Monster Anti-Militarist Mass Meeting

Industrial Unionist, Volume 1, Issue 10, 1 November 1913, Page 4

Monster Anti-Militarist Mass Meeting

gdpjoo late for last issue.) A m&nster anti-militarist mass meeting was held in the Town Hall, Auckland, on September 30. Several wellknown speakers, including Scott Bennett * (the Socialist lecturer), Paddy Webb (the new S.D.P. member of Parliament for Grey), Ted. Canham (of the Auckland Waterside Workers), Fred. Williams (of the 1.W.W.), and some clergy. . The Key. Hall (Auckland’s militant humanitarian parson) was in the chair. Mr. Bennett spoke from a Socialist viewpoint, and in his usual fluent style. Mr. Webb orated from his own viewpoint as an S.D.P. man. They were the first speakers. Fellow-Worker Canliam made a good working-class speech, pointing out, among other things, that the workers liave nothing to. gain by war. 1 can report Fellow-Workers Williams’ talk more fully, as I have his notes. Fie went nearer to the root of militarism than any of the other speakers. He was there (he said) as one of that large and ever-increasing army of working-men rebels who are fighting for the overthrow of this present social system. As such, his opposition to militarism was not a sentimental one, but deep and fundamental; was based upon recognition of the fact that Army, Police, and Navy are but barriers erected by the propertied against the propertyless. He would be told that these forces were to protect the rights of citizens; but what rights had the workers to protect? He only knew of two: Trie privilege to work (when they could get it) and the right to starve (when they couldn’t). Could we imagine a burglar so lost to self-respect, to a sense of the fitness of things, and the dignity of his profession, as to interfere with the. few poor sticks that constitute a worker’s “ home?” No ! The forces of the State

exist only to protect the property of the masters. Much had been said about the expense of militarism, and, truly, the bill was enormous; yet that was of no concern to a working man. Certainly, in the final analysis, the workers pay for all, but the bill is met by the masters and paid out of Surplus Value, or unpaid wages, wrung from the workers. We must not think for a moment that the masters are not fully aware of the expense of militarism; but they are prepared to foot the bill and spend further wealth in driving patriotism into the woodenheads. The patriotic workingman was the mainstay of the Wage System. It was money well spent by the masters, for the man who will make a contract never to think for himself is more likely to remain the opposite of a rebel, namely: a slave, a tool that can be expected to shoot his class as they have done in South Africa and elsewhere: a tool handy for scab purposes, as in the English transport strike. There would be plenty of work for soldiers when the inevitable clash between workers and property owners came. So we must on with the work of education, for we workers can, when we are organised and intelligent enough, hold in our hands the power to prevent war. We can refuse to produce the munitions of war; we can interfere with the transport of troops; with the food supply of troops, for it was truly said, an army marches on its belly, and without our co-operation could not move at all, could not, in fact, exist. We must push on with propaganda; with organisation ; and devise means to defeat even those of our class who are dense enough not to see the sham of Patriotism.” In this way we could meet militarism and hasten the day of our emancipation.