The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-02-09
SALVATION OF WORLD \
RESTS UPON WORKERS
(From the London NatiOn.)

1t is the love of power which has
brought the world to this pass; the
power of one class over the life of
another class, passing into the ambi-
ton of the most materialized of all
the European socities to exercise this
power over all it's rivals. Christian
thinkers have often liked to reflect
that it was slavery which brought the
first great European Imperialism to
the ground. Has it's successor Danish
ed slavery? When war broke out,
every great commercial city in the
world was the moving wheel of some
trem endous engine of economic power.
What measure of liberty was likely
to be left to the working people under
a system which put every natural
agent of mans physical needs, and
therefore every avenue Of his labor,
under a Few hundred men sitting in
board rooms in London or Johannes
burg, in Berlin or New York. Inter-
nationalism in supply and manufact-
ure is necessary and right. But be-
meath the internationalized capital Of
our times has lain something very
like national slavery-expressed as
over-work, under-pay, bad housing, in
dustrial disease. Its masters were alb
solutely distrustful of each other, and
one after another of their GROWING
acts of exploitation-in North and
South Africa and in the Far East
all but ended in general war. They
could not make just and peaceful
division Of the worlds rich Inherit
ance; for they conceived of power as
force, pursued it with the help of
their governments) in mutual jealous
ly, and based it on the essential sub
jugation of the general will and mass
of mankine-black, white, or yellow.
Thus industry which should unite
men, divided them Wealth, which
should be the sign of a fuller general
life, became merely the symbol Of a
grasping and restless one, and science,
which is the victory Of reason, over
threw it.
Is there, then, no element of hope,
no possible and available service of
rescue for society? There is. It is
not matter of small significance that
the class which, with some exceptions.
has spoken of the war with most sense
and moderation is that which has suf-
fered most from it, and had least to
do with bringing it about. That class
consists of the real workpeople OF
the world. 1t consists, too, of the the
.orists, hard and mistaken as many OF
them have been who have busted
themselves most with the social prob
lem. Even from those strange Rus
sian Bolsheviks has come an act
which, with all its roughness and in.
considerate haste has rent the veil OF
that Temple of Secrecy where much
of the worlds worst work and mean
est worship have been accom- lished
But behind the Bolsheviks stand
forces which are not merely more
moderate, but more humane and more
serviceable. We do not underrate
the task Of Liberal Europe and Amer.
lea in reducing to reason the wild
dreams of Nationalisn and Imperial.
ism. But Liberalism is no longer q
direct weapon of democracy, and since
its decline in western thought, some.
thing in closer touch with the firs,
needs and realities Of mans life ha.
come into being. Even at this stage
o. the war. It would be possible t.
imagine half q dozen labor cabinet.
meeting in conference and bringing Il
to an end in g month. II such q Worl