Denver labor bulletin., 1916-12-30
COnmerCia1isn and War
HID THO

| upon war tsic!) They do not reflect
that our honor and our interest must
have compelled us to join France and
Russia even if Germany had scrupulous-
" respected the rights of her small
neighbors, and had sought to hack her
way into France thru the Eastern fort
resses." Our honor and our interest"
| there you have it. That meaning the
honor of sticking to an agreement (un-
| known to the masses) made with France
and Russia, whereby they were all to
hold together in the coming war with
the triple alliance-a war to ruin Bri
tain's competitor. Our interestl' that
| is, ''our commercial interest"
This war then is fundamentally a
conflict between Great Britain and Ger
many. France, Russia and Italy are
fighting in England's interest, tho OF
course hoping to gain material advan-
J tages, whilst Austria and Turkey are
I waging a war in the interest of Ger
many.
Just ANY Old Pretext.
But, you say, the kaiser was the az
grcssor. Well, he started the war. at
least his ally, Austria, did so by declar-
ing war on Serbia. But if Germany had
not declared war on Russia and France
it is almost a certainty that Russia
would have found pretext for striking
at Germany, and France would have
rallied to aid Russia in fulfillment of
the agreement between them Then
along England would come bound by the
same agreement, the excuse offered the
people being-well. any old preteNt
handy. 1t is not a very difficult thing
for governments to rake up some excuse
when they are itching to get into a war
| History is full of them-religion, honor,
civilizations cause, national defense, and
hundred and one reasons, except the
one main cause of most wars, namely,
the economic. That is always kept well
in the background.
1t would not have done to have told
the British people that the war they
were asked to fight in South Africa was
in the interests of English mine owners.
No, it was necessary to tell them lies
about the ignorant, savage Beers" and
to misrepresent the whole dirty business
at which the iingo London Daily Mail
played a leading part
1t would not have been to their inter
ests for the government of Russia to
have told the Russian people that the
reason they were being transported to
hanchuria was to fight in the interests
of a gang of Russian commercalists
among whom was their own czar with
his large interests in Yalu timber lands
, No, it was necessary to lie to them
! about the little Japanese heathens, ,
= and their encroachments on Russias do.
main.
, Same Way in America.
: And coming back to America, it would
Q not have done for the Washington gov.
= ernment to have told the people of the
4 United States that the reason they wert
| asked IN fipbt bn rIu -.
cause gang of American capitalist.
thought they had more right to the su
gar of Cuba than the Spaniards. No
u instead OF telling the people that the
war was TO be waged in the interests oI
: the sugar barons it was necessary to Ii,
to them, at which the lingo press sur
,. passed itself. notably the Hearst iour
/ mails, which for a number of years hav,
o been so busy misrepresenting condition,
IN Mexico and the Mexican revolution
hoping to thereby gain popular support
c to their advocacy of intervention. IRE
X member the Mainei" Queer thing that
I after the Maine" was raised it wa,
: found that the plates We're bent outward
y at the point of fracture instead of in
; ward, proving that the explosion mus
9 have occurred inside the ship and moi
- outside!
But back to the war in Europe Thos,
, who. following the lead of the greateI
part OF the American press-a subsidize,
,, press-are in the habit of laying all tn,
- blame for this war at Germany's doc
. would do well to make a careful stud,
:, OF book published in New York by u
y w. Auebsch, and written by "Britisl
- Statesman" the name of the book beint
- How Diplomats Make War" This bool
N deals with the part played by the diff
- ferent diplomatic moves leading up t,
4 the war. And foreign office correspond
ence, parliamentary speeches, naval ant
military policies, are given a thoro ex
animation, the result being anything bu
favorable to Britain.
H Another book. Revelations of an In
ternational Spy by I. r. T. Lincoln
also published in New York, by Robert
NJ. Mclijde & Co lays the blame fo
the war to Bf'tains isolation scheme
and well repays a careful study
| For Commercial Supremacy.
II Now, / do not want 1t to be though
that / am siding with Germany in thi
war This analysis is an attempt to pu
the blame where it belongs. 1t is no
an argument for the cause of Germany
or England or any other beligcrent
They are all guilty, every one of them
that is, the ruling powers of each. no
the people. They are all implicated il
the ruthless struggle for commercial ad
vantage, and the militarism and naval
ism and secret diplomacy are merely TN
means necessary to gain their CONNER
cial ends.
| The German workman who spills hi
blood on the battlefieids of Flander
l.zz,