Denver labor bulletin., 1918-11-02

American people want peace.
The editorial is based upon pre-
mature peace jubilation tina. took
place in the Middle West, principally
in Wisconsin, when newspaper bulle-
tins announced that peace had been
secured.
These newspaper bulletins had been
given out to the people saying that
Germany had given in to President
Wilson's terms and that the war was
over.
Thereupon the people in a number
of cities got up impromptu parades,
called out the bands and held high
ceremony. They were elated. They
rejoiced. They shouted and made gen.
eral jubilee.
Then, of course, they found cut that
there was no peace.
This pacifist paper, which is pub
lished in New York, proceeded to write
very lengthy editorial about this
happening. 1t reasoned thus:
"The people really want peace.
What keeps them from showing their
longing for peace is the press. 1t is
only in the newspapers that war is
wanted. If the people could express
themselves they would get busy at
once to end the war. Our national en-
thusiasm for war is superficial and
This is all very interesting-inter-
esting, if true, as an old city editor
once remarked to blithe young re-
porter.
The only trouble with it, as with so
much of the pacifist output, is that it
is not true. 1t starts from false
premise and ends up with false con-
clusion. Let US have look at it.
The people in this Middle Western
I'LL I,A.. 41.11s Al,N
we had won the war and that peace
had come They rejoiced. They threw
up their hats and had happy time
for just a little while They wanted
peace.
There is no doubt about that All
America wants peace. Just here is
where the duplicity of this pacifist
paper comes in. This paper seeks to
convey the idea that those who are
expressing the views of America want
war for the sake of war and that the
people really do not want war at all.
The people of America do not want
war and never did want war. The
people of America today want peace.
Pacifist papers do not have to prove
that The people of America declare
it-and they live it.
But the people of America want
peace in safety-peace in freedom
peace with justice!
Perhaps a pacifist paper cannot un-
derstand that. There are things that
pacifists cannot understand; and
things that they will not understand
Let this particular pacifist paper dag
nose its own case. For us it is imma-
terial what the particular trouble is,
so long as we know the general trou-
BILE, which is pacifsm, soaked with a
strong solution of bolshevism.
The people who jubilated out in the
/ Middle West thought America had
| won peace with victory over autoc-
| racy. They thought democracy had
| triumphed. They thought Hundom
had gone to smash and smithereens.
for. The bulletins gave them that
understanding.
So they went out and did what all
i America will do some day when real
bulletin comes singing over the wires
4 telling US that autocracy is smashed
l forever and that the world is at last
| safe for democratic people to go for
| ward in a liberty safeguarded from
| brutal and bestial attack.
This pacifist paper doesn't tell us
what these people did when they found
| out their mistake. 1t simply tells us
| that because they shouted for vic
| tory they thought had been won the
| people of America are for stopping the
| war.
| This is about the most far-fetched
and treacherous bit of writing that
1 has come to light since the pacifists
got cold feet and began playing safe
1 around the home plate.
II The American people don't want
1 war. No pacifist paper needs to prove
! that. But they do want this war!
1 And they want it to a final, complete
| 100 per cent finish. What the Ameri'
| can people would say to an incon.
elusive, quibbling, ifty-ffty peace as
an end to this war would probably
never get past the censor. 1t wouldn't
be safe to put on paper, which is 6
highly combustible substance. The
II rubber rollers on the printing presse:
would never stand the heat Of it:
II The American people are peace-lov
ing people, but they love liberty ant
II justice so much more than they low
peace that they are for this war ever
Il iastingly and for it to the finish! ).
Proof? A whole nation full Of it
if needed. Sons from almost ever!
family going gladly to fight. Bond
being bought with enthusiasm in al
most every home. Work being dom
as never in the worlds history. Prod
igious effort, freely and gladly givel
Il on every hand. A nation going int
every effort with will and with
punch!
People whose enthusiasm lags can
not do what Americans are doing to
day in every walk Of life.
There is conviction behind Americ'
in this war. This war has become
H great crusade. There is fervor in il
II inspiration in 1.-THE whole OF tn