The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-01-19

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A conference is needed. One may
soon be held. If it is not held, then
nothing can stop the trend Of events
toward an international labor confer
ence, called by the Russian Bolsheviki
or some other syndicalist element, to
be held in q. neutral capital.
ss ssGarxaany's. revolution, led by the
mi1iority socialists, seems now to=be
on the eve Of its expected bloody out
break. That is the view of neutral OBJ,
servers who have come out of Ger
many recently, and whose testimony
has been reported to- Washington.
Starvation and sickness and the war
WEAKNESS that has crept like a paral-
ysis upon the minds Of the people of
Europe are crushing the German war
machine. Trotsky and his Bolsheviki
agitators along the eastern front are
every day laying more powder for the
mine that finally will blow the Ger
man junker system into bits. Every
day there comes out of Germany more
evidence that the German labor move
ment is swerving to the radical social
lists, and away from the conservative
Scheidemann social organization. Not
even Russia will have. a more radical
labor movement, in that day just
around the corner of written history.
Forestan Revolution.
Finland has established a socialist
republic which is now being recog-
pized by the powers ON both sides OF
the battle lines. Its labor movement,
like that of Switzerland and Spain
and Holland and Scandinavia, favors
an international labor conference, such
as was attempted at Stockholm last
summer, to bring pressure on the ma
tons to hasten the end of the war.
These movements are near neighbors
to the French and italian and British
labor organizations There is no wide
difference of polic::' among them, as
to fundamental means of improving
the position of the working class. The
French and British governments real
lied this, some time ago, and took
steps to win back the enthusiasm of
their working class for the war TO
the bitter end.' They saw revolution
coming in; Germany, and they sought
to prevent revolution, even of the
peaceful industrial kind, in the allied
countries.
Discomfort Is Universal.
But the dispatches coming into
Washington from London, Rome, Am
sterdam, Paris, Petrograd, Geneva,
Stockholm-all tell the same story.
Revolution is not merely coming; it
has arrived. Germany is a~country
Of hunger, mob-demonstrations, of
rifle volleys in the streets, Of grew
some stories Of the death-rate of chill
dren. Russia is country of social
revolution, half accomplished and still
gaining in momentum, from. seizure
of the bank deposits to wholesale in
crease of, the free public schools and
public ownership of all industrial
plants. France is q country Of indus
trial WEAKNESS and unrest, and Italy
a country Of smoldering fires Of indus
trial revolt. :. -, +.
Inter-allied Meeting Safer.
That is why the English labor lead
ers, speaking for. the British Labor
party, the greatest single apolitical-eco-
nomic force which. has arisen outside
Of Russia during this war, are bring
ing confidential message to America.
They agree with the American: labor
officials that an inter-allied confer
ence will be safer ana better than pne
at which Germans would be present
More can be won for labor inside the
allied battle lines than astr.de the
lines. II an inter-allied conference Is
not held, or Is not q success. then no
leaders can stop the ..breaking-out''
Of a general international labor con.
gress. Such a congress would be und.
ar Bolsheviki Influences S3s,4E<