The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-05-17

so unanimously supporting the Gov
eminent in it's war to finish against
autocracy?
If all of you who read this article
had been with me in Germany the
YEAR before the great war broke cut
YOU would have no need to ask.
Gu would have seen, as | saw, au-
tocracy trying to corrupt labor, mis-
leading it by insidious propaganda
seeking to raise up false leaders,
and using the power of money and
Influence to debauch those who seek
to mitigate the condition of the
workers.
You would have returned as
did, thankful to be permitted to live
in land of freedom and democracy,
and resolved, as / was, if ever our
liberties were menaced by the pow
CTS of autocracy, to fight to the
death; to work to the limit; to make
every sacrifice, and to accept no
compromise until autocracy, such as
is typified by the present German
government, is defeated in a finish
fight and the militarism which keeps
it in power is crushed forever from
the face of the EARTH
| went to Europe in the early
fl of 1918 as representative of
the American Federation of Labor
10 the Worlds Congress-the In
national Federation of Trade
Unions, at Zurich, Switzerland. Like
e representatives of the o.gan-
4 labor movements of the ot,.er
nations, | went as poor man, re-
solved to make the trip inst as
cheaply as poss' BILE, teca labor has
no money to spend on the junket-
ings of it's representatives. went
there for work, not for pleasure.
But Switzerland is on the bor-
ders of Germany Zurich was fill
ed with supposed leaders of the la
Dor movement of Germany. They
were not delegates, but, somehow,
they were there. They were not
poor men, if the way they spent
money was any indication. They
seemed to have unlimited funds.
Their mission seemed to be to
spend money. We have always sup
posed that the "Dutch treat" orig
mated in Germany, but somehow
these men from Germany seemed new
er to have heard of it. Their sole
aim, apparently, was to wine and
dine the representatives of other
countries. They would invite a
man to luncheon or dinner, on the
pietext that they wished to consult
him on some important matter. He
would find, as / found more than
once, that the matter would be
just about as important as the ques-
tion of whether adjournment should
be taken at II o'clock as five min
utes to IL. In fact it often would
be hard to discern any matter at
all which would warrant this sud
den manifestation of friendship and
interest.
But the conversation always drift
ed around to the interests of Ger
many in the world, it's superiority,
and the utter futility of anyone
standing out against it. The aim,
apparently, was to make friends
for Germany. 1t took the world
war, however, to reveal the full
meaning and extent of what these
propagandists were driving at.
When it came to paying the check
some of these Germans We're there
with bells on. | don't know where
they got the money. Just go and
look in on the headquarters Of some
of the German unions, or visit the
homes of some of the German work
els and see if you think they got
the money there.
For years before this war broke
out the dream of sentimental in
ternationalists of the world had been
to prevent international strife by
general strikes in case of wars of
conquest. At meeting several
years ago of the miners represen-
tatives from many lands, an English
delegate proposed a resolution pro-
viding that in the event of war of
aggression the miners of both coun-
tries involved should refuse to dig
coal. The German delegation said
that if such resolution was even
introduced they would have to with
draw. for if they even sat in a
meeting in which such a resolution
was discussed they would be tried
and executed for treason.
The same thing has happened on