The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-08-17

higher rate Of interest with the other
people. And 50 we have this ma
tional debt, and if we are to con-
tinue fighting to a finish, to the
knockout blow, and so on (it is not
going to be this year, but we are to
look for it in 1879, then this ma
national debt must become six thou
sand millions at 5ft, with another
1 per cent sinking fund, making it
6 per cent and giving an annual
charge Of 936O,0OO,OO0 per annum,
which we have got to find. But the
war has made many more widows,
many more mained men, and the
fifty millions talked about for pen
sions will not go round. You will have
charge of at least 100 millions per
annum for the war pensions to add
to the $50 millions Of interest and
debt charge. So you have at least
to face 460 millions pounds per an
mum fresh revenue to raise. | will
knock off the odd 60 millions in
case l am eXaggerating and bring it
down to 400 million pounds per an
mum, figure given by such an ex-
cellent financial paper as the Man
chester Guardian, as the probable rev.
enue after the war. Our peace rev.
enue was about 1870 millions per an
mum, and you may safely say you
have to raise at least 400 millions or
more after the war than was raised
before the war.
"The question is: Who is going
TO pay? We are told by the Chan
cellor of the EXchequer that the taxa
tion in the present budgets will be
carried on into the future Then
this is the proposition that after
having taken these men to make this
sacrifice at the front at one shilling
day, you will dispense with them
and say: GO back to the loom
and the forge, go back to your work,
and then as a reward of your work
render up at least three months toll
out of every twelve months pay as
your share of the interest on the
debt created in your absence"
Il am pointing out what we are
going to be confronted with in the
new conditions after the war, the rev
olutionary, social, industrial and eco
nomic conditions. 1t is the force of
taxation and the need oi revenue
which is going to bring about these
conditions in the main. If you
read Carlyle's French Revolution, you
will find one remarkable passage in
which he says depotism stood in the
forces below until the day came
when it was announced that the Ma
tional EXchequer was empty, and
then Carlyle broke into that plan to
bankruptcy and said; Honour to
bankruptcy ever so righteous on the
grand scale, although in detail it is
so cruel. Great is bankruptcy, the
great bottomless gulf into which all
falsehoods, public and private, do
sink disappearing whittier from the
first origin they were all doomed
Bankruptcy will sweep away all the
falsehoods of our civilization, and the
sham, and with the coming of bank
ruptcy with every day Of war e.
penditure at =. millions, with every
day of the progress to ultimate
bankruptcy there is the forging Of
weapon of taxation which will de-
stroy old conditions if you use the
weapon rightly.
"Sir, l cannot believe that in the
conditions which will prevail after
the war we are going to allow the
few to boss Britain and the rest of
the people to be the slaves of the
few. We are met to have a talk
about a free Britain and free peo-
pie, and we cannot get away from
the fact that economically we are
slave people. If men have to sell
themselves in the labor market to
get employment and sell themselves
in competition with one another. they
are in a slave market, for although
they cannot be flogged there by the
thong Of the driver, they are driven
by something worse-it is the fear Of
hunger, and worse still, hunger of
those who are dependent upon them.
They sold themselves in competition
until they sold themselves so cheap
that their condition was worse than
the chattel slave whom the owner
regarded as of some value.
"Men only can exist on the earth
upon what they take from the earth.
and if the few own the earth-the
land-the rest must exist upon the
conditions dictated by the few. If
to bring people into employment and