The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1936-03-06

me "a case of pacifism, is the fact
t tLIlaV, by exploiting the desire of
ne We masses for peace and yet COM
taeeely deluding the masses about
oe character of the struggle
alnst war, pRcifism leaves the
masses helpless when war actually
cTmes. At that time, the middle
lass and pseudo-liberal leaders of
:ne pacl1lst movement and organ
lzdIlons for the most part go over
a. once to the side of the war
makers tl They continue to shout
mai Cney are against war sin gen
eraI', but they find that this par
:lCular war is justified because it
Is TO make the world safe for
democracy, "tO defeat miltarism",
> 20 end fascism", ito uphold the
League Of Nations, or for some
otner noble purpose. Thus the
masses who have listened to these
leaders are bewildered; having had
confidence in the pacifist leaders
support of peace, they are confus-
cd into believing their justifica-
ton OF the actual war. The pacifist
organizations, overnight, change
from "anti-war'' groups into fer
Tile propaganda and recruiting
grounds for the war. The exper-
lence of the last war in all coun-
tries proves this to be the logical
outcome of pacifism. We shall dis
cover how the same logic applies
IN the coming war to such organ
lzations as the pacifist American
League Against War and Fascism,
with it's front of pious liberals, min
listers, women's club presidents,
and Y. M. c. A. secretaries.
The problem of pacifism is par
tlcularly acute for the United
States, because, among other rea-
sons, a pretended pacifism, under
slogans of neutrality, splendid
isolation, freedom from foreign
entanglements"-is not only wide
spread among all groups of the
population, but is more or less the
official" policy Of the govern
ment. What meaning those sfU-
gans have was well shown in 1916
when Wilson was reelected on the
pacifist banner, "He kept US out
of war" during the very time wher
the preparations for drawing the
U. S. into the war were being com
pleted. The situation has moi
changed. Ironically enough, Roose
velt's pacifist neutrality speech II
California august, 1885 wa.
given the day before he reviewed
the greatest naval demonstration
In u. S. history. The true U. S
war policy is shown not by the
pharses of the officials, but b!
their deeds. For example, the u
S. spends more on armament thar
any other country in the world
and the strategic basis for thu
army and navy is, throughout de
signed for a purely offensive war
The struggle against war in tn,
U. S. must at all times resolutel!
expose the neutrality policy" o.
the government; and must furthe.
demonstrate how this policy is &C
tually used to cover up the prepar
alton for the coming war. Th
myth Of u. S. isolation must b
exploded. The causes of war ar
international, not confined to on
nation or group Of nations. The q
! S. can no more avoid being draw
: into the imperialist struggle thai
the finance-capitalists can avoi
the effects on their operations u
the world market.
3. SOCIAL.
PATRIOTISM
The wor d "social-patriotism'
became current during the las
war. It is used to describe the be
trayal Of the revolutionary strug
gle against war by those within
the working class movement itself
At the outbreak of the last war
the social democratic leaders i
the warning nations went in1r1e
diatelv over to the side Of war
, This action they Justified" b!
, saying that war was an "excep
! tional" event; that the working
class must defend the "father
. land" Germany or democraSc!
(England) for the period OF tn
war, or, if it did not, all the acn
: ievements of the working class 1
building toward socialism (1nclud
inc the trade unions and the SO
: cialist parties) would be crusne
> Al ~rxo,. ,,oochi11p. an