The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-03-05

an absurdly simple manner.
 The press, which will echo the in- terests of the finacially great, the in- dustrially supreme and the com mercially powerful will voice the reason why war is a fundamental necessity and patriotic duty. Some considerable waving of the flag and a judicious use of demonstrations, parades and protests will carry for ward the most lethargic and the masses will be induced to plunge with grace and ease and pleasure into the suicidal maelstrom wherein the nations of Europe are now be- ing dragged down to the uttermost depths.
 That protests will be made by some of the saner pacifcists against this folly may be reasonably ex- pected. But in his talk to New York businessmen. former President Taft has said how the pacifcists can be dealt with who persist in opposing war which the interests have long since determined upon being ne cessity when he said that pacifcists like Bryan will have to be kicked into war.
 This process will be made use of after the war has become justifi- cation for the removal of every civil right and every particle of personal freedom It will mean that the free press will become properly censored or failing to obey will be suspended. The free expression of opinion will be properly squelched and there will be efforts taken to remove any possible semblance of liberty which might affect the proper and success ful carrying on of a war to protect the great interests on whose behalf it might be waged.
 After the war and when the ma tional stock taking will be proceed ed with, when national sanity will have usurped the place of the ip- sanity which prevailed there may be a clearer realization of what caused the war and why it was inevitable. That it will advantage to be posses sed of greater wisdom in the future than in the present is not very clear and human beings have long since realized that there is only cold com fort in the fact that .hindsight is better than foresight.
 Because however great and power full economic interests in the United States desire for those interests that there shall be war, we may reason ably expect that it can be brought about It might be prevented by the masses refusing to see how that war is necessity and declining to allow their own interests to be per verted to the interests of the econo- mically supreme.
 But for such an eventuality being brought about it presupposes for the workers just as powerful an orga- nization as that which the economi- cally supreme possess and they have nothing of the kind.
 If war should as it doubtless will. after a decorous period of watchful- ly waiting for an overt act, be brought about, there will be small and localized and sporadic outbursts against any such a terrible cala- mity; men whose minds have not failed to earn lessons from the Er- struggle will sacrifice them selves to prevent war. But they will not be a majority by any means and the majority will pay the penal ty of disorganization which they have allowed to exist among them and to be perpetuated to their un~ doing.
 They will be victimized to the ex- tent that powerful capitalist class will have the power to compel from them a noble service and succeed in them in their own minds that they are doing something of which they should be rightly proud. But the economic impulse which die. tates that condition will be wisely kept in the back ground so that the national hypnotism may be the more effective.