The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-09-09
Severity Of German Government
Causes a Reaction.
THEY DENY THE CHARGES THAT
THEY LACK PATRIOTISM.
The Aim of the Party is to Give All Ger
mans the Fullest Measure of
Political Liberty and Genuine Equal

socialist organ of Berlin, has had re-
dictionary effect. The arrest of Editor
Fund was followed by clamor Of journals
popularly supposed to be inspired by the
government for special repressive legisla-
tion and ELECTED from several socialist
leaders, protests against governmental
interference with the liberty Of the press
and fiat denial of the official assump-
tion that the socialist party ought to be
| accused Of having failed in patriotism.
Vorwaerts, replying to the declaration by
the Emperor, that the socialist party were a
band Of persons unwilling to bear the
name of Germans, declares that the best
patriots in Germany are those aiming to
give all Germans the fullest measure of
political liberty, genuine equality and
sure prosperity by destroying the existing
system of exploitation of working men,
Vorwaerts refrains from making any de-
fense Of its supposed hostility and also of
the assumed hopsitality the socialist
party to the celebration Of Sedan day.
The utterances of Vorwaerts are upheld
by speeches delivered by Horr Enauer and
Vellmar, who voice the sentiments OF
large section of the socialist party. The
speeches of these gentlemen had the effect
to greatly lesson the popular odium at
taching to the supposed socialist faith,
and have checked the alienation of a
great many lukewarm socialists from the
tenets OF the Sect
Herr Auer, in speech delivered at q
reunion Of socialists in Berlin, yesterday,
defended the action of the party in re-
framing from participation In the oele-
brations commemorative of Sedan day,
taking the ground that it would be i'm
politc to irritate the French democracy.
This, he said, did not imply the German
socialists were enemies of the principles
of unity of the Fatherland, nor OF the
unity of the Empire, SO long as 1t was
necessary to preserve unity. He SAID, all
socialists were ready now as in 1870 to
march against France or any other
nation presuming to assail the Empire
Moreover, they were ready and willing to
fight in defence of or for the retention of
their rights. These assurances were re-
ceived by the meeting with prolonged
cheers. Herr Vollmer, in a letter written
Though some extremists have succeeded
III divesting themselves of national feel
ings of patriotism the mass Of socialists
throughout the Empire retain the senti-
ments which have been expressed SO ably
by Herr Auer. !"
A distinguished American sojourning
in Berlin, who has been an unbiased OBJ
server of a series of celebrations and who
knows the German people, intimately,
said today: "Some OF the socialist press
gang misrepresent the national senti-
ments of the workingmen, few of them
perhaps aunwittingly, but most of them
wilfully Still a military sentiment, in
patriotic sense, continues to pervade
them. No matter how many socialists
may be elected to the Reiehstag there is
10 fear that their patriotism will be
iessened or that a revolution similar to
that which occurred in France will ever
occur -
The socialist committee Of Berlin,
which sent telegram to the Paris
socialists Sedan day, proelaiming
Vosische Zeitung, found sympathy even
among it's political friends. The Cologne
Gazette, reiterates its assertions that no
exceptional laws are contemplated by the
government. The Gazette contends that
the Emperor's speech to tho Guards on
the occasion of the banquet in the White
hall of the palace on the evening OF
Sedan day cannot be SO interpreted. The
generous tone adopted by the most Ger
man newspapers in their articles COM
menting upon anniversary of the third
republic of France ought to have helped
to compensate the French for the irrita
tion they experienced through the
ebullitions of the Germans in their oom-
memorations of the battle.of Sedan. The
Vosssche Zeitung says although founded
in the hour Of Frances greatest trial,
the present French republic saved the
national honor and preserves the ex-
istence of France against the blots of re-
actionists. 1t has also advanced the
economic and military strength Of France
until she became richer and stronger
power than at any time since first
Empire Many other German papers have
treated this subject in similar manner.