enting upon
Lord Avebury's speech, said: "These words were spoken by an
aristocrat and a member of the most conservative body in all
Europe. That gives them all the more significance. They
contain more valuable political economy than is to be found
in most of the books. They sound a note of warning. Take
heed, gentlemen of the war and navy departments!"

At the same time, Sydney Brooks, writing in America, in
Harper's Weekly, said: "You will not hear the socialists
mentioned in Washington. Why should you? The politicians
are always the last people in this country to see what is
going on under their noses. They will jeer at me when I
prophesy, and prophesy with the utmost confidence, that at
the next presidential election the socialists will poll over
a million votes."

The Oligarchy wanted the war with Germany. And it wanted the war for a
dozen reasons. In the juggling of events such a war would cause, in the
reshuffling of the international cards and the making of new treaties
and alliances, the Oligarchy had much to gain. And, furthermore, the war
would consume many national surpluses, reduce the armies of unemployed
that menaced all countries, and give the Oligarchy a breathing space
in which to perfect its plans and carry them out. Such a war would
virtually put the Oligarchy in possession of the world-market. Also,
such a war would create a large standing army that need never be
disbanded, while in the minds of the people would be substituted
the issue, "America versus Germany," in place of "Socialism versus
Oligarchy."

And truly the war would have done all these things had it not been for
the socialists. A secret meeting of the Western leaders was held in our
four tiny rooms in Pell Street. Here was first considered the stand the
socialists were to take. It was not the first time we had put our foot
down upon war,* but it was the first time we had done so in the United
States. After our secret meeting we got in touch with the national
organization, and soon our code cables were passing back and forth
across the Atlantic between us and the International Bureau.

* 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 wit