The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-10-17
Sterile Labor A9itatious.

CteFAl0 LABOR Ag1tat1Ons.
Recently the Continental Correspond
ence. reputed organ Of the i'm.
perial government, published In Berlin.
fell upon August Bebel, the Socialist
leader of Germany, comparing him,
much to his discredit, with Jaures in
France and John Burns and Keir Har-
die In England. A sterile agitator, this
paper called him, and it's estimate Is
borne out by DR.. Theodore Barth, ed
itor OF the Berlin Nation, who is known
In this country. DR.. Barth uses no
names, but speaks Of that Socialist par
ty which Herr Bebel has built up and
guided to failure, II we may believe the
Correspondence. Says Mr.. Barth:
The German Socialists exhaust them
selves by internal conflicts, In theoretical
discussions OF tho necessity for a general
strike. for struggle between the classes
and on the immoral political and social
cond1tion OF things as they arc. But,
while these discus sions become broader
and broader In scope and wagner and
wagner In practical object. the Socialist
party IL being swept away farther and
farther from the attainment Of political
power. They do not seem to understand
how futile IS a policy which fails to util-
tze the mighty forces Of a party majority
for the purpose of winning real and posi-
tive political victories. Beyond doubt
the Socialist party up to the present time
has done all in its power to isolate itself
from all other sections Of the population.
1t has looked upon this isolation as
Of but IT, Ia
Will remain utterly powerless even II 1t
succeeds in attracting to itself hundreds
OF thousands Of new electors. Only by
political cooperation with other parties
will the Social Democracy obtain a gen.
uine political influence. and the party
best fitted for such cooperative union
the party to which the Socialists should
turn, Is the democracy of the bourgeois
class which makes for inGiiv.ipl liberty,
not for collective absolutism. II these
two parties were united they might
eventually initiate a policy Of real re-
form.
Bebel not only directs the thinking Of
his Socialist followers through the me-
dunn of his Social Democratic paper,
Forward, but Is their leader In the
German parliament. His methods there
are thus described in Correspondence:
The Social Democratic members Of the
Bebel stamp. and especially Bebel him
self, have no consciousness Of the fact
that they are returned to parliament to
represent the present generation Of work.
ingmen. Helping the workman in the
struggle for existence, providing for him
in times Of industrial depression. these
are matters they leave to the government
and to the employers Of labor. 1t IS only
in wage disputes that they goa6 tie
workman to extremes, so as to capture
and secure him for the Social Demo-
cratic camp. Bebel believes it his whole
duty to keep together in its present form
and with all the means at his command
the whole Social Democratic party ma
chinery. Workmen who put their own
trade interests in the foreground, speak
ers who champion a practical idea, po-
litical economists who work out a new
programme-all these are. from the very
first, irritating to him, because they
occasion split within the party and may
set aside his revolutionary menaces. AS
colleagues he prefers fanatical writers
with fine command of abusive Ian
guage to men whose hearts beat warmly
for the worlman's cause.
In his paper DIR. Barth. who is free
from partisanship, declares that Social
ism is completely ostracized by the
German imperial government and the
members of that party under a ban.
The other political parties ignore them,
and the government will not recognize
them for any grade of public employ
ment. The only way for them to gain
influence in affairs of state, he points
out, Is through actual political work In
combination with other powerful ele-
ments in the reichstag.