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Show I American Alliance I SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR. (By SamuH Gompera, in the American Fertorationist ) A year aso. April 6, our republic realized thai war rasing in Europr had crown into something vaMl l'i-gOT l'i-gOT than a European question I' had become a conflict between fundami n1 al principles of national organisation Prussian militarism wai i I lug to Iestabliflta world domination. Thai could be accomplished only by crushing crush-ing the power of thonn countries with democratic institutions The ambition 01 Prussian militarism has brought about a world situation which made It plain that autocracy and democracy could not exist iorKIi- r Those countries which had a his ton' od tradition of freedom wIihIi recounted struggles for freedom Were allies against the effort to establish a system of force. So closely hae the interests ot the countries of the world become identified identi-fied that no nation could remain disinterested dis-interested in the world conflict. The fate of the war will determine the future fu-ture lives and opportunii les of the citizens of all countries. Whether there shall be freedom, opportunity op-portunity and progress, or repression and autocralic control rests with the conflict now raging. Every nation has something vital at stake Our own country is fighting for the principles and the Institutions which our fathers expressed in the Declaration) Declara-tion) of indenendenee. the Constitution L of the United States, the Monroe due- trine, the emancipation proclamation, that the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce, and every other Issue thai has reached Ihe fundamentals Of human relation ship. The tremendous principle al Blake Is reflected in the tremendous forces on the field of bailie and the organization necessary to maintain them. As has been well said, n Is not sufficient for the nations to maintain armies ,the whole nation must be Ihe army, each I citizen with his specific duty to per form. Some will serve in the Irenehe.s, ' others in ships, and still others In Ihe nr. ami the gxeal masses rausl co-operate to connect the advance guard of Hie nation with the sources of supplies sup-plies :iml munition :md to sunnlv nec ¬ essaries to the civilian and military 1 H Every national activity has ;i bear ing upon success or failure In the military mili-tary field. Every business proposal, every Industrial activity must be de- j Blgned with full understanding thai our young men are now facing German Ger-man guns. This is a time ol grave re-; pponsiblllty when nothing is unimpor- Labor has a part In the nation's, war second to none. It has respond-ed respond-ed to obligation loyally and inlelll Workers have not. in all instances,, been able to render most efficient service because prejudices, customs, and the lack of co-ordinaitd effort-that effort-that prevailed in peace nun - Ir.rve been carried over into Ihe war sliua- 1 lion. By general consent wage-earn-! an are held responsible for necessaxj war production as well a for food supplies sup-plies Yet this responsibility has not been always accompanied bj power to' ; acl. Only through organization can 1 1 forces be mobilised for achievement 1 If workers are to be held responsible j lot production they must be granted the right to participate in the formu lation of production policies as well as be granted agencies for the adjust ment of difficulties that may arise in the course of production. Such representation repre-sentation and participation can only exist where the worker are organized The fundamental demand which la-' bor inak'-s at the beginning of the sec1 .it,. I v..-,ir i i ho ttar in Ihol worker.- I be accorded power in proportion lo their responsibility. Wlior'ir production produc-tion has been organized on the human as well as the material side, and where there are maintained well established principles of industrial justice and hu- I man well-being, wage earners have rendered splendid service in the war for human freedom Whenever their experience and their position is not considered production has not been or Iganized in a way to secure the fullest output, and workers, although without powt i io a i. have been unjustly held 1 in a large degree responsible lor any failure. The struggle for democracy and institutions in-stitutions of freedom is being waged j by our whole nation on tin- battlefield las well as in our internal relationships relation-ships Labor is standing loyally by that cause wherever the issue is raised. America's workers are doing their part not only in war production but in all lines of service. The) are in the fighting lines, on the 1mi. helping to mreei the legislative and adminislra- I fveagencies of government, supporting support-ing the financial resousces rHty.