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PROCLAIVIATION 
 and WAR PROGRAM 
 
 The Socialist Party of the 
 United States in the present grave 
 crisis, , solemnly reaffirms its al- 
 legiance to the principle of in- 
 ternationalism and working class 
 solidarity the world over, and pro- 
 claims its unalterable opposition to 
 the war just declared by the gov- 
 ernment of the United States. 
 
 Modern wars as a rule have been 
 caused by the commercial and 
 financial rivalry and intrigues of 
 the capitalist interests in the dif- 
 ferent countries. Whether they 
 have been frankly waged as wars 
 of aggression or have been hypo- 
 critically represented as wars of 
 "defense", they have always been 
 made by the classes and fought by 
 the masses. Wars bring wealth 
 and power to the ruling classes, and 
 suffering, death and demoralization 
 to the workers. 
 
 They breed a sinister spirit of 
 passion, unreason, race hatred and 
 false patriotism. They obscure the 
 struggles of the workers for life, 
 liberty and social justice. They 
 tend to sever the vital bonds of 
 solidarity between them and their 
 brothers in other countries, to de- 
 stroy their organizations and to 
 curteil their civic and political 
 rights and liberties. 
 
 The Socialist Party of the 
 United States is unalterably op- 
 posed to the system of exploitation 
 and class rule which is upheld and 
 strengthened by military power 
 and sham national patriotism. We, 
 therefore, call upon the workers of 
 all countries to refuse support to 
 their governments in their wars. 
 The wars of the contending nation- 
 al groups of capitalists are not the 
 
 concern of the workers. The only 
 struggle which would justify the 
 workers in taking up arms is the 
 great struggle of the working class 
 of the world to free itself from 
 economic exploitation and political 
 oppression, and we particularly 
 warn the workers against the snare 
 and delusion of defensive warfare. 
 As against the false doctrine of na- 
 tional patriotism we uohold the 
 ideal of international working-class 
 solidarity. In support of capital- 
 ism, we will not willingly give a 
 single life or a single dollar ; in sup 
 port of the struggle of the workers 
 for freedom we pledge our all. 
 
 The mad orgy of death and 
 destruction which is now convuls- 
 ing unfortunate Europe was caused 
 by the conflict of capitalist inter- 
 ests in the European countries. 
 
 In each of these countries, the 
 workers were oppressed and ex- 
 ploited. They produced enormous 
 wealth but the bulk of it was with- 
 held from them by the, owners of 
 the industries. The workers were 
 thus deprived of the means to re- 
 purchase the wealth which they 
 themselves had created. 
 
 The capitalist class of each coun- 
 try was forced to look for foreign 
 markets to dispose of the accumu- 
 lated "surplus" wealth. The huge 
 profits made by the capitahsts 
 could no longer be profitably rein- 
 vested in their own countries, 
 hence, they were driven to look 
 for foreign fields of investment. 
 The geographical boundaries of 
 each modern capitalist country 
 thus became too naiTow for the in- 
 dustrial and commercial operations 
 of its capitalist clasi. 
 
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 The efforts of the capitalists of 
 all leading nations were therefore 
 centered upon the domination of 
 the world markets. Imperialism 
 became the dominant note in the 
 politics of Europe. The acquisition 
 of colonial possessions and the ex- 
 tension of spheres of commercial 
 and political influence became the 
 object of diplomatic intrigues and 
 the cause of constant clashes be- 
 tween nations. 
 
 The acute competition between 
 the capitalist powers of the earth, 
 their jealousies and distrusts of 
 one another and the fear of the ris- 
 king p^wer of the working class 
 iorced each of them to arm to the 
 ieeth. This led to the mad rivalry 
 /of armament, which, years before 
 (the outbreak of the present war, 
 \had turned the leading countries of 
 'Europe into armed camps with 
 standing armies of many millions, 
 drilled and equipped for war in 
 times of "peace." 
 
