The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-18

! of man, Work shall become a duty for all
| men able TO work. The word OF the Bible.
"He that does not work, neither shall he cat.
shall become u true word.
Marriage, In contradiction too religious
teaching I'd, has become in innumerable cases
a financial transaction pure and simple.
Woman has value In the eyes OF men only when
she has a fortune. and the more money she
has the higher rises her value. Social De-
mocracy desires that marriage be concluded
solely from mutual love and esteem. which
IL only possible II man and woman are free
and independent. II each has a free existence
and an Individual personality and Is there
fore not compelled to buy the other or to. be
bought. =
Who desires to belong to a church shall not
be hlndered. but he shall pay only for the ex-
penses Of his church, together with his CO.
Y ~Teligionists.
The schools and the whole educational
system shall be separated from the church
and religious societies. because education is
a civil matter.
Social Democracy acts IN u most Christian
spirit in striving to found a brotherhood OF
nations and to secure the perfect cOopera-
ton Of nations in the service of civilization.
and by combining tho workers oil all nations
TO effect a federation of countries, In which
each country shall enjoy equal rights and In
which the peculiarities of each nation may
peacefully develop.
RESULTS TO DATE.
So much for the tenets Of Social DEM
ocracy on its social as distinguished from
it's political or parliamentary side. The
aims enumerated may be idealistic, perhaps
unrealiZable, but at any rate they show
that the movement cannot be justly charged
with anarchism, communism, immortality
or infidelity;
Whether the movement has made much
progress in the realization of it's ideals,
or of any of them, is a disputable and in
Germany an often discussed point. 1t has
certainly made lone whatever US regards
marriage, for marriage transactions are to-
day conducted in this country on exactly
the same ines as those in vogue when the
movement was first started by Lassalle.
Now and then an aiistocrat will marry q
member OF the burgher or middle and pro-
f~essional class. and vice versa; but the cases
are exceptional and the Might or dowry
is still the main thing.
As a matter Of fact it is 6nly "a few Social
Democrats in Germany, and they, az a rule,
are the oldest members, that are sanguine
about or ever discuss with any enthusiasm
the possibility or probability or realizing
the original ideals of the movement. Dur
ing the last thirty years Germany has be-
come much more practical and to-day the
great majority Of her Social Democrats
concentrate their interest and their attention
on carrying into effect the aims of the move-
ment as a political, that is to say parliament
tary, organization.
PARLIAMENTARY PRoGEA NINE
BEFORE showing the progress OF the party
numerically the Parliamentary programme
of the party at this time may be stated
indeed, it has not altered very greatly
since,
l.. Universal suffrage and secret ballot for
adult men and women.
.. Responsibility of Government to Parlia-
ment.
. Freedom of speech and freedom of the
press.
4. Payment of member of the Reiohstag.
5. Equality of men aud women before the
law.
9. Disestablishnlent OF the Churches.
Z. Undenominational education with COM
pulsory attendance and gratuitous teaching.
8. Free legal proceedings.
.. Free medical attendance and burial.
10. Progressive income tax and succession
duty.
II. LAST, though perhaps it should DO placed
first. the transformation OF private prop
.erty-land, mines. railways, tools, machin-
cry. in short all the implements and in
struments of production. including raw
material of every into State property
Social property, the party statutes call IN,
which is then to be managed for the benefit
of the whole community and especially Of
the working classes or proletariat.
St,oh o-o tlo -rirn;r1oe u,btoh tho vartx,
to-Gay processes to strive for: such the prin-
ciples which are TO result in the Future
State (ZukURfisiaaD, which is Bebel's
Utoria and which Prince Bllow takes every
opportunity of deriding in the Reichstag.
But. it may be asked, has the party, with
its ever increasing representation in Par
lament, succeeded in having carried
into effect any one of these aims in whole
or in Fart? The reply is that it has, but
only PARTIALLY and indirectly by combining
with other parties interested in the same
aims.
1t may, for instance, be credited with
certain legislation for the working classes,
with certain factory legislation, with legis-
lation regarding the agricultural laborer
and the like; and, if the report that the
payment of members of the Reichstag has
been decided on is true, the decision will
nave been largely due to the annually re-
peated efforts Of the party.
GROWTH OF THE ARTY.
Coming to the growth Of the party nu-
merically, while in the Parliament Of 1874
there were Lime Social Democrats, in 1884
there were twenty-four, in 1890 thirt y-five,
in 1893 forty-four, in 1898 ffty-six, in 1908
no less than eighty. We're it not for the
fact that 50 many parties exist in Germany,
twelve or fourteen chief ones and several
factions, and that there is n system Of
second polls, this last number would be
much greater.
1t often happens that three or four can
didates, representing as many parties,
stand for one seat. If zone of the candi-
dates obtains a ms jority over the combined
votes given to the other candidates n second
poll has to be taken between the two can
didates. who have received the largest
number Of votes, while the other candidates
have to withdraw, and as the other parties
parties of law and order, as Bismarck
called them in, distinction to the Social
Democrats-invariably combine against the
Social Democrat the latter is defeated in