-ksary j to the w.u. contributing lo the Red rOBS, and other beneficent agencies In -hort, there is no national interest with which thej are not identified. This in Itself demonstrates the demo era tic genius of our people and oiu re- j public, and it is because of Ibis demo j IcratiC tradition, spirit and opportunity li.at Ihe workers are really lo render ,lo.al service. They know that American Ameri-can democracy Is a vital force giving, them opportunity -something oi great- er value than anything else in life i They know that autocracy would wresl from them all that they hold ol valtie 1 The second year of the war finds! them wtlh unflinching determination iu tight until autocracy has been de- st roved and democracy assured Now for a whole-hearted whole-souled drive of all our peoplerSOldsens. sailors sail-ors airmen and workers a drive a resistless, re-sistless, conquering drive that shall re-suit re-suit in bringing a lasting peace to the world and establish justice, freedom and democracy to all the people of all the world. By Reginald Wright Kauffman of the Vigilantes. (Author "i In A Moment Of Time," "Little Old Belgium," etc., etc. Mr. Kaufl'man is now at the Front in France.) PARIS, April 1, Once again the Oerman Socialists those "Internationalists" "Interna-tionalists" who voted tor the first war budget ind supported the kaiser in his ever) important measure Since the midsummer ol 19H have been the willing ciispaw of Teutonic imperialism. imperial-ism. Once again the) hae approached approach-ed (he workers' organization In Belgium Bel-gium with the proposal that the:e Belgian Bel-gian work irs use their influence toward to-ward a pro-German peace And once again, ihe Belgian workers have repudiated re-pudiated the propo?ltion. For somr time past iho foelers" bave boon out. Through various un- derground moans, tho German social Itemocntls havo boon representing to members or various Belgian anions, J and especially of those composed of Catholic workingmen. 'hat some So Clallsts in iho allied countries were paclnstlc, that nationalism ought to bo subordinated to a realisation that this fl war In which the capitalists of the EBntente and Its follows are exploiting ex-ploiting their workers, nnd that it is high timo those workers take the issue is-sue into their own hands and insist , upon a peace guaranteed hy the pledged pledg-ed word of Germany. Now tho Confederation of Christian Chris-tian ami Free syndicates ot Belgium have issued a formal reply. That reply re-ply is a denial of the German Social Democrats' assertions and a flat refusal re-fusal of all proposals made. It has Just now beou handed to me, signed by the president. H. Ileynian. now resident In Franco, by the vice-president, E. Van Quaquebeke, a1 present a refugee in Holland, and by the sCi retary, J. Roscam, whose offices are in i London. "The independence of tho nation is for every man, whatever be his con -jdition. the Ural guarantee i liberty i and of dignity. The present war Is a war of nations and not a war of classes; class-es; among tho enemy, all the Socialist workmen as well as tho other social classes are ranged In battle behind their governments. The cooduct of the war and 'ho direction of diplomatic j action ought to bpiong to responsible governments and not to groups of par-'ticular par-'ticular ones where responsibility is. I so there must bo authority. If It were best to assure oneself of the sincerity 'of the paciGc dispositions which the Central Empires are setting forth, in-I in-I ternational law and international us-Bg us-Bg would furnish to this end the means of mediations and of the good lodioes of a neutral power I 'The Confederation interpreting j the opinion of Belgian workers and Speaking, above all. in Iho name of 110jOJO workmen and Christian em- i ployees organised syndically. protests against, all parolt, overture or reso-i reso-i 1 1; i ion of a natute to trouble the con-seience con-seience or (ho Belgian laboring class; pujs aside without reserve all idea of rapprochement with the enemj organization: or-ganization: declares that maneuvers of iiie kind, enterprises under the Illus-1 orv pretext ol hastening the hour of peace, bave 'tided until now only in; lamentable failures as In Russia, and j denounces die growing peril of iliem. I acclaims the king symbol of the ua-: i t ion. and the army, guardian of our! hopes- and. finally, counts on only the vigilance of legitimate government to assure the moment that events permit per-mit n Jtisl ami durable peace) the lib- ' rial ion of the nation and its complete , restoral ton.' The American Federation ol Labor; baa Itself aoi spoken more strongly in I the same cause than these exiled workingmen of Belgium They are for 1 The most pan dispossessed of all their, worldly goods, fighting in the trenches of western Flanders, Ignorant of the very whereabouts of their wives and families. They have now been thus situated fot well nigh four years yet i they want only to fight on. It is an ox- j ample worth the consideration of cor-tain cor-tain elements In what was onto the! sincere Socialist partv of America. j |