Debs on War

As Trump sniffs around for a war to start, I thought it would be a good idea to remind people of one of the best speeches against war given by Eugene V Debs, who was imprisoned for speaking our against World War I. During one of his recent rallies, Trump encouraged his followers to join the military and show their patriotism … In part, here is Debs’ speech: “War throughout history have been waged for conquest and plunder. In the Middle Ages, when feudal lords, who inhabited the castles and whose towers may still be seen along the Rhine, colluded to enlarge their domains, to increase their power, their prestige and their wealth. They declared war upon one another. But, they, themselves, did not go to war any more than the modern feudal lords. The barons of Wall Street go to war. The fuels barons of the Middle Age, the economic predecessors of the capitalists of our day, declared all wars. And their miserable serfs fought all the battles. The poor, ignorant serfs had been taught to revere their masters, to belief that when their masters declared war upon one another it was their patriotic duty to fall upon one another and to cut one another’s throats for the profit and glory of the lords and barons who held them in contempt. And that is war in a nutshell. The master class has always declared the wars and the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose while the subject class has had nothing to gain and all to lose, especially their lives. But in all the history of the world you, the people, have never had a voice in declaring war. And strange as it certainly appears no war by any nation in any age has ever been declared by the people. And here, let me emphasize the fact—and it cannot be repeated too often—that the working class who fight at the battles, the working class who freely shed their blood and furnish the corpses have never yet had a voice in either declaring war or making peace. It is the ruling class that invariably does both. They alone declare war and they alone make peace. Yours not to reason why, yours but to do and die. That is their motto and we object on the part of the awakening workers of this nation. If war is right, let it be declared by the people. You who have your lives to lose. You certainly above all others have the right to decide the momentous issue of war or peace.” As Debs went to prison for these thoughts, he was pardoned by President Warren G Harding in 1921. While in prison, Debs got almost a million votes for president. For President Convict No. 9653 [Debs used this as his campaign button]. Things have not changed much. At this time we have a president who has dodged one war by claiming he had bone spurs but is trying to get the U.S. into another war because he thinks it will guarantee him a re-election. The working class needs to just say, “Hell no, no more wars.”