The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-11-23
WE WANT PEACE, BUT
HONOR FORCED US IN
TO WAR FOR JUSTICE

And, whether 1T was purely guess
work or it was fancy, somewhat of
prescience, do know this, that
| not only thought, but expressed the
thought often that somehow or 9th
er, in the scheme of things of the
German Imperial mind, the people
and the government of the United
States would be dragged into the
war, and no matter what we did or
failed to do, we could not help but
De dragged into the war.
The incidents which occurred
one after another, the attempt to
corrupt our life, political, indus
trial and commercial, the effort
to suborn our people and then
following it with a propaganda
that undertook to deny us the
right to go where the law and
international law plainly guar
anteed we had the right to be
and to go, the attempt upon
the lives and then the murder
of hundreds of peaceable people,
nOn-cOmbatants, people engaged
in lawful pursuits, the killing
the numbering of our innocent
men and women and children
upon the high seas--was there
to be no limit to our forebear-
ance of our patience?
"The President of the United
States came in for a great deal of
criticism because he tried to avoid
our entrance into the war. Aye,
some of them, in their criticism, not
only ridculed him, but INDUCED in
language more forcible than elegant
or polite. Aye, the German press
ridicule the President of the Unit
ed States because he had sent so
many letters and protests and notes.
FINALLY, after the sinking of more
of our ships and the killing of more
of our people, despite the pledge
which was made by the German I'm
perial Government, the President
finally brought the entire situation
before the Congress of the United
States, and the Congress, exercis-
ing it's constitutional function, de-
clared that because of all of the acts
of the Imperial Government of Ger
many hostile and destructive to the
people, to the lives, to the safety of
our nation, that war was declared
upon the Imperial German Govern
ment.
at is the only constituted author
ity in America that had the power to
declare war. To the pacifists who
say, why not submit the question of
war to the people of the United
States for vote?' | ask: Will any
pacifist now or hereafter tell me on
what authority such question can
be submitted to the people?
"And if some authority could be
provided, how long would it take for
the people to have the power and the
to determine whether we
shall have peace or war? To amend
the constitution of the United States
would take not less than two or
three or five or six years. In the
Kaiser ueber allies!
Going to Win the War!
eve are going to fight. We are
going to win this war. And the
democracies of the world, not ex-
GLIDING Germany either-for we will
make Germany democratic, in spite
of her Kaiser-and when this war is
over, the advocates and adherents
and lovers of peace will be organ
lied and we will disorganize the
militarist machine.
Eyes, we will have peace.
First, before we proceed to dis
cuss the terms of peace, or to
confer relative to peace, the
Kaiser and his army must get
out of Serbia, must get out of
outraged Belgium, must get out
of gallant France!
''The sacrifice is great, the travail
and pain will be great, but as a
result of it all the world will be
the world will be re-
born, and the injustice of man to
man will be thing o the past. The
social conscience of the world is be-
ing aroused.
81 would call your attention, my
friends, to the fact that more than
a month before the declaration of
war it was my privilege to call a
great conference of the representa-
tives of organized labor of America
for the purpose of discussing and de-
claring the attitude which labor
would take, whether in peace or in
war. Before | read two paragraphs
Of that declaration, ! desire to say
that the President of the United
States and the executive officers of
The departments, the Council of Ma