New Ulm review., 1921-12-07
The Conference ON Armomemts.


and disarmament, we decline, to in
dulge in illusions. The causes of war
are as deeply rooted as ever in the,
modern world. To leave those
causes festerir g and at the same time
to discuss reduction of armaments
will bring no security to mankind, no
matter what action is taken by the
conference at Washington.
Modern wars are generally admit
ted to have their origin in commerce
cial rivalry, the investment of capital
overseas, financial penetration and
control of backward areas, and the
greed of the International bankers for
dominion through loans and so-called
consortiums.
The enormous productive power
of the working class heaps up an ex-
cess OF capital in each of the imperia-
Isl nations. The minority of own
ers export this surplus for invest
ment in the less developed regions of
of the world. To insure the security
of such foreign investments, the for
eign Offices, the army and naval de-
partments, are placed at the service
of the powerful investing classes.
The raw materials and rich, unde-
veloped natural resources of the
backward regions thus become OBJ
jects Of international rivalry. Each
of the imperialist powers maintains
it's colonists, protectorates and vassal
peoples to serve handful of invest
ors and bankers The moment
foreign capital finds a fixed invest
ment in mines, railroads, petroleum
deposits, ranches, etc., the sovereign
ty and independence of the people
where the capital is invested are
doomed.
The imperialist yoke is thus i'm
posed on the peoples Of Egypt, India,
Persia, China, Korea, Mesopotamia,
Indo- China, Morocco, Haiti, the
Philippines and others.
Those who are meeting in Wash
ington, except the delegates of China,
are representatives of this important
regime of investments and foreign
domination They are of the same
school Of diplomats as thosewho framed
the treaty of Versailles and which
has left the world prostrate for three
years. Their efforts are devoted to
an apportionment of shares in world
explorations to their respective in
vesting classes They continue to
play the old game that led the world
to disaster.
Modern capitalism leads to imper-
ialism. Imperialism requires armed
force to maintain rule over weaker
peoples and insure alien exploitation
of these peoples. Those who repre-
sent this sinister regime Of capital
ism, imperialism, militarism, invest
ments, colonies, and protectorates,
are incapable of organizing a warless
world.
This must be the task of the work
ers Of each country, united in inter
national solidarity for the abolition
of capitalism. Modern imperialist
wars issue out of capitalism, are in
separable from it, and cannot be a.
verted without the abolition of capi-
talism itself.
We therefore no more share the il
lusions of those who believe that in
ternational peace is possible now
than we shared the illusion that the
world war was waged for a glorifed
Democracy
Only by collective mastery of the
great powers of production in each
n .tion and the abolition of private in
vestments, trade, and loans, will be
the menace of devastating imperial
ist wars be averted.
A socialized world alone will bring
warless world, and we urge the i'm
portance of stressing this great truth
in order that the peace and security
humanity so yearns for may finally
be realized.
n TT.