Claude McKay

“ The cry of the labour leaders, bourgeois humanitarians and financial experts like Sir George Paish, for the workers to increase output to save Europe, is a false alarm. There was a great increase in production during the war, when millions of men were taken from productive work to slaughter each other. ”

“ The capitalist drones proclaim the Word of Humanity and the harlot church, the prostitute press and the little labour leaders parrot the pious lie: "More production in the old way", which means keener competition and greater exploitation of labour. That is the concern of Capitalism for Humanity. ”

“ The Jingo Capitalists are solely responsible for the terrible plight of the working people of the world to-day. Yet our wretched masters appeal to the crude patriotism of the workers and try to fix the blame on the war, the Germans and the Jews. Belgium, which was overrun by the German hordes, is on the Capitalist road to prosperity. Even Northern France, in spite of the brazen militarism of her Imperialists, is in a fair way of rehabilitation. But Germany, which was not devastated, cannot get on her feet––nor can Central Europe. ”

“ The gold basis of commodities in Europe is destroyed for ever. If it be maintained in America, it can work little harm to the rest of the world, if we establish Soviets in all of Europe. In the different countries, Government bonds have taken the place of money currency for the international exchange of goods: international exchange is regulated either by goodwill in currency or barter. There is a Continental school, which would try and stabilise the currency as it is, opposed to a conservative British school that hankers after the dead order of things. ”

“ Russia's triumph will bring a great new life to all the workers of the world. Her way is the only way for Western nations to follow. Any other way will only bring defeat and destruction to the cause of the workers. ”

“ Close observers of the financial and labour world should know that a quiet deflation of the currency has been in operation for weeks––a fortnight ago, over half a million pounds currency notes was withdrawn from circulation within a week––resulting in thousands of workers being forced out of employment. And an international loan is improbable as, barring the United States, no country can afford to lend very much. The Labour Party has no international policy. ”

“ The Capitalists retain and seek larger profits, with the resultant economic conditions facing the world to-day. Visitors to Germany and Central Europe, declare that there is an abundance of food, luxuries and delicacies in these countries, which only the very wealthy can procure. The poor working-classes, which are absorbing the middle-class, are starving. ”

“ Winston Churchill was right when he said: "Labour was not fit to govern." The Labour Party thinks it can solve international problems by mouthing Christian platitudes through the columns of the Daily Herald. Its chief point, depreciating the currency in terms of gold, to bring down prices, is worthless. It would certainly bring distress and disorganisation to the working class, and make commodities cheaper only for the the already wealthy classes. The production of gold has diminished by 27 per cent. ”

“ And our German bothers and sisters deprived of their productive machinery, are toiling in virtual slavery for the French gamblers. This is the chaos that the International Capitalists and their bourgeois servants are trying to straighten out in Brussels, a the expense of the workers of the world. ”

“ Because of the backwardness of organised labour in America, and the apparent stability of the Capitalist system, that country might comparatively easily depreciate her currency to the point where commodities can appreciably be expressed in terms of gold. ”

“ The annual interest that the workers of England must pay on this huge foreign debt, practically amounts to more than what can be paid off yearly in instalment on the principal. We must pay this debt in goods or gold. We haven't enough of the first to give, for we can no more obtain cheap raw materials on long terms of credit. And much what we might give America would not care to take. ”

“ Under Governmental bureaucracy, new industries of destruction were created to win the war, and millions of pounds and rich securities were put into the bulging pockets of the capitalists. After the war, many of these worthless industries were favoured by the Government for the sole benefit of the employers, although it was pretended that this was done to absorb the ex-service men. Soldiers and non-combatants came back from the war in millions to purchase life's necessaries with inflated government notes, while engaged in unnecessary work. ”

“ For the vital instruments of production, tonnage, rolling-stock and coal, have been wrested from them by the Allied Capitalism, which lacks the necessary material, equipment and capacity to us the looted machinery for needful productive purposes. ”

“ The acute distress in food and housing conditions is entirely due to the monstrosity of the capitalist system. Russia is the only country which grappled successfully with the matter; and she could only achieve success by a drastic system of socialisation. ”

“ Do British working men realise that the great Eastern lands contain vast stores of commodities which cannot be exchanged for lack of controlled and regulated trading power and liquidation in Western lands? ”

“ On the other hand, England is indebted to the United States for over £865,000,000, which daily tends to grow greater, as the exchange rates move against this country. The National floating debt is 50 per cent. ”