The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-21
GERMAN SOCIALISM 4 TRADE,
lays DIR. KRUGER, WHO'S HERE
no LECTURE TO COLLEGES.
A sample Talk to Reporters in which He
SAYS Unklnd Things Of Professional
Preachers OF DiscOntent-When 700
Have a Crouch In Germany You VOteIt.

Saws UnkInd Things Of Professional
preachers OF DIseOntent-When You
Have a Crouch In Germany You VOteIt'
Hartmann Anders KRUGER, who Ia a
literary person, also a Phi. d. Ueipzig)'
an expert on Turkish and Persian armor'
IN the know on Oriental rugs, wise TO conf
fers and a professor OF German literature
in the Royal Psychological School at Ham
over, is not a Socialist.
, Perhaps IL Ia because he 10 a successful
literary person, or maybe again his holding
down a Government job in Germany has
something to do with II. Anyway when
he was asked yesterday how socialism was
moving in Germany he became very much
wrought up over the subject and answered
40 trippingly on the tongue that Prof.
Rudolf Tombo. JT.. Uf Columbia, secretary
OF the Ciermanistio Society OF America
, which is bringing DR.. Kruger over here on a
lecture tour, sometimes had a job keeping
up with the interpreting.
aYou wish TO know about socialism
in my country" cried Or. Kruger. 'Yes'
Then I will tell you, The Social Demo-
cratic party Ia commonly supposed to be the
great party Of Germany, because II can poll
s.OOO,OOO votes, or one-third the franchise
of the empire, while the other two-thirds
are divided among a score or more OF parties
But those figures don't mean all they say
There are not 10000 Socialists in the
empire. or anywhere near that number.
Most OF their strength comes from the
floating vote, composed Of everybody with
a Crouch or a grievance.
For instance, the very policemen who
drew their swords on the Socialist rioters in
Hanover some time ago were found out
kfterward to have voted the Social Demo-
cratic ticket not because they believed 10
the propaganda but becau,e they wanted
more nav. myself once voted for the
local Social Democratic ticket when living
in Dresden because there was graft In the
city government, IL il part OF the German
makeup 70 register his protest against
everything under the sun by voting for the
Social Democratic candidate.
THE Socialist leaders encourage this,
Of course. They are mostly workmen who
are worthless at their own trade and have
taken 10 agitation as another at which they
can make a better living. IL Is not only
their habit of mind, 1t is their livelihood.
TO preach the doctrine Of discomfort. The
party IL a meant Of livelihood TO the leaders,
an engine OF protest 10 the followers. The
leaders livings come out Of the Sl2 TO SIS
annual dues which every religious Socialist
must contribute TO the campaign fund
and for which he receives nothing back
save a subscription TO some Socialist paper.
in the Reichstag the Social Demo-
cratic faction Ia nothing but a trouble
squad. They embody the present day
spirit Of negation, like Msphistopheles in
Faust They vote against everything,
macht's NIGHT aus what IL is-whether It I've
fleet appropriations, the colonies budget,
factory inspection acts, industrial insur-
ance or what all. The two last named
measures you would expect them to favor,
but no, the Government originated them,
and they're 'agin the Government
'On the other hand, they wont originate
anv measures for the betterment. OF the
constituents they are supposed to represent
for IL is not 10 their interest, o see. TO
remove any element Of social unrest, Dis
content is the working leayen which raises
the Socialists loaf.
AT the last election, which was fought
out on the issue Of encouragement for
German colonies. the old line parties got
away the floating vote. which Ia the great
strength Of the Social Democratic party,
by representing 10 the workmen that
colonies meant exports, and exports meant
work The Workmen saw the point, and
the Socialists lost forty-tvo seats in the
Reichstag. They now have only about
fifty seats in that body, which is no more
than their actual bona fde strength
DIR Kruger has embodied his educa-
tional ideas in a novel, -Gottiried Kampfer, =
which has run through eighteen editions
in three years He is in this country only
TO lecture on German literature. Next
week he appears before Yale and Wellesley,
after which he goes to Pennsylvania,
Princeton. Harvard and other colleges
and then leaves on a Western tour arranged
for him by the Germanistic Society