The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-02-03
Why Take Sides
AN INTERNATIONALIST

! toresting article by Ernest Untermann
on. SHOULD the Socialist party take
sides?" Kindly allow me to answer
Il. Untermann from the standpoint OF
the common worker.
Socialism, scientific and otherwise,
is opposed to all and any military
wars.
A man or woman who takes sides
in this or any other war cannot be a
Socialist
| IL appears to me that II. u, like
many other well.known writer's, made
the mistake OF letting his nationality
get the best of him. | mention Herve,
the French Syndicalist; Peter Krop'
atkin, the Anarchist, and others.
There is absolutely no difference
between the Russian cossack and the
German gendarme Both are cruel,
barbarious and inhuman. All honor
to Marx. Engels, Liebknecht, Bebel,
Singer. I.assalle and others. But why
cite speeches of all these famous
leaders OF the German Socialists, In
order to justify the present war and
the stand Of the Socialist members Of
the German reichstag?
| |. as former member Of the S. ID.
party OF Germany, know that millions
of German Socialists would not have
gone to war, II not forced to. | claim
to be a Socialist, and as Socialist,
not a German, submit to you the
following:
Socialism is a system of society in
which the workers of the world not
only control the machinery OF gov
eminent, but also absolutely control
and regulate the government mach'n'
erv. (See Karl Marx "Das KapitarO.
No rich. no poor, no idle parasites, no
slaves. no private property Tin social
necessities), no profit, no power OF
money to make money. no police, no
thieves, no competition, no soldiers
no wars.
Wars are the outcome OF our pres
ent system of society, which is based
OH the profit system-capitalism Inc
comnetition of the different nations
or combination of nations for world
markets are the real cause for war
in modern times.
The continuous introduction of new
and labor-saving machinery in all in
dustries in all countries, is creating
conditions which inevitably lead to
ether revolution or war. All govern
ments have built up a more or less
powerful military system. To dc
what? To either crush the revolu
ton or defend or get by force what
they are after-profits!
Militarism is the backbone OF CAPT
talism.
Capitalism is international, so is
militarism.
It follows that the working-class OF
the whole world must combine to dc
away with militarism, in order to
overthrow capitalist society.
Solidarity of labor the world over
is the only thing that will be able to
crush militarism.
Labor creates all WEALTH. creates
powder magazine, AZ centimetre guns
battleships and submarines. Labor
will create a force which will make
the, last soldier of all times cry for
mercy. C~~3rrtp
The social general strike is the
weapon with which labor will free
the world from militarism, and con.
sequently from the present system of
society. (But the workers must seize
the political power of the government
before the social general strike can
be made a reality, or the workers
would be running the industries un-
der martial law.-Ed.)
The Socialist party has no business
to take sides in this or any other war.
us uuly Is 10 lnduSufaCe vigorous
anti-military propaganda. In my opin-
ion, Ernest Untermann, it is better
to die fighting for principle than
it is to die fighting for military sys-
| TEN, which is the worst enemy of la
Dor. The German Socialist party did
not commit suicide when Bismarck
tried to crush it with his ausnahme-
gesetze GrOn law. The questionable
stand of the German Socialist leaders
at the beginning of the war has con-
fused the whole Socialist labor move
ment of the world Where is your
| international now? a MOO
FRANK JAKEL.