American capitalistic newspapers are still babbling about preparedness. With all possible energy they are trying to convince the public that only a gigantic standing army, a gigantic navy, and gigantic war industries can guarantee peace and freedom of cultural development to this country. They also state that only such a force can frighten enemies from even thinking of attacking the United States, and that only such a force can safeguard this country from the horrors of war--from bloody slaughter and sacrifice of people's lives.

When reading such shouts of the preparedness babblers, the following question unwittingly comes to the head: From what kind of enemies do they expect and fear an attack? From war-weakened Europe? From Japan? Or from the South American nations? And does preparedness really guarantee peace and freedom of cultural development? The countries in Europe groaned under such a preparedness burden, and today we see the results. Preparedness for war can lead 2to nothing else except that for which preparations have been made--bloody slaughter and destruction of wealth.

If it is really necessary for the United States to prepare to safeguard the lives and property of the people, then that preparation should be made, and necessarily made, in a different manner. Preparations should be made not to fight imaginary ghosts of foreign enemies, but to fight the domestic enemy. Right here in the United States there goes on from day to day, the same horrible slaughter of human beings as on the battlefields of Europe. If this is doubted by anyone we will cite a few facts.

The report of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Labor Statistics has just been made. Among other things, the report states:

"During the first sixteen days of the month of February, 13,027 workers were injured in factories in Pennsylvania. Generally speaking, that is almost 1,000 workers per working day. On one single day 1,190 workers were injured. During 3that time ninety-two workers were killed. To this number is not added the twenty-seven workers (miners) who were instantly killed in a mine explosion."

Another similar report has been made by the state of New York. According to that report, during the past eighteen months, up to January, 1916, in the state of New York alone there were as many as 387,000 accidents to workers. This figure represents only those cases that were reported to the Workmen's. Compensation Bureau. In that number are included 56,374 workers who were so seriously injured that they were unable to return to work for at least fourteen days. During the same eighteen months 1,214 workers were killed. If there were 387,000 accidents in eighteen months, it means that there were 258,000 accidents in one year, and these figures involve only one state. The population of the state of New York is equal to about one tenth of the total population of the United States. Therefore, it would follow that about two and one-half million accidents occurred throughout the United States during a period of one year.

According to the above report, 809 workers were killed in the state of New York 4in one year; that would mean that a total of about 8,090 workers were killed in the United States during a similar period. But there are reasons to believe that these figures are not complete. It is understood that in the state of New York there were many industrial accidents that were never reported to the Workmen's Compensation Bureau. Therefore, the total number of industrial accidents in the United States during that one year is not merely two and one-half millions, but about five millions; and the number of workers killed is not merely about eight thousand, but according to the statistics gathered by certain people, the figure is about thirty-five thousand.

Therefore, it is very clear that we have enough sacrifice of lives and war slaughter right here in the United States without being attacked by any foreign enemy. We must make preparations not to fight against a foreign country but to fight against our home enemy, against that anarchy of the capitalistic system which sacrifices so many workers' lives every day.

However, we cannot expect this kind of preparedness (against our home enemy) 5from those who now hold the reigns of the government in their hands. For that reason, only those who have no reason to fear foreign enemies, and upon whose shoulders the burden of all kinds of war preparations is being placed, can consider this kind of preparation--the working people!