The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-01-20
Is War
IneVitable?

We are frequently asked as to
whether or not we regard war as i'm
minent; or as 1t is usually put, Are
we goin to get into this broil?"
Perhaps no man living Is wise
enough to answer this question with
any degree of certainty ut this time.
We feel, however, pretty safe in say
ing that the danger of war with Ger
many Is not as great as 1t was, though
we are by no means cock-sure even
on this point. War with, or rather
on, Mexico we have for years regard
! ed rs n certainty, and can see no
reason now for thinking otherwise.
The interests will pay for the provo
cation.
There Is only one safe attitude OF
mind on this question of war or no
war; We know that the civilized
world has only had 24O years of yeace
(so-called) since the establishment OF
the religion of "the Prince of Peace"
We know that the lust for gold and
the product of other peoples labor
inevitably leads to war. In short, we
know that so long as profit-mongering
continues, so long as capitalism lasts,
just so long will there be wars and
rumors of war. The capitalists, them
selves understand this therefore
their talk of preparedness" They
are right, Under trading-class rule,
no other course than an aggressive
military policy is possible. The rea-
son is simple enough, and should not
be obscured by the fact that certain
profit-mongers are making the most
of the situation.
Under capitalism, goods are not
created for the producers use, but for
the non-producers' profit. AS there is
daily created by each worker at least
two dollars worth of wealth for each
dollars worth that he Is permitted to
use, n foreign market must be found
for the wealth which the worker Gre
ates and does not get. 1t Is from
the wealth which the machine work
err makes, and which the machine
owner takes, that are derived the
profits which go to the hiring of
more wage slaves for the creation Of
more wealth-producing machinery.
But increasing wealth production
makes necessary an ever increasing
expansion of foreign trade, since the
workers share of the wealth he Gre
ates for his industrial masters re-
mains just what it was before, name
". the bare cost of his keep" The
amount of the workers. wage bears
no essential relation to the value Of
his product. The more productive the
machinery the greater the amount of
surplus wealth created for which a
foreign market must be found. The
extra proportion consumed by the
wealth-takers, over that consumed by
the wealth-makers, is too insignifi-
cant to be considered in this connec-
ton So If industry is to go on ex-
clusively for the profit Of the ma
chine owners, and that is its, only OBJ
iect under trading-class rule, the
present foreign trade must not only
be held, but also continually increas-
ed. AS this same truth holds also in
the case Of all other commercial peo-
PIES their competition in foreign mar
kets must be met; or rather, one or
more of the competing nations must
be driven out of the sought-for mar
kets. This can be done either by re-
ducing wages low enough to cut under
the price of other merchants, or by
driving the competitor from the COW
eted field with cannon.
Reduction of wages at home means
strikes and lockouts, boycotts and
iniunctions, dangerous and increas-
| ing unemployed problem, further ag-
gravation of the concomitant panic"
| ITGuucUL THUS, llltl Cupihto ~ i'iiS' A''O'
I suicides, augmented prostitution,
growing restitution and deepening des'
peration, all ending in lawlesness and
bloodshed. Here is an additional rea-
son for the "Dick Militia Bill"
more adequate army" etc.
All this means interneolne war,
either foreign or domestic, or both,
and ultimately the overthrow of trad
ing-cIass rule by the working class.
The editor Of this paper has no pa
thence with those Socialists who de-
ride the idea of the United States
becoming involved in a foreign war.
Such a calamity is well within the
limits of possibility And no one can
say when war may be declared
1t is we'll enough to fight prepared.
ness" but not on the ground that
HtherA is M danoer of war"