The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1916-02-24

before the august senate committee
ON military affairs in Washington on
February Sth by President James II
Maurer of the Pennsylvania statN
federation of labor, whose speech at
that time was probably unlike any.
thing ever heard in that particular
committee room before. The sena.
tors who were gathered around the
| mahogany table forebore to heckle
the speaker as they had heclled sew.
eral of the "pacifists." Apparently
they felt there was too much of the
bear about him to make an encounter
agreeable.
The hearing was held under the
auspices of the Anti-Preparedness
committee, which has opened quar-
tiers in the Munsey Bldg, Washing
ton, d. c., for fight against the
preparedness" lobby.
After explaining that while the
Pennsylvania state federation OF
labor had not taken any official ac-
ton against preparedness he knew
that the working class as whole in
Pennsylvania was bitterly opposed to
it, Comrade Maurer went on to give
his reasons. His speech in part was
as follows:
Our first reason, gentlemen, for
opposing this stampede is that we
can not see the use of it. We feel
that instead of spending any more
money for the army and navy, we
think it would be patriotic on the part
of congress to investigate the places
that have been absorbing the money
spent in the last ten years for pre-
paredness.
up to few months ago the Amer
lean people were told that they were
prepared to lick all creation. Ten
months ago Intervention in Mexico
was talked of-apparently we were
prepared for Mexico. When the
Lusitania was sunk, the newspapers
talked about our going to war with
Germany. In fact, the newspapers
contended that we could get away
with Mexico and Germany at the
same time if we saw fit
and now when the bottom drops
out of those scares, we learn sud
denly that we are not prepared for
anything. We are told that we have
a navy of old tubs and an army poor
ly equipped. Gentlemen, it is too
much to accept in so short time.
We feel that we are not so poorly
protected as some people contend.
Frankly, we feel that the munition
this preparedness program. We sus-
pect that they are the whole cause
of this agitation. We can not see any
reason for a foreign invasion unless
we do something to provoke it.
ELEVEN MILLION CASUALTIES
"If you had talked about a foreign
invasion two years ago we might
have been impressed by it. The Eu-
ropean nations we're prepared for it
as never before. But for two years
now they have been at war among
themselves They have expended
something like forty billions of their
wealth and they have killed and
wounded over eleven million of the
best blood and stock in Europe. And
now when they are SO sunk in debt
that some people fear they can never
pay the interest on what they owe,
with their population reduced to
cripples, women and children, when
they are bleeding to death, now you
say we have got to be afraid of them.
1t don't look good to me. prolonged
applause.)
81 come from old American stock;
l can trace my family back for over
two hundred years in Pennsylvania,
and if l thought that the gasping ma
lions of Europe could thrash us Amer
leans, | would be ashamed to be an
American. We blow about our Amer
lean manhood and honor and here we
are preparing against nations that
are actually to be pitied! prolonged
applause.)
They tell us we ought to be pre-
pared against a secret, spontaneous
outbreak What does that mean? Is
there anything on the inside that yol
haven't told us about? President viii
son said in his speech in my owl
state a few days ago that in a mo
ment there may be a conflagration
perhaps next week, perhaps mex
month Well, ! think we American
people ought to know what that dar