The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1915-11-04
KATHERINE H. HoDGINs

| M
In case the United States should
become involved in war. how would it
affect your boy?
This is question that should be
seriously considered by every mother
In the land with relation to her vote,
whether municipal, state or national.
Generally speaking, mothers are
divided into two classes: those who
think that In case of war it will be
the other mothers boys, and not theirs,
who will do the bleeding and suffer-
ing; and those who think there will
be no war.
I would call to the attention of
mothers of the first class the Dick
Military Law, printed elsewhere in
this issue. This will convince you
that your boy will go to war IF WALL
STREET WANTS HIM, no matter
how much you would like to have it
| otherwise.
To those who think there will be
no war, I may reply by inquiring
briefly into the CAUSE OF WAR.
Wars are caused by an unmarked
able surplus of commodities-never
for the reasons officially given.
One might we'll ask why these &C
cumulated wares are not purchased
by the workers themselves who need
them SO badly.
I take my answer to this logical
question from government reports,
which show that the worker receives,
on an average, wages which repre-
sent but II per cent of the value of
his product. It follows that no mat
ter how much the producer suffers
from lack Of these stored up goods,
he cannot purchase more than II per
cent. of them. The consuming or
purchasing power, of those who are
paid for producing the raw material
is also proportionately limited. So
there remain hundreds of dollars Of
wealth produced each year by each
wage worker which he can not buy.
The non-producing class, being
small in numbers, cannot waste or
use the surplus product. Only GER
tain portion can be sold in foreign
markets.
And so it is up to the owners of these
goods to secure some outside mar
ket.
But what if the markets thus COW
eted, and that are necessary to the
well-being of this country, are already
within the control of some other ma
ton which also has a surplus Of
commodities to dispose of?
In such case the country in Ques-
ton will do one of two things: either
it will for time suffer commercial
stagnation, resulting in widespread
suffering and bankruptcy, or it will
go to war for markets. In any case,
war is the only ultimate means for
commercial expansion.
This is why the United States has
become, at last, an advocate of i'm
perialism, or benevolent assimila-
ton"
This is perfectly logical.
For as long as things are produced
FOR PROFIT ONLY, there will be
an unmarketable surplus. And as
long as there is this surplus, there
will be war. 1t is inevitable.
Now, this is where your boy will
be useful.
The owners of this piled-up surplus
product will need him. They will
send hired agents to say sweet, Sc
ductive things to him-honeyed I'M
truths about our country's honor,
war of defense only" etc. They will
not resort to the Dick Military Law
as long as they can snare him with
delusive phrases.
In either case you are terrified at
the thought of your boy being exposed
to the horrors of war. You have loved
and cared for him so carefully, often
depriving yourself of things sorely
needed, that he might be provided for.
So much the better. Had you not
done that he might not now be suffi-
GENTLY strong to stand up under the
strain of numbering other boys, boys
who never did him any harm
And he is handsome and tall.
That is we'll, for, being tall, he
might stop bullet that would other
wise be wasted
Was 1t net the great 90 Napoleon