Saturday, July 26, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE. Appeal to the British Workers An By Nicholas Lenin; President, Council of people the war has been the cause of ruin, ARE you a trade unionist?
If not, why not?
People Commissars; and Chitcherin; sorrow, grief, and disaster. For the capitalists Did you find the conditions of life in field People Commissar for Foreign Affairs.
it has been an El Dorado. They have made such profits as they have never in their lives or factory so pleasant that you had no desire From The Workers Dreadnought, dreamed of. Immense fortunes have been for any improvement? Did you find your London, England.
employer so obliging, and ready to give you made out of the blood and tears of the working what you asked, that you did not find it necespeople.
It has been the same in every country. In sary to take other measures to get what you lords and the capitalists. Between you and wanted? If so, then you have been more forthem there is an irreconcilable antagonism. As every country the capitalists have used the tunate than most workers, for that is not the long as there are capitalists, workmen will be workers as cannon fodder on the battlefields, usual experience.
robbed, and continue to remain poor. Your aim capitalist class worships no other god but proand as material for exploitation at home. The If you are a trade unionist, do you thoas a trade unionist, desiring to improve your roughly understand the reason of your mem conditions in life, should be to abolish capfit, and own allegiance to any country where bership in a trade union? You know that the italism, landlordism, and take possession of profit can be obtained.
employer does not employ you for love, you your country. You would be doing more good divided according to nationality, but according Does not this show that the peoples are not know that, if he can, he will press your wages for yourself, if you conquered England for the down to the lowest level, you know that when English people.
to class?
you are organized you are better able to get The workers of each country are not enemies The War and the Class War.
your demands accepted than when your emto each other. Their real enemies are at home, ployer has to deal with each man separately.
The productivity of labor has increased to the capitalists, who are robbing and exploiting Even so, your employers have resisted your such an extent that the capitalists have to find the people, and who have set the workers demands, and you have been compelled to against each other, in order that they may be come out on strike.
able to fleece them the more.
You have learnt the need for working class The workers can only put an end to this exdiscipline, and working class loyalty: for you Letter From Jail ploitation, and mutual slaughter by overwill agree that there is no more contemptible throwing the capitalists and taking control into creature than a blackleg. But being a trade County Jail, Delaware, Ohio, their own hands.
unionist means much more than this. Have July 19, 1919.
This is the logical outcome of being a trade you ever asked yourself why it is that in spite uniortist.
The Revolutionary Age, of your organization, in spite of your strikes, Our Revolution.
even successful strikes, your position as a 43 West 29th St. New York City.
We, the workers, of Russia, in our fights worker has not improved. Even when you Dear Comrades :with the capitalist have always taken this view.
obtained higher wages you were not able to buy have read with interest and appreciation In October last we swept the capitalists out of more food or clothing with them. Did you not find that prices were rising always higher than the July 5th issue of your paper. We fellows power, and declared that Russia belongs to the whole of the Russian people.
your wages? It was like chasing a will o the in prison certainly appreciate the stand of the We are not going to grow food for the rich wisp in trying to keep up with them. In spite Left Wing element in the party for Internato feed, or weave cloth for the rich to wear.
of reductions of hours there were still plenty of tionalism. Here is success to your cause in The people will enjoy the product of their unemployed. And how often have you found labor.
that with the introduction of a new machine the August Convention.
your work has completely gone, and the trade would be glad to receive further copies Can you wonder that the capitalists of all countries should hate us? We have shattered union could do nothing to prevent it. of your paper. My time is up here on Decemtheir dreams of the vast fortunes to be made You see then merely to be a trade unionist is ber 8th. am doing this nine month sentence out of the great stores of natural wealth connot enough. You are not merely up against the for refusing to register June 5th, 1917, having tained in our country.
particular employer you work for, but against all employers as a class.
been in jail in Atlanta since that time until Besides, if they allow us to remain in existYour interests are not merely identical with was transferred to this jail.
ence, will not the workers in the other countries follow suit, and do as we have done?
the workers in your particular trade or inYours for the Third International, They have decided therefore to crush us dustry, but with all workmen.
AMMON HENNEY.
before we have time to consolidate our posiThe Class War.
In fact you are up against the whole capitaltion. And you, English trade unionists will be used for this purpose.
ist system. What is Capitalism? Capitalism is the system under which the land, the railways, new markets to dispose of the surplus wealth earthly chance against us by themselves. But The Russian capitalists do not stand an factories, and all means of obtaining a liveli and profits you have created. This is what this hood are owned by private individuals, who your capitalists know that their interests are war is about The German capitalists and the the same as those of the Russian capitalists, use them for their own benefit.
Allied capitalists are competing with each and have come to their assistance.
Who owns England? Do you? Can you other as to who shall control the undeveloped point to any part of England and say: This parts of the world for the purpose of investing rest in the same way? You as trąde unionists Why do you not recognize your class inteis mine. If you can you are one of the lucky the profits they wrung out of the labor of their ones. There are not many working men in respective workers. This is why you have been are fighting your capitalists, we have settled England who can say that. The England that brought to Russia. Your capitalists see in our our account with ours.
you call your country is not your country, country a rich field for investment. And so What are you going to do? Are you going but the landlords. In England women whose you have been brought here to overthrow our to undo the work we have commenced? Are husbands are fighting for their country are workers government, and bring back the rule you going to do the dirty work of your enebeing evicted from their houses. If you do not of the landlords, capitalists, and the Czar. It mies, the capitalist class. Or will you remain pay rent to the landlord you cannot live in is indeed a grim jest, that the workers of loyal to your own class the working class your country.
Europe are slaughtering each other by the and support our effort to secure the world for The tremendous industry of England is not thousands for the purpose of deciding where labor. run for the purpose of providing you and your the wealth they have been plundered of, shall Remember!
family with food and clothing. It is run for the go. Even during the war the class war has By fighting us you are not fighting for your purpose of providing profit and interest for the gone on. At the outbreak of the war the cap, country, but for the capitalists whom your capitalists, financiers, and for rich shirkers italists said to you: We must not quarrel fellow trade unionists at home are fighting. By generally to lead idle and luxurous lives while now. We are of the same race, we must all fighting us you are fighting your fellow work you slave and toil lo create it.
unite and show a solid front to the enemy. ers. Every blow you strike against us is a blow All wealth comes from labor. Does labor The workers believed them, and gave up against yourselves. If you crush us, you will get it? If it did there would be no poor people everything in defense of their country. But only succeed in strengthening the power of in England. The worker is robbed of the pro the capitalists continued in their old business your capitalists to rob you and exploit you.
duct of his labor. He is robbed by those who of bleeding the workers. With them it was Fellow workers, on whose side are you the take the rent profit and interest, ie. the land business as usual, only more so. For the workers or the masters.