The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-02-22
TO THE SLAUGHTER

If there has ever been any doubt
in our minds as to the efficiency of
Vrussian militarism it has been dis
pelled during the past few days.
A few days ago we read a news
dispatch from Germany to the effect
that 10000 union and Socialist Of
fcials had been ordered to the front.
This supplies the solution to the puz-
Zle, as to why there was not a great
er demonstration against war in Ger
many than there really was. The
Prussian military machine knew that
to send these men to the front at
the beginning of the war would be
suicidal, as these were the active
members of the working class and
then influence in the ranks and on
the battlefield may have been danger
Gus % the military ambitions of Ger
many. The Socialist and union Of
ficials feeling safe by having been
exempted from service offered no
great objections to the Strengthening
of the working class. Thus the gov
eminent turned another trick on the
workers.
The Paris Commune Of 1871, the
first conscious attempt Of the work
ing class to establish itself in power,
was revolt of an armed proetariat,
but instead of boldly Seizing upon the
powers of state they conducted n
series of endless deliberations and the
Commune failed. But the horrors of
the days following the fall of the
Commune has not been equalled for
almost two thousand years. Certain
it is, that no greater tragedy ever
befel the working class of any city.
In ons week after the fall 1900 men
and women and boys were shot for
having taken part in the uprising and
10000 more, many of whom had not
taken an active part in the Commune,
were taken from Paris, and other
cities that had proclaimed the Com
mune, and marched to Versailles.
Some Of these were condemned to
death, others were transported to the
island fortress of New Caledonia and
the rest imprisoned for various terms
in the prisons of the country. But
that was not the end. The ruling
class had to have its pound Of flesh
and for ten years the arrests and con-
victions of men and women continued.
The tribunals that tried these workers
were looking for blood and they sure
ly got it. Such was the repression
"by the laws, with the laws"
And now the scene is shifted to
Everett. Enraged by the brutal acts
Of the rulers, fooled by routhings of
leaders, 400 men and boys leave Sc
attic for Everett on a JOY ride, a
pleasure trip, expecting only to meet
an ephemeral shadow or a "refex" of
some particular power, and 10 and
behold they meet something more
tangible than shadow, something
that speaks with tongues of fire,
something that can destroy life.
something that can throw rebellious
workers into the governmental bas-
tiles without fear of the consequences.
something that has, and will, con-
tinuo to ruthlessly slaughter every
rebellious slave as long as it has the
power.
Anc so the process of wedding out
the rebels goes on. And the working
class are led to the slaughter.
The state is no shadow and SO it
behooves the workers to get control
of that state by any means within its
power. If we would avoid slaughter
then we must go about it in an in
telligent manner, by legal process,
and with a full understanding that
once the powers Of the state are vest
ed in our interests that the robbery
and slaughter of the workers will
cease.