248 THE CLASS STRUGGLE the people of all the nations to govern themselves in their own way, have great hope of a strong and hearty response from the German people. If they did not respond, at least should be sadly disappointed and should, think, have to change absolutely my views of them, Once we get our allies to accept labor war aims (or peace aims.
as prefer to call them) we must manage to put them before the representatives of the German and Austrian democracy. If we then get an authoritative statement, representative of the views of the German Socialists and trade unionists, that they are not prepared to enter into negotiations, but are prepared to stand behind their gov.
ernment and military machine until the allies are conquered and military victory secured for Germany, then feel sure there would be a strong and almost a united movement amongst the people of this country, that we must fight on and use all the powers we possess in what would then be a defensive war against unreasonable and outrageous opponents.
To American Labor If were to send a message and greeting from the federation and myself to the whole working class of America, and especially the mining movement it would be this: we have so much in common a common language and almost a common fatherland. And then we have this, that the workers from practically every nation in Europe are finding their way to your great republic, your great developing nation. They are forming under the stars and stripes a great human brotherhood of men of different creeds and different races such as we are hopeful to establish among nations of Europe in the near future.
The war aims of the British labor movement have now been brought cut and have been passed with comparative unanimity by a conference representing every phase of the labor movement. hope that our American fellow workers and the American people as a whole will join with us in endeavoring to secure peace along the lines marked out by the British workers.