The Co-operative news. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1917-1918, 1917-10-25
nm George r. Kirkpntrick

But war wrecks rights.
War spells destruction--no only
for wealth and health, hopes and
happiness, flesh and blood, but also
for Liberty, for some of the most
precious rights of RAN.
War--long ago war erected and
protected depotism and then swiftly
silenced every slaves discussion of
despotism.
Here is short preliminary para
Man: In the first wars, in the
inter-tribal wars of long ago, the
defeated tribe excepting the young
or women) was destroyed, slaughter
ed to the last man. Extinction was
the doom of the defeated tribe. "No
men prisoners!" was the policy of
the victorious tribes--for thousands
of years. But, on reaching a GER
tain stage of industrial development,
stage in which defeated enemies
could be effectively used in industry
as slaves, the policy of Butcher the
captives" was changed to Save
captives for slaves"
That change of policy was a revo-
iution--the most deep-reaching, far
eaching revolution in the entiru his
tory of mankind. That revolution
split society into two classes, an in
,ustrial ruling class and an indus
trial working (slave) class. The
yictorious tribe became ruling class
with every political right, every
social right, and every industrial
light Immediately assumed and alb
orbed by and for the ruling class.
All rights are our---and ours only"
sneered and jeered this newly-risen
uling class. The defeated tribe -
reduced to a servile working class
was stripped naked of every right
reduced to the level of cattle, horses,
logs.
Then. and there and in that way
Began the class struggle,-the strug-
yle of the ruling class to hold all
rights for itself and to deny all
rights to the working class, the
;truggle of the ruling class to grind
lnder its heel every aspiring slave,
he struggle of the ruling class to
strangle every whisper of liberty on
the lips of the bravest slaves.
Then and there and in that same
yay began the struggle upward of
ID BY the working class--the strug-
ele for freedom, the struggle for
ichts, for full, complete political
iehts, social rights, and industrial
,.ights-the struggle for the Rights
IF Man for slaves, the Rights of
Man for the working class. Every
ulnan right in sight for the work
ng class"-became the mighty task
: o4,,x LII, 70
lass.
Thus a new era opened: The fight
The masters to force down and
cd down the workers to his cruel
cate; and the fight of the brainiest
nj the bravest of the workers to
berate the working class from the
:ull damnation of despotism. From
nat hour until now in all this cruel
struggle of the centuries the ruling
lass have logically and particularly
cared and detested freedom of dis
,ussion for slaves; always every
here the ruling class have seen dis
sinctly the special danger of giving
&c working class the rights of dis
cussion. Without the rights of dis
cussion for discussing wrongs and dis
cussing rights the working people
could be held under the iron heel
depotism-a, dull mush of con-
ceding, consenting, contented human
:attle forever, accepting their fate as
ne mysterious will of the Lord
forever. Discussion spelt disaster
for despotism. Every despot knew
this then. Every despot has known
it since. And every despot knows
his now.
Discussion clears the air of doubts
and lies.
Discussion explodes false teachings.
Discussion of meekness destroys
meekness.
Discussion puts iron into the soul
Of the slave, of the serf, and of the
wage-earner.
Discussion flashes ideas from brain
TO brain.
Discussion ripens plans and plots
and ways and means of Freedom.
Discussion develops power for or
ganization.
Discussion spells hell for hypocrisy
death for autocracy, and revolution
for plutocracy.
Discussion flashes fraternal heat
from heart to heart.
Discussion wrecks wrongs and rip
Ems rights.
Discussion destroys despotism and
develops democracy
Therefore: Down with discussion!
To hell with the agitator!"- the
autocrat-plutocrat's policy always.
rSilence!" is Caesars way with
slaves-always. The ancient Phar-
oahs of Egypt demanded silence. The
tyrants of ancient Babylon and
Greece and Rome always promptly
crushed discussion among the toilers
of all colors. And this selfsame
policy of "Slaves, keep silent!" has
since been and is now the cunning
policy of the ruling class. The
policy of silence fogs the brain of
the working class, locks the lips of
the bravest slaves, seals the soul
of courage, prevents propaganda,
brushes cooperation, balks the work
ers whenever and wherever they long
for and look for freedom, and stran-
giles their struggle for the Rights of
Man for themselves.
To day the employer ruling class
is bitterly, Indignantly jealous of
the workers when the workers meet
to discuss wrongs and how to kill
wrongs, to discuss rights and how to
get rights, to discuss the curse of
militarism and how to destroy the
great Red Wrong-to discuss War
and drive the blood-stained Beast
from tho xuorld-to diccucc tho orraa 4