The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-03-05
WAR Is LIKELY.

which has resulted from the Amer ican difficulties with Germany gives every indication of steadily shaping itself towards war, Yet it is appar- ent the country does not want war, and it is clear that the reason that President Wilson is being inaugural ed today for second term is be- cause the party of which he is the head cleverly circulated the slogan that he kept us out of war, and the convention which nominated him made peace the keynote of the con, gress.
 But we have insisted that the real life of the nation is outside the political life and that political life is merely a reflex of the economic life which today practically mam fests itself in the foreign as well as the domestic policies of the natlon. The economic life of the nation, too, centers ill the great financial, con" mercial and industrial powers or America and it is they in the last analysis and not the people who will decide peace or war
 It is to be hoped that no person is today so ingenuously minded as to believe the wars are begun for any other but economic reasons, reasons, and that questions of right or wrong are decided when peace or war is disposed of by the govern ments.
 The facts have been so frequently and so cleverly laid bare that any person who runs should have read that wars have their origin in eco homie impulses which easily enough when it is desired can cloak them selves in the form of very lofty mo- ral purposes and humanitarian ends,
 It is quite unnecessary to point out that Germany claims today to be fighting to clear the continental life of Europe.of assaSsinative poll" cies and to punish those who sought to interfere with the government Of Austria Hungary when that nation would discipline the Servian cut throats. We are all made aware by several writers, pamphleteers and bookmen that Great Britain went to war against the Central Powers because of the invasion of Bel gium.
 None the less the persistent eco homie demands of Greater Germany and Greater Britain had the war planned and fashioned long before it broke upon the surface of Europe.
 The finer aims alleged by the war ring interests merely serve to Justi- fy those who would otherwise hes itate in taking the leap, and in the event of the United States entering the war, we can be assured that those whose interests dictate that step and who must pervert the ln- terests of the masses opposed to any war before they can make that step feasible, will properly place the wal in no forbidding light before the pa" cificist people. but instead will dress it in a suitably attractive garb with patriotic frills which will rouse the masses and enable them to be led to the slaughter in manner as con ventionally simple as has been achieved in Europe.
 The very powerful in industry. ir commerce and in finance Tn the United States have interests whicl have become almost identical with that of the Entente. They have made millions from the sale of supplies of all kinds, munitions of every sort and they have loaned millions of good money. The trade that has been built up is enormous. It is there in globular millions in the reports of the excess of exports over imports. It is told in the congested wharves and in the over taxed ware houses. It is collosal and it is inn perative that steps be taken which will prevent such enormous gains from being ended or being jeopard- ized.
 It is difficult to persuade the peo- pie that their interests are identical with those who are responsible for | so increasing the costs of living that tho v~r;oou nf avon al tnnlo noccsatfiea