Denver labor bulletin., 1918-04-06
SOCIALISTS AND THE WAR
BY A. W. RICKER, in Pearson's.

patton in the war, and just for the one
sole reason that Japan is an autoc-
racy.
The ruling forces of Japan have no
sympathy with democratic ideals, es-
pecially with the brand of ideals fos-
tered by our laborites and radicals.
The active participation of Japan
in the war must weaken the morale of
the allies and do more damage in this
war than her troops will do good.
Soldiers fight best when they feel
in the right. 1t is still true even in
war that
Thrice is he armed who hath his
quarrel just"
/ have taken no new position in the
foregoing lines. In July | wrote that
the socialists had blundered at st.
Louis; in September, advising readers
to stop all antagonism to the war and
to turn attention to constructive rather
than destructive work; in February
emphasized this position in another
article captioned, How to Win the
War"
My position was and is that the
radicals of America can be of the
greatest service to humanity by adopt
ing tactics in line with those of the
radical forces of England, France,
Belgium and Italy.
The forces of reaction in Washing
ton are stronger than the forces of
progress. Take the power and infiu-
ence of President Wilson from the
side of the progressive forces at
Washington and we should be conduct
ing this war very differently than it
is now being conducted.
For one thing, the rich would be
getting all the profit and the poor
would be doing all the paying and
| fighting.
There are forces in America and in
Washington utterly unsympathetic to
democracy, and if these forces could
| function we would be an oligarchy in
very short time.
Must Work With the President.
| Nothing is clearer from the events
of the last year than that the Presi-
dent has set his face against the forces
of reaction. Therefore it is of the
highest Importance that the radicals
work with, rather than against, the
President.
True, a lot of things have beer
| done which ought not to have beer
done. The censorship has angered 9
| large section of our population. The
censorship law, as it pertains to pc
riodicals, is unfair and unjust. 1t was
Imanifestly enacted for the purpose OF
destroying the socialist press. If the
President had vetoed the law he would
long ago have had the radicals with
him.
The law will be a dead statute be-
fore long, however, because the re-
publican papers are breaking it every
day.
The reactionary press which is OPP
posed to the President not because
he is in the war, but because he won't
do everything that Wall street asks, is
right now criticising the government
more viciously than any criticism in
which the socialists and radicals have
, ever indulged.
The socialist criticism was at least
honest and tended to be helpful; that
of the reactionary press is as malic-
ious as. the motives which prompt the
criticism.
Here are the outstanding facts
which the socialists of America must
face:
Thousands of American socialists
are in the army and there will be
more thousands called.
There are millions of socialists ir
the allied armies.
When these comrades of ours face
shot and shell they will fight as pas,
sionately as the non-socialists.
We, who are not in the army, can.
not wash our hands of the war.
By our policy of aloofness and op,
position to the war, the socialists have
permitted Mr.. Gompers and the exec,
utive committee of the American Fed,
Grafton of Labor to function in a way
that has placed the real labor forces
of America in a position entirely Out
of harmony with the labor forces OF
the allied countries.
The only radical organization in this