Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-21
AN OUTBREAK OF "ISMS" IN EUROPE

ITODlemS OF pdc1nSm, socialism. anu
militarism anu other isms have been re-
Gently discussed at London
outbreak and more recently at MI
of "Isms0 Ian. with small result.
which is source of some
satisfaction for the hated bourgeois.
To read the fulminations of the German
socialist Bebel and the French socialist
anti-militarist Herve we might conclude
but for history-that they had invented
these same problems, when. for fact they
are as old as the hills, and are but old
fashioned incidents in the life of the hui
man family. running back to a time beyond
the memory of man. Guizot in his history
of civilization In Europe points to a COM
paratively modern period when he says:
THE institutions of monarchy and the feu-
dial relations of lord and vassal and as
semblies of. freemen existed at the same
time and were continually COMPOUNDED and
continually changing" These assemblies
of freemen formed themselves into guilds
In order to resist the encroa chments of
government and a favored class, and they
may be aptly termed the socialists of their
time.
In Rome. 81 Be, there was established
q collegfa opfffcum or workmans gull.
1t became powerful. excited the jealousy
re-establfshed by the demagogue Claudius.
and again abolished by Caesar. Under
Constantine the Great. 300 AID, thirty
workmens guilds existed in Rome. And.
not to follow the story Of the struggles of
classes down through successive Centuries,
1t Is sufficient to say that the socialism of
today. which Is attributed to Baboeuf,
CADET. st. Simon, Fourier. Blanc. Proud
hon. Marx. Robertus and Lassalle, was Dor
rowed by these in turn from the guilds OF
Rome. who perhaps may have discovered
them In the far east, where socialism and
communism fourlshed under the ancient
n ,ncffn NF No.
under the governments Of the great khans
of China and Korea.
The Renaissance was the Inauguration of
an epoch in history accumulated by the
celebrated book Of Grotius,
An Era de Droit de Guerre ct de
of Peace. Paix.' which appeared in
1884. memorable date, for
1t marked the definite foundation of the
rights of men. From that time civilized ma
lions openly recognized collection of laws
outside of their own countries and were
enabled to establish stable relations with
nations during peace and at the same time
indicate the manner of commencing and
ceasing warlike operations, etc. AS the
source of international law the doctrine of
Grotius is the sacred book of diplomats.
Peace societies were created in America
in 1914. A peace congress of real I'M
the presidency of Victor Hugo. The Ligue
International de la Paix which numbered
among its members Frederick Passy. Mar
tin Paschaud and Joseph Carnier, protested
against the war Of 1870 to the court at the
Tuileries and to Berlin. Peace societies
are now numerous, and among the best
known are: The Universal Peace Union
Philadelphia). the International Arbitra-
ton and Peace Association Gondon), Lega
Italiana della fratellanza pace liberia
Rome), Lego della pace della liberia
(Rome), la Societe de travailleurs amio de
la paix, la Societe franchise pour iarbitrage
Disarmament par les femme, Q'rance), les
Societies du Grand Duche de Babe, de
Pforzheim dOffenbGrg. de Constance and
de Lorrach Germany.
On the 14th September. 1872 the United
States made claim against England for
damages to her merchant marine by the
confederate privateer Alabama, for which
Great Britain was responsible. and the
tribunal at Geneva obliged England to pay
an indemnity of $15,O00.OO0.
In 1878 a universal peace congress was
held In Paris under the presidency of
Adolphe Frank, and in 1899 a peace con-
vocation of the Car of Russia. BY the
irony of human things Russia, the paciist,
was involved In war with japan in 1904.
and in the following year both the Rus
dent Roosevelt to cease the conflict and
sign the treaty OF Portsmouth.
From 1874 to 1880 there have been eighty
arbitration sentences rendered; from 1880
1890 there have been eighty-seven. In 1897
the government of the French republic
rendered sentence arbiter between. the
states Of Costa RIGA and Colombia, and
Portugal was arbiter between England and
Brazil.
Pacifism has thus not been an empty
word. Its benefits have been real.
+
Socialism has manifested itself in almost
every age in much the same way as GER
tain maladies that are en-
The Socialist demic, which suddenly be-
Maladv. come violent and epidemic.
The malady at this moment
appears to have lost its virulence in a
great measure both in Europe and Russia.
The declarations of the socialist leaders in
the congress which met at Mannheim on
the 23d September are much less violent
than those which characterized the con-
gress at Jena last year. Just now there
il an effort to confound socialism and anti
militarism, and the proposition was dis
cussed in the congress at Mannheim.
M. Bebel declared that neither he nor
his party would support the principle of
general strike In order to hold up the
government and prevent a declaration of
war should such thing be necessary.
and he added that government would be
wrong II 1t did not use the most repressive
measures against such strikers. The ger
man socialist is therefore not an anti
militarist.
M. Bebel does not believe In the policy
of the general strike and said: 1--WE have
in face of us royalty. nobility and an
industrial aristocracy. Any attempt at a
strike will be crushed with pitiless brutal
ity. One would be stupid to seek such
venture. What would be thought" he
asks. eff general should lead his troops
to certain massacre and without any ne
cessityT' And Bebel continues: IF the
existence of Germany was in danger, then
I give you my word. all of us from the
youngest to the oldest, we will be ready to
take a gun on our shoulder and march
toward the enemy. We would defend the
faderland with our last breath, give you
my word"
Such socialism as practiced by Bebel
will not cause the kaiser much disquiet
The French socialist Is frankly anti
militarist seeks the suppression of the
army. urges the soldier
French to desert and even to
Socialism. shoot his officers. The
veritable apostle Of this
party is M. Gustave Herve. His favorite
device is: "The flag in the muck. and the