norance, would seek to harm us, or
dnfan6
selves as best we could.
{ But we would not defend our coun-
try" 1t does not need any defense.
What do you suppose any one wants
to do with it? Pick it up and carry
it off overseas? And If anyone should
merely want to use some of it, they
are welcome. IL they can fix 1t up
with the class that now own and rule
it. We can't. Maybe If enough OF us
who want to use it can get together
on the question, well be able to make
proper terms with the present rulers,
whether they be native-born patriots"
or foreign Invaders" At all events
we are not going to defend 1t before
we oct it. Let the good patriots CD
who have claimed it and fenced 1t off
from the workers defend it. Those
who advocate private ownership of
land and machinery, used to exploit
the workers in time of peace. should
not expect these same workers to rush
into the battlefield to protect what
they do not own when the war bugles
blow.
For ourselves, we shall persist in
doing unto others as we would be
done by. AS we would not be done"
by others, we would not "do" others,
legally or illegally. Wars are the re-
suit of robbers trying to dispose OF
their loot Let the robbers fight 1t
out among themselves.
There is need Of preparedness for
war" only when the workers OF the
world divide themselves up into geo
graDhicaI divisions and then murder