The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-05-18

JIG WIlCeT VI Tile lOllOWlnS dTUlcle,
it is mindful of the fact that there
are some of our citizens who do,
and they are entitled to an express
sion of their views on leading ques-
tions. The following paper is from
the pen of George w. Louttit and
makes good Editor:
1t is said that a Texan was upon
one of the main thoroughfares of
London as the King of Great Britain
was passing. The streets were
lined with his subjects, who took
off their hats as he passed. This
the Texan neglected to do.
Take off your 'at!" commanded
an Englishman.
"What for?" asked the Texan.
Cant you see our sovereign is
coming?"
81 am an American citizen" said
the Texan, proudly. 'In America
we are all sovereigns, and we do
not take off our hats to any man."
So we, in the United States, theo-
retically at least, are all sovereigns.
A wise sovereign, uses judgment,
common sense and intelligence. If
he permits himself to be swayed or
influenced by hatred, friendship or
emotion, or acts without deliberation,
he is unfit to be a sovereign, great
or small. The wise sovereign prof
it's by the experiences of the past, so
familiarizes himself with history, and
avoids the mistakes of nations and
people of the past.
Patriotism is love Of ones country.
Not love of a president or other
ruler, or a Congress or a parliment,
but love of country and people as
a whole.
Every true patriot must use COM
mon sense, and if he permits him
self to be influenced by emotion Or
hatred, he is not true patriot.
Have the powers at Washington
appealed to the intelligence of the
people of this country in this great
crisis? Have the people of this
country been consulted, and have
these matters been discussed by the
people with calmness and delibera-
ton? No, not at all. The powers
at Washington have appealed only
to the emotions and preiudices of the
people.
What are the facts?
So-called patriotic parades, headed
by brass bands, have been held in
almost every city of this country.
Where speeches have been made, the
war side only was represented. The
great majority of people who favor
peace, have not in one single instance
been permitted to present their
views at any public gathering, on
the contrary their speakers have
been mobbed when attempting to
present the other side Of the cues
ton.
Brass bands and fine rarades do
not appeal to the intelligence of
any man in such crisis as this.
Rands and parades are to ensare
the people, to blind their judgment
by emotion and decret, the same as
the silvered spoon hook spinning
through sparkling water does the
fish.
Instead of brass bands and pa
rades, we should meet and discuss
these matters with calm elaboration,
with intelligence, hearing ali sides
of the question, for war is a serious
matter, and should be treated seri-
ously, more so than any other sub
ject, because it affects our lives, our
homes, the vitals of our nation.
"Stand by the President" is the
slogan nowadays. The slogan used
to be, "The king can do no wrong"
And the more corrupt the king proved
to be, the louder and more often
was the slogan sung. But finally
the people learned that the king
could do wrong. That almost
every thing he did was wrong for
the people and in the interest of a
favored few So that slogan be-
came matter of history, and now
we have the new one, "Stand by the
President
Is it not a fact that if I at
tempted to win an American citi-
zen to my view of things, a brass
band and parade, that he would be
insulted? On the contrary, would
he not demand facts, and reason
from those facts? But in this war
crisis, all the powers at Washing
ton try to do to justify their course,
is to push brass band patriotism
to breed hatred and bias through the
public press, and suppress the hui
mama cida Of 4ha J;eo,,.o:1~.