The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-05-18
THE WAR AS VIEWED FROM THE
STANDPOINT OF A PACIFIST

paign now going on, is an insult
to intelligent Americans. 1t is all
right for the unthinking and those
who are willing to let others do
their thinking for them. But not
for the true patriot, that uses his
brains.
What have the people to gain by
this war? They will fight the
battles and pay the bills. 1t has
been so in every war, and always
will be.
At Dallas, Texas, February 18th,
last, N. Nagahima, head of Mitsui
& Co., known as the House of Nor
gan of Japan and the biggest fl
nancial institution in the Orient, was
quoted in the daily papers as say
ing:
eve may be a foolish people,
as some nations believe, but we are
not so foolish as to think the friend
ship of Germany more valuable to
us than the friendship of the Unit
ed States. Eight-five per cent of
the export trade of the United States
last year went to Japan. | be-
lieve the United States would be
wise to go to war with Germany
We have found it most profitable"
Yes, that is the reason of most
all wars - certain interests - the
money lenders find it most profit
able, and it is this class that usual
ly control the men in power. Hap
PLY the people are fast beginning to
see that and that is why conscrip-
ton has become necessary.
The people have not been con-
sulted-although they are theoreti-
cally sovereigns-about the war or
about CONSUMPTION. A few men in
Washington have taken upon them
selves the right to think for the
whole American people. They for
get they are servants of the people,
and have assumed a dictatorship as
drastic and arbitrary as that exer-
cised by Kaiser Wilhelm himself.
They tell us they are going to wipe
out miltarism in Germany. But
how? By establishing militarism
here in the United States. But of
course they do not tell US that. But
that is just what they are doing just
the same.
When the authorities at Wash
ington first plunged us into war,
Gar Nicholas was the ruler of Rus
STA. We linked arms with the
most oppressive government in the
world. Some few years ago, George
Kennon, travelled this country and
told of the horrible things prac-
ticed by this Russian bureaucracy.
Bloody Sunday is yet within the
memory of all of us. Kaiserism at
its worst never committed such
grievous sins against any people,
as the bureaucrats of Russia COM
mitted against the Russians, and
especially the Russian Jew. And
yet the powers at Washington tied
us up with this crowd of monsters.
But of course that is business -
for business has no conscience, and
links itself with all sorts of vice
and oppression to make it's point.
But the people of Russia, writhing
under the yoke of oppression thew
off their oppressors. But not one
word did the authorities at Wash
lngton tell us of this revolution,
until the Gar was dethroned. We
We're kept in ignorance of this in
ternal CONFUSION in Russia, because
then, the money lenders did not
know who would win. At this time
OF uncertainty, we at least could
have given the Russian people our
moral influence, for that was when
they really needed it, but of course
that would have offended the ty-
rants in power, with whom we had
become allies. and so the powers
kept us in ignorance. After the
success of the Russian people, then
we sent them bouquets, but then
they did not need them. AS the
great Tallyrand said, "There is
nothing so successful as success"
But the powers tell us to look
what the Kaiser has done to Bel
GUM, and that the treatment of that
people was sufficient to provoke us
to war.
He who sows the wind will reap
the whirlwind." 1t is an old saw
ing as applicable to nations as to
individuals.
Less than ten years ago, Belgian
capitalists, headed by their King
Leopold, sent Belgian army into
Congo, Africa, to compel the natives