* It was at the very beginning of the twentieth century A.D., that the international organization of the socialists finally formulated their long-maturing policy on war.  Epitomized their doctrine was:  “Why should the workingmen of one country fight with the workingmen of another country for the benefit of their capitalist masters?”

On May 21, 1905 A.D., when war threatened between Austria and Italy, the socialists of Italy, Austria, and Hungary held a conference at Trieste, and threatened a general strike of the workingmen of both countries in case war was declared.  This was repeated the following year, when the “Morocco Affair” threatened to involve France, Germany, and England.

The German socialists were ready to act with us.  There were over five million of them, many of them in the standing army, and, in addition, they were on friendly terms with the labor unions.  In both countries the socialists came out in bold declaration against the war and threatened the general strike.  And in the meantime they made preparation for the general strike.  Furthermore, the revolutionary parties in all countries gave public utterance to the socialist principle of international peace that must be preserved at all hazards, even to the extent of revolt and revolution at home.

The general strike was the one great victory we American socialists won.  On the 4th of December the American minister was withdrawn from the German capital.  That night a German fleet made a dash on Honolulu, sinking three American cruisers and a revenue cutter, and bombarding the city.  Next day both Germany and the United States declared war, and within an hour the socialists called the general strike in both countries.

For the first time the German war-lord faced the men of his empire who made his empire go.  Without them he could not run his empire.  The novelty of the situation lay in that their revolt was passive.  They did not fight.  They did nothing.  And by doing nothing they tied their war-lord’s hands.  He would have asked for nothing better than an opportunity to loose his war-dogs on his rebellious proletariat.  But this was denied him.  He could not loose his war-dogs.  Neither could he mobilize his army to go forth to war, nor could he punish his recalcitrant subjects.  Not a wheel moved in his empire.  Not a train ran, not a telegraphic message went over the wires, for the telegraphers and railroad men had ceased work along with the rest of the population.

And as it was in Germany, so it was in the United States.  At last organized labor had learned its lesson.  Beaten decisively on its own chosen field, it had abandoned that field and come over to the political field of the socialists; for the general strike was a political strike.  Besides, organized labor had been so badly beaten that it did not care.  It joined in the general strike out of sheer desperation.  The workers threw down their tools and left their tasks by the millions.  Especially notable were the machinists.  Their heads were bloody, their organization had apparently been destroyed, yet out they came, along with their allies in the metal-working trades.