The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 24, 1926, Page 14

ee ae 4 t + ere ore wr rw err error corer ee we er er were err rer rrr ‘ ‘s'> +itta we will publish perfod- ically, at least once a month, one article soy Gwe Ce@aders advice and ance in the systematic reading of : for the Purpose of self-education. ~'umstea ta sacure the co-op- eration of several competent labor educa- tors and journalists for the conduct of Uspa..ment vo. the magazine. The editors and contributors to this depart- ment will expect our readers to feel per- fectly free to write to us on whatever difficulties they may have in the matter # estestine and reading books. Our aim is to be of the maximum possible assis- tance in this. respect. The following is the second article by Arthur W. Calhoun, teacher of economics and history in the Brookwood Labor Col- fege, who will assist our readers in the selection and reading of books on gen- eral ecomonics and economic history, location of industria! resources, modern capitalist corporations, foreign trade and related subjects. The names of the other contributors to this department will be announced later. * * * By ARTHUR W. CALHOUN. ie our first lesson we found out some- thing of how the American empire came to be. “What?” says Henry Dubb, “American empire! Don’t you know that the United States is a re- public?” To be sure we do; but what has that to do with the question? A republic can be the ruler of an em- pire just as easily as a monarchy can. In fact, of the four great empires in the world today two.are ruled by re- publics and two by monarchies. The Freneh republic has a vast area of subject territory that it rules despot- ically; so has the American republic. The French and American empires are just as fine examples of imperial- ism as are the British and Japanese “empires. But why empire? What of the “rights of small nations?” What of “making the world safe for democ- racy?” Well, because we human be- ings have material bodies with mate- rial needs, every human problem goes back in last analysis to the fact that we live in a world of limited size and limited resources. There doesn’t seem to be enough stuff to go round, and instead of doing teamwork on the job ef mastering the resources of the world for human good every nation, that can, spends as much as possible of its energy trying to get something away from somebody else or to keep some other power from getting some- thing away from it. There was no American empire to speak of till the end of the nineteenth century. Up till then economic en- terprise found plenty to do to gut the resources of out continental area; but as soon as everything in sight had been grabbed, then it was proper to force a war on Spain in order to steal whatever she had left that was worth while. Of course, McKinley had to do a lot of praying before he decided that it was right to steal the Philip- pines, but the answer came right for the business interests that wanted a fling ia the tropics. From then Amer- ican expansion has gone on till now the United States bosses practically The Sweep of Empire all of North and South America, much of the Pacific ocean, and, since the world war, a good part of Europe. UT tho Uncle Sam is the biggest toad in the puddle, his claims to rule the world are not undisputed. There is the British empire, scattered over all the seas. John Bull says the sun never sets on his flag. As one of his subjects said, it wouldn’t be safe to leave it in the dark! It may be true that wherever the British flag flies two blades of grass grew where one grew before, but the Indians and Hgyptians, and Irish, and the rest don’t want to eat grass. So the Brit ish empire has troubles of its own, aside from the fact that it has to watch for fear Uncle Sam will take over the outlying areas. You remem- ber the United States fleet recently visited Australia. What for? As a gentle hint to the Australians that it might be better to put their trust in the Stars and Stripes than in the Union Jack, As for Canada, everyone knows that it is a part of the Ameri- can economic system already, So we're going to read a book by » Britisher—The Plebs “Outline of Keonomic Geography,” which was written by J. F. Horrabin, and pub- ‘ lidhed for use of the National Council of Labor Colleges, the revolutionary WHAT AND HO workers’ education group in Britain. Horrabin thinks that the principal job for the British working class is to smash the British empire. What do you suppose he would say to the American workers? Let's say that that is a secret, and that you’ll have to read the book in order to find out. You'll be interested to know, also, how Japan fits in, with her control over a large part of the Asiatic seas and mainland; also bank- rupt France, with her crazy ambition to be a world power, even tho she hasn’t the means to foot the bills. Still she’s bossing the continent of Europe too much to suit John Bull. Maybe the United States will give France enough rope to hang herself with while she is trying to get ahead of the British in Africa and Asia. HEN there’s Russia. We’ll’not call the Soviet Federation an empire, for while human nature is the same in Russia as elsewhere (save insofar as it has been modified already by the education following the revolu- tion) it is to the advantage of Russia to extend equality to her subordinate areas and to promote an independent spirit among all the subject peoples. But Russia is the biggest thing on the map, and there’s an interesting talé to tell of her drive to the west and THE WEEK IN CARTOONS Hele THe TOR¢ OF | (iN AMERICA WE MUST HELP OUR BRITISH BROTHERS WIN THEIR PIGHT BE- CONVERSA~- TION AMONG COAL MINERS THAT DOESNT CONCERN US south and east. If the United States represents the peak of the dead past, Russia represents the head and front of the living future. But it didn’t all just happen so. You'll want to know how the world came to be. divided*into the five great domains, and you'll waht to know about the breakers ahead. MHorrabin will tell you, As you read, suppose you look for answers to these questions, and if you strike any snags, let's hear about your troubles. 1. Why do the workers need to study geography? 2. How does it come that our prob- lem is a world-wide problem? 3. What has enabled the United States to assume leadership of the capitalist world? 4. With which empire is rivalry at present greatest? Why? What: out- come is to be expected? 4 5. How much probability is there that France will be able to outdo Great Britain? 6. How much is there to the Japan- ese scare? If it comes to a war be- tween Japan and the United States, which will most likely be the ag- gressor? 7. To what extent can! Russia at- tend to her own affairs without being es WORKERS he | BOSSES ANIMAL eae: oars < IF We DONT STOP * KERS . DESPITE ATTACK BY THAT AIN'T wear W TO READ involved in imperial rivalries? 8. What will become of imperial ism? How? If the plebs text-book has told you a clear story, you'll see how it supple- ments what we learned about Anieri- can history last time. Next time we'll take a look at the location and extent of world resources, item by item, as an introduction to economics, IN THE NEXT ISSUE: A STORY OF SEGREGATION OF NEGROES. A flaming protest and call to action by C. O’Brien Robin- son. < IHustrations by Lydia Gibson. * & 2 WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE FOR- MER RULING CLASS OF RUSSIA? A splendid article by the German scientist Richard Lewinnsohn. Translated from the German by Eden and Cedar Paul. s . = LIFE AND STRUGGLES IN_ IRE- LAND. A lively narrative by T. J. O'Flaherty. Illustrations by Bob Minor, Ellis and others, Fred 9 By M. P. Bales _ WELL, LAFAYETTE, HERE WE ARE AGAIN | SUPPORT Passaid PRES. GREEN ! EFFECTIVENESS OF MILITANT MASS PICKETING DEMON~