 Capitalism, imperiahsm, and 
 militarism had thus laid the foun- 
 dation of an inevitable general con- 
 flict in Europe. The ghastly war 
 in Europe was not caused by an ac- 
 cidental event, nor by the policy or 
 institutions of any single nation. 
 It was the logical outcome of the 
 competitive capitalist system. 
 
 The six million men of all coun- 
 tries and races who habe been 
 ruthlessly slain in the first thirty 
 months of this war, the millions of 
 others who have been crippled and 
 maimed, the vast treasures of 
 wealth that have been destroyed, 
 the untold misei'y and sufferings 
 .of Europe, have not been sacrifices 
 exacted in a struggle for principles 
 or ideals, but wanton afferings 
 upon the altar of private profit. 
 
 The forces of capitalism which 
 have led to the war in Europe are 
 even more hideously transparent 
 in the war recently provoked by 
 the ruling class of this country. 
 
 When Belgium was invaded, the 
 "•vernment enjoined upon the peo- 
 
 S6 
 
 pie of this country the duty of re- 
 meining neutral, thus clearly dem- 
 onstrating that the "dictates of hu- 
 manity", and the fate of small na- 
 tions and of democratic institutions 
 were matters that did not concern 
 it. But when our enormous war/ 
 traffic was seriously threatened, 
 our government calls upon us to 
 rally to the "defense of democracy 
 and civilization." 
 
 Our entrance into the European 
 war was instigated by the pr;eda- 
 tory capitalists in the United States 
 who boast of the enonnous profit 
 of seven billion dollars from the 
 manufacture and sale of munitions 
 and war supplies and from the ex- 
 portation of American food stulTs 
 and other necessaries. They are 
 also deeply interested in the con- 
 tinuance of war and the success 
 of the allied arms through their 
 huge loans to the governments of 
 the allied powers and through 
 other commercial ties. It is the 
 same interests which strive for 
 imperialistic domination of the 
 Western Hemisphere. 
 
 The war 'Of the United State? 
 against Germanj^ cannot be justi- 
 fied even on the plea that it is a 
 war in defense of American rights 
 or American "honor." Ruthless as 
 the um-estricted submarine war 
 policy of the German government 
 was and is, it is not an invasion of 
 the rights of the American people 
 as such, but only an interfei*ence 
 with the opportunity of certain 
 groups of American capitalists tt> 
 coin cold profits out of the blood 
 and sufferings of our fellow men 
 in the warring countries of Europe. 
 
 It is not a war against the mili- 
 tarist regime of the Central Pow- 
 ers. Militarism can never be abol- 
 ished by militarism. 
 
 It is not a war to advance the 
 cause of democracy in Europe. 
 Democracy can never be imposed 
 upon any country by a foreign 
 power by force of anns. 
 
 It is cant and hypocricy to say 
 
 I « 
 
that the war is not dinected against 
 the German people, but against the 
 Imperial Government of Germany. 
 If we send an armed force to the 
 battlefields of Europe, its cannon 
 will mow down the masses of the 
 German people and not the Im- 
 perail German Government. 
 
 Our entrance into the European 
 conflict at this time will serve only 
 to multiply the horrors of the war, 
 to increase the toll of death and 
 destruction und to prolong the 
 fiendish slaughter. It will bring 
 death, suflfering and destitution to 
 the people of the United States and 
 particularly to the working class. 
 It will give the powers of reaction 
 in this country the pretext for an 
 attempt to throttle our rights and 
 to crush our democratic institu- 
 tions, and to fasten upon this coun- 
 try a permanent militarism. 
 
 The working class of the United 
 States has no quarrel with the 
 working class of Germany or of any 
 other country. The people of the 
 United States have no quarrel with 
 the people of Germany or any other 
 country. The American people did 
 not want and do not want this war. 
 They have not been consulted about 
 the war and have had no part in 
 declaring war. They have been 
 plunged into this war by the trick- 
 ery and treachery of the ruling 
 class of the country through its 
 representatives in the National Ad- 
 ministration and National Con- 
 gress, its demagogic agitators, its 
 subsidized press, and other servile 
 instruments of public expression. 
 
