Denver labor bulletin., 1918-08-10
WHY WORKINGMEN SUPPORT THE WAR
By JOHN R COMMONS,
Political Economy University of Wisconsin

This is an American workingmen'i
war, conducted for American work
ingmen, by American workingmen
Never before has democracy for wage
earners made so great progress as il
has in the twelve months that we have
been at war. If this continues, Ameri.
can labor will come out Of this wal
with the universal eight-hour day, and
with as much power to fix its owr
wages by its own representatives az
employers have.
Anybody who says that this is g
capitalistic war simply does not see
what is going on. Capitalists are be-
ing controlled in their profits and in
the wages and hours of laborers by
leaders whom the workingmen them
selves put on various war boards.
In no other war have the govern
ment and organized labor worked to-
gether as they are doing in the United
States today. In every department of
the government that employs labor or
fixes the prices that manufacturers
shall charge, there is a leading Off
cial of the American Federation Of
Labor on the committee who has as
much power as the representative Of
the capitalists. The president OF the
United Mine Workers Of America is
assistant to Garfield, the fuel admin
istrator. The president Of the Build
cy construction board for building
ships. A leading organizer Of the
American Federation Of Labor is on
the great war industries board which
controls all kinds Of manufactures. A
trade unionist, William B. Wilson, is
secretary Of labor.
These and many other trade union
officials were placed there by the trade
unions themselves, because these war
boards have become the big employ
ers of labor or because they control
the wages that private employers pay.
All thru these industries President
boards can get to it, the eight-hour
day, as well as time and one-haf pay
for overtime work. Moreover, the
agreements with labor unions pro-
vide that wages shall be revised up
ward just as fast as the cost of living
goes up.
Most important of all the agree
ments with trade unions is that which
gives the same wages and hours to
union and non-union workingmen.
All labor in this country is benefit
| ing because organized labor is actually
"on the inside" in running the govern
ment.
No wonder that the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, as is shown by the
vote at the Buffalo and St. Paul con-
ventions, supports the war almost
unanimously and stands for fighting
it out to the limit.
The members know that it is really
a war for democracy, because they are
taking part in it and are actually con-
Quoting it.
Never before was a war carried on
by workingmen. Never before, in war
or in peace, was the voice of labor in
government SO powerful as it is now
in America.
Any workingman who refuses to
stand by the great majority of his
fellow workers in their great work for
labor is injuring himself and his
brothers. Wage earners' democracy
is coming, and if it does not come as
it should the reason will be that some
wage earners are misled and don't
know democracy when they see it, or
don't support it when they know it.
A German victory is the only thing
that will set labor back permanently.
If Germany defeats England, Germany
will take over the British navy, and
we hUneTlCdnS Will DC COIupcllcu "
have large permanent standing army
and huge navy to defend ourselves
from sudden attack.
A permanent army and navy large
enough to cope with Germany, be-
sides taking our boys and our work
ingmen every year for military serv-
ice, means low wages, long hours of
labor, suppression of labor unions, re-
peal of labor legislation on behalf of
women and children, suppression of
free speech, and all the hardships that
millions of workingmen have come to
America to escape.
Those Socialists who want the
workingmen in this country to give
in to Germany are blind and incon-
sistent. The German Socialists can
not be blamed for supporting their
own government after the war had
once started. But when the Socialists
of Germany, in 1913, year before the
war started, voted for war taxes when
other nations were unprepared, they
violated their own principles and
forced the Socialists of every othel
nation to fight.
The leading Socialist of the world
Camille Huysmans, international sec
retary of the Socialist bureau in Hol
land, has said to the Chicago Daily