Robert W. Service Quotes
When we, the Workers, all demand: “What are we fighting for?’… Then, then we’ll end that stupid crime, that devil’s madness--War.
Robert W. Service, 1874-1958, Canadian Poet, Michael
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
This very important historical quotations did not derive its importance for its content or the eloquence of the language. It is famous for what it triggered the examination of the role of the press that followed. His speech was at a Russian Sponsored "Peace Conference" and the Associated Press (AP) reported extensively on the role of the most prominent American participating in the conference. Exactly how it happened of why is still a mystery, but AP immediately sent back a wire story from Paris that quoted Robeson of having said, "We colonial peoples have contributed to the building of the United States and are determined to share its wealth. We denounce the policy of the United States government which is similar to Hitler and Goebbels.... It is unthinkable that American Negros would go to war on behalf of those who have oppressed us for generations against the Soviet Union which in one generation has lifted our people to full human dignity." This version was reprinted all over the United States and when a few weeks later, Robeson was to have given a concert for a civil right cause, at the instigation of a local newspaper in Peekskill NY motivated by the erroneous AP story triggered a riot where thugs beat concert goers and prevented Robson from singing that evening. See {583346} for the editorial and background. Bad reporting and irresponsible editorializing had triggered a terrible incident that at least luckily did not kill anyone.
While Queen Mary was presenting medals to British soldiers during World War I, she said this to a soldier who had exclaimed “No more bloody wars for me”.
This was Ford in the middle of his career. As he got older, he changed radically. He was later one of the biggest supporters and admirers of Adolf Hitler and his aggressive militarism.
Robert William Service was a British-Canadian poet and writer, often called "the Bard of the Yukon".
