The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937, 1917-03-10
THE ADVOCATE
AND THE WAR

HE ADVOCATE has received thousands
OF letters from different classes Of peo-
pie in relation to our stand in the pres
ent crisis. Most of them compliment
airy, some OF them suggesting that
labor paper ought to only print labor
news, and others of socialistic turn.
HE ADVOCATE took its stand after
the Building Trades Council had en-
dorsed President Wilson's attitude.
AS long as Germany was fighting the
allies, we were not particularly inter-
ested, but when it comes down to
question between Germany and this ma
ton, there is but one place for every
American to stand, particularly if he
has previously worn Uncle Sans shoul-
der straps.
Every other consideration must be
swept aside and we owe our undivided
allegiance to our country.
We believe all these so-called peace
associations are manipulated by graft
ers, all these peace shouters are paid
and that they are a menace to the peace
of our people.
One particular letter comes on the
letter-head of the Garment Workers
Union. The fair correspondent-we
violate no ethics of journalism in re-
vealing the sex of the writer, and we
do not sin against probability in saying
she is fair-asked us to explain in what
respect Germany's blockade trans
crosses the well-recognized rules of in
ternational law and civilization" and
upon what authority we asserted that
"A referendum on war to be practical
expedience must be a universal rule
and not the rule of Single nation"
We thought that these questions in
dicated that the writer wanted de-
bate instead of information and so
wrote to her. but she has returned to
the fray more militant than ever, which
caused us to write this editorial and
confirms our original surmise that she
is looking for fight and not facts
for she says that she never doubted
that we would find some excuse for not
answering her questions and she tri-
umphantly asserted that because we said
she wanted debate we thereby conced-
ed that her questions were debatable
The fact that someone desires to de-
bate does not prove that what he or she
wants to debate is debatable. But pass
ing over this piece of faulty logic and
assuming that the questions were asked
in good faith we are moved to remark
that our fair correspondent must have
been keeping Lent in the matter OF abb
stinence from information for some
lar season. If she does not understand
how the German blockade trans
crosses the rules of international law
and civilization as it applies to us, a
submarine blockade may be as legal as
any other. if it observes the laws to
which ordinary blockades, which rules
neutral ships out of wide ocean area,
and which threatens to sink them with
out warning. If they sail into the sea
zones of which the belligerent has I'M
dertaken to assume sovereignty, IT is
considered transgression of law by
every nation except that which is try
ing to enforce it,
1t may be that all the rest OF the
world is wrong in this view and that
! Germany alone is right. And 1t may
be that the polite custom OF giving pas
sengers and crews a chance tor their
lives was foolish and uncivilized. And
it NAV be absurd in us to consider that
that question is not debatable, even at
the risk of being regarded as lacking
in 'kutur."
As to the referendum, when we say
it is silly our only authority is the au-
thority of common sense.
We imagine that if husky gentle
man were to snatch our fair CORES
pondents" handbag she would not pro-
pose a referendum to him, but are IN
clined to think that she would shout
Police" at the top OF her eNasperated
lungs.
We do not want war, but we do not
propose to sit idly by and see Germany
or any other nation hit Uncle Sam IN
the nose without trying to give the OF
fender a licking.