Militarism and Markets.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 22, 4 August 1911, Page 13

Militarism and Markets.

"War is Hell." General William Sherman-, of the American Civil Wao-, said: "War is Hell." It was General Sherman who led the march from Atlanta to. tho sea. His army left behind it a death-streAvn, smoking ruin, in a populous country, 60 miles wide and hundreds of miles long. General Sherman knew about war. He . said it was Hell. When you send your boys to war you knoAV Avhere they are "going to." There is uoav a Avar cloud in "the sky the size of a land-grabber's hand, in North-Avest Africa. If this Avar really happens the battles Avill be fought, not in Africa, but in the open seas to the north-west of Europe—not Africa. Why should there be a Avar ? There is no. reason. Reason demands peace and justice that there may be peace in order that real and rational human life may bo possible,' not ruthless slaughter of the living. Great Britain and Germany ha\'e conflicting interests. Stop! That is not true. There are no really humane national interests —in either Great Britain, or Germany, which can be furthered by Avorld-Avide Avar. Whence, then, this conflict? German manufacturers, not Germany! German manufacturers Avant wider markets. British manufacturers have and Avaht to keep, the same markets. The manufacturers of both Great Britain and Germany must have markets aAvay from home because in both countries they do not pay the Avorking people in their oavii country enough to enable them to buy out of their oavii markets the wealth created by their labor. The AAorking people of both countries are exploited, oppressed, and made degenerate by these industrial masters. Both countries are seeking markets in other countries in order to sell aAvay from home wealth created at home. But while the workers can and do produce it Avith their labor they cannot buy it with their Avages. Hence the fight for markets. The fight for markets ■ away from home carries with it the effort to control the countries aAvay from home and to command the places of military and naval importance on all the highways of the AA'orld. The industrial masters are. using the military and naval poAvor of their oavii countries in order to get control of other countries for the purpose of doing to the Avorkers in these countries what they are. already doing to their workers, in their own cotintries. But modern industry itself is only militarism applied to industry. There is not one Avord that can be said about the cruelty, the oppression, the despotic outrage of the military camp Avhich cannot be duplicated and more than duplicated in the blood and tears of modern industry. Militarism is not a thing apart from industry. The modern Avar machine is only a part, of the greater industrial and commercial machine of the Avorld, on the Avheels of Avhich are broken both the bodies and the souls of men. What shall be done about it? Not about part of it, but Avhat can be done to deliver mankind from the thraldom of it all? Who can come to see these Avrongs and to feel their power, and not be filled Avith the'anguish and the courage of limitless revolt? All the world is in debt to Ramsay Macdon.ald for his ringing words in the British Parliament and his call to the workers of Germany, France and Great Britain to strive to their uttermost to make this AA*ar iioav impossible.

Professor W„ T. Skills Calces His Attitude Clear, and Presents a Policy for New Zealanders.

May they do their uttermost! And yet as long as labor is'exploited in any country that country is the commercial enemy of every other country, and the commercial Avar Avhich all" the time is raging ay-ill ahvays be ready to break into, open strife. What is the Avorkingmam's wisestprogramme? What will lead to his earliest deliverance from Avar and from the fear of war, whether in the' shop and market, or on the field of blood? Shall it be individual revolt? The answer* can be made only on the ground of its practicability. Standing alone the only escape from being exploited is to become an exploiter. That is not a satisfactory solution for on© whose sorrow is quite as much a matter of his conscience as it is of his appetite. Standing alone, the only escape from militarism is to be made oneself the immediate victim of this same militarism. revolt alone can count on .real results. Organised revolt against Avar will be fruitless-unless the revolt shall also extend to the. Avorld of indus- v try as Avell. As long as militarism controls the jobs Avhen you are employed, it will have power to produce Avar, if need be, in order to sell to others the Avealth your toil creates, but AAdiose Avages cannot buy. Effective ■revolt can count only where, it is organised and intended to cover the Avhole field of compulsory exploitation. What aoout the boys in jail? What ■_ about the laws and the judges who sent them there? What about the dignity of the court? The only dignity in the court during these negotiations has been the dignity of the convicted boys. The judges Avho insulted the convictions of these boys passed on the dignity of the court from the rowdyism of the bench to the conscientious prisoners at the bar! Yet I wish the boys were not in jail. The individual revolt cannot avail. The, revolt must be an organised revolt. It must bo organised to cover the Avhole field of modern industrial oppression. It must escape from oppression of any form by achieving the mastery of • the go-eater..power. _ That power must then be used to do justice, to secure for each of us the ability to buy as much as we produce. Then there will be markets for all. Then the last excuse for war will pass away. Peace Avill come to the fields of blood ; as soon as justice shall be done in the fields of both sAA ; eat and blood. Still "the "bird of liberty is ahvays the jailbird." But, boys, I have a reason for Avanting you out of jail. You can seiwe .your cause most effectively in another way. I am trying to gather an army. It is to be an army of conquest, "its weapons Avill be literature, speech, organisation, the poAver of the union. If I had a thousand New Zealand boys avlio AA-ere really ready.to go to jail rather than to- abandon the task in hand, we could teach all the people. We could tell them the story so plainly —could tell it to so many of them — that Ncav Zealand could be made to lead the AA'orld in establishing the industrial justice Avhich Avill make war impossible. Every day that passes aa-c uoav surrender" to industrial exploitation. We cannot live unless Aye do so. While militarism lasts Aye cannot escape from, it. We must surrender in the smaller battle in order that Aye may Avin in the larger battle. . I am getting workers rapidly. And levant most of all.the boys who are not afraid to go to jail . WALTER THOMAS MILLS.