 We brand the declaration of 
 war by our government as a crime 
 against the people of the United 
 States and against the nations of 
 the world. 
 
 In all modern history there has 
 been no war more unjustifiable 
 than the war in which we are about 
 to engage. 
 
 No greater (iishonor has ever 
 been forced upon ^a people than that 
 > 
 
 which the capitalist class is forcing 
 upon this nation against its will. 
 
 In harmony with these princi- 
 ples, the Socialist Party emphatic- 
 ically rejects the pronosal that in 
 time of war the 
 suspend their stru 
 conditions. On th 
 acute situation ci 
 calls for an even moi«. 
 prosecution of the class .» 
 and we recommend to the w 
 and pledge ourselves to the 
 ing course of action : 
 
 1. Continuous, active, a. 
 lie opposition to the war, t 
 demonstrations, mass pe 
 and all other means withii. 
 power. 
 
 2. Unyielding opposition ^ 
 proposed legislation for n- 
 or industrial conscription, 
 such conscription be forcec 
 the people, we pledge oursel 
 continuous efforts for the ri 
 of such laws and to the suppo: 
 
 all mass movements in opposit„un 
 to conscription. We pledge ovur- 
 selves to oppose with all, ciur 
 strength any attempt to rmse 
 money for payment of war expense 
 by taxing the necessaries of life or 
 issuing bonds which will put •^he 
 burden upon future generation.'^. 
 We demand that the capitalist 
 class, which is responsible for the 
 war, pay its cost. Let those who 
 kindled the fire furnish the fuel. 
 
 3. Vigorous resistance to all re- 
 actionary measures, such as cen- 
 sorshop of press and mails, restric- 
 tion of the rights of free speech, 
 assemblage, and organization, or 
 compulsory arbitration and limita- 
 tion of the right to strike. 
 
 4. Consistent propaganda 
 against military training and mili- 
 taristic teaching in the public 
 schools. 
 
 5. Extension of the campaign 
 of education among the workers to 
 organize them into strong, class- 
 conscious, and closely unified politi- 
 
cal and industrial organizations, to 
 enable them by concerted and har- 
 monious mass action to shorten 
 this war and to establish lasting 
 peace. 
 
 6. Widespread, educational pro- 
 paganda to enlighten the masses 
 ■^ relation between 
 
 war, and to rouse 
 em for action, not 
 jsent war evils, but 
 ^vention of future wars 
 the destruction of the 
 of war. 
 
 "^o protect the masses of the 
 
 \n people from the pressing 
 
 )f starvation which the war 
 
 >pe has brought upon them, 
 
 lich the entry of the United 
 
 , has already accentuated, we 
 
 nd: 
 
 The restriction of food ex- 
 
 '0 long as the present short- 
 
 linues, the fixing of maxi- 
 
 -rices, and whatever meas- 
 
 aay be necessary to prevent 
 
 ood speculators from holding 
 
 the supplies now in their 
 
 n^ ids ; 
 
 (b) The socialization and demo- 
 cratic management of the great 
 industries concerned with the pro- 
 duction, transportation, storage, 
 and the marketing of food and oth- 
 er necessaries of life ; 
 
 (c) The sociahzation and demo- 
 cratic management of all land and 
 other natural resources now held 
 out of use for monopolistic or spec- 
 ulative profit. 
 
 These measures are presented as 
 means of protecting the workers 
 against the evil results of the pres- 
 ent war. The danger of recur- 
 rence of war will exist as long as 
 the capitalist system of industry 
 remains in existence. The end of 
 wars will come with the establish- 
 ment of socialized industry and in- 
 dustrial democracy the world over. 
 The Socialist Party calls upon all 
 the workers to join it in its struggle 
 to reach this goal, and thus bring 
 into the world a new society in 
 which peace, fraternity, and human 
 botherhood wdll be the dominant 
 ideals. 
 
 9 = 
 
 MAY, 1917 
 
 Tliis is No. 5 of the Series of ORGANIZATION LEAFLETS 
 to be issued monthly by 
 
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