Denver labor bulletin., 1918-12-07
KEEP AMERICA
FREE FROM ALL
MILITARISM
PRUSsIA;N WAR POWER
MUST NOT EXIST HERE.
Labor Has Been in Favor of This
War. but Is and Will Be Opposed
to Future Wars and Peace
Must Be Lasting.
(By wiRiam NIitch.)

Harry S. New of Indiana is to present
another bill providing for universal
military training, as an after-war
measure. This is similar to the one
defeated recently by the United States
Congress.
Labor is vitally interested in such a
bill and is sacrificing and giving its
full cooperation and support, having
in mind the main and principal prob
lem of first winning the war; then we
expect to participate in taking up and
considering the questions of which our
nation will have to deal with in the
reconstruction period. Yet, we see in
this bill of Senator News a keen mo-
tive, and while this may not be true.
yet any fair minded person must agree
that it is premature.
Has President Wilson called for
such a measure? Has he even hinted
that it is logical? No; but he has
stated on several occasions THAT we
cy.' and that the world will no longer
permit military and political domina-
tion by arms"
The great democratic spokesman of
Great Britain, Lloyd George, has told
the world that ITO end all wars we
must impose a durable peace on our
enemies, the Prussian military power
must not only be beaten, but Germany
herself must know that her rulers have
outraged the laws of humanity, and
Prussian strength cannot protect them
from punishment. This must be the
last war"
lie has told the workers of Great
Britain: 1T is my hope-aad that is
really what we are fighting for-that
we shall establish conditions that will
make compulsory service unnecessary,
not merely in this country but in every
country. Unless we succeed in estab-
llshlng those conditions, I, personally.
shall not feel that we have achieved
one of the most important of our war
aims"
Labor is traditionally opposed to
war-in fact, most every sane person
Will agree that they are opposed to
war-but when it comes to an issue
OF being dominated by military au-
tocracy, labor did not hesitate to state
its position, but gave its full support
to crush this monster, and are going
TO continue to give their support until
the job is done and done right.
Are we going to lose sight of the
real issues for which our boys have
been fighting and dying when the
great call of the day is for a league
of nations with power to enforce the
agreements made, after victory over
militarism and autocracy?
II was estimated that the expendi
ture in Europe alone, for military es-
tablishment before the war, was over
1000 900 900 a year, and these ex-
penditures found their highest justifi-
cation in the claim that preparedness
for war prevented war All Of the
billions thus lavishly expended pre-
vented nothing of the sort, but plunged
civilization into the most disastrous
war the world has ever known.
Germany has been acknowledged the
greatest military nation and has thru
forty-fve years of her methodical
preparation found the highest point
OF efficiency, as they thought, and then
sought to dominate and conquer Such
is the spirit of miltarism. But even
with their great preparation, they
were compelled to reorganize their
military machine. their finances and
industries to meet the new situation.
II the military preparedness of the
old world has proved no barrier
against war, why should we use such
an argument? And if the cost of the
old military preparations were found
greatly inadequate, what can we ex-
pect if all of the nations of the world
start to prepare? 1t was recently es-
timated by members of the British
parliament that the new cost would be
about $50, ,000, 900, 900 per year for Eu-
rope alone.
We must not be inconsistent and
abandon the real cause for which our
boys have in many instances paid the
supreme sacrifice.
There is no salvation in the old
formula of preparedness. This is pre-
eminently a war to end war, and a
league of nations is the only way out
of the yoke of autocracy and militar-
ism-because it is necessary to have
militarism to perpetuate autocracy-it
is the one hope of civilization welter-