The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-02-08
WAR GODS LOOSE AGAIN

In preparing the stage Tor what
bids fair to be the last act in the age
long tragedy of human slavery, event
has followed event during the past
two and half years with startling
rapidity. All Europe is in battle ar
ray, and it only seems a matter OF a
few days ere the balance of the world,
as far as armed ruffianiSm is con-
cerned, will be likewise lined up. The
slaughter is raging. The earth has
already drank coBiously Of the rich
red blood that fl ws from human
veins The holoq bust of horror and
destruction has be En like a nightmare.
BY lying report, BY prayer, by patri-
otto appeal and by every artifice cal
culated to intensity the enmites and
antagonisms made possible through
racial differences, the cunning and
INSCRIPTIONS rulers of all lands have
coaxed, or driven, countless millions
of brutality exploited slaves into q YER
liable carnage of blood lust and
slaughter. All that is good and no
bic, and peaceful, and uplifting and
commendable in human nature Is, for
the moment, thrown to the winds,
while to give full sway to all that is
base, low, mean, vile, brutal and vul-
gar is ls,uGed to the skies as q most
creditablc, moral and ethical concept.
The patriotic citizens of the United
States who have been furnishing the
allies with munitions of war have
now almost succeeded in drawing this
country into the bloody conflict. The
capitalist press has longed for this
time and now proclaim with glazing
headlines that Germany Defies the
u. S."
And why should not Germany defy
the U. s.? Why should the U. S.
provide one side with the wherewithal
to slaughter the other side? "All is
fair in love and war" and Germany
is naturally using all the weapons at
her disposal and has at least decided
to make war upon the nation that has
been making war upon it by supply
ing its enemies with war supplies.
The intelligent portion OF the work
ing class of America, as well as of the
world, has taken a definite stand
against war in all its forms for the
simple fact that modern wars grow
out of the struggle of the capitalist
class for markets in which to sell the
goods produced by the exploited
slaves of the world. Nations are but
the aggregations of capitalists bound
together by territorial bonds. The
preservation of their interests in the
world of trade and commerce renders
it imperative that they not only hold
fast what territory they already pos
sess, but add to it as the need for ad-
ditional markets for their wares
forces itself upon them, through the
ever-increasing productive powers re-
sulting from the mechanical and tech
nical development of industry. That
is why all nations are continually
seeking new markets, shorter and
more economical trade routes and
even Selling territories from weaker
nations whenever the opportunity Of
fers. AS the capitalist system be-
comes more highly developed the ne
cessity for wider markets becomes
more pressing. The British, French
and Russian market for war supplies
holds out golden harvest for the
capitalists of America, hence the howl
by the capitalist owned carrion scent
ing press of the United States for a
war upon Germany. No nation has
any ''rights" that must be respected
during war time, except that it forces
the other party to the conflict to re-
spect those rights and that is all that
the U. S is doing today. 1t wants to
enforce the right to sell war supplies
that have been produced by the sweat
and blood of an exploited class and
that class has no damned business to
take up the fight for the exploiters.
The common people Of the United
States are being starved to death in
order to feed the war mad fools in
Europe and it is high time that halt
was called. The cost Of living is sky
high, yet we can produce enough in
this country to satisfy every want Of
every human being. That being the
case we have no sane reason for
fighting to force goods upon other
people that we are in great need of
ourselves.
TERRIBLE NEWS