El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-08-22


servatism to stand pat on the const1tu-
ton. a document guaranteeing most OF
the German socialists immediate de-
mands; while ii Is socialism to advocate
eighty-cent gas or three-cent car fare
AS matter of fact, the intense oppo-
sition of the German emperor and the
ruling classes to the Social Democratic
party is not based at all on any cpposi-
ton to, or fear of, the so-callsd soci1lis-
tic principle of collective ownership and
state administration of the instruments
of production. The emperor and the
conservatives are willing to meet the
socialists more than half way in this
regard The bitter hatred the conserva-
tive classes in Germany manifest to-
ward the socialists is based upon the
paradoxical ground that the German So
cialists venture to assert the freedom CT
the individual In the accepted Ameri-
can meaning of the words, IL is the
democracy and not the socialism Of the
German party which brings down upon
it the wrath of the kaiser and the Ger
man conservatives.
The Social Democrat rarty las lem
gifted by reason OF he effo-ts to Ie-
press it, In The first election held TN
der the imperial constitution, which
granted universal suffrage for elections
to the Reichstag. the Social Democratic
party pelled about $4,000 votes Six
years later, in 1877, the vote increased
to nearly 500 900. Bismarck became
thoroughly alarmed by the growing i'm
portance Of this democratic party which
threatened to overturn his ideas Of alb
solute state authority, and he resolved
TO destroydt.
Bismarck Suppresses Party.
In May. 1878, drunken man who had
been expelled from the Social Demo-
cratic party because he was an an
archist, attempted 10 assassinate en-
peror William. Bismarck laid the blame
| for this murderous attack upon the So
cial Democratic party. and brought for
ward a bill for its suppression. That
bill was, however, rejected by a vote
| of Isl to 81. Only three weeks later an
other man attempted TO kill the en-
| peror, and succeeded in dangerously
! wounding him. Bismarck also laid his
crime to the door of the Social Demo-
/ cratic party. although the wOuld-be as
sassin was not connected with that or
ganization. The two attempts on the
emperor's life gave Bismarck an oppor-
| tunity TO go TO the country with cam
paign aimed against the socialists He
dissolved the Reichstag and began his
I agitation. Under his orders the police
| terrorized the Social Democrats, their
meetings were broken UP, their newspa-
pers suppressed, and in one month no
less than a thousand socialists were i'm
/ prisoned for les majestic.
The new parliament met and in Octo-
! Der passed the Socialist Repression law.
! This began veritable reign of terror
| for the socialists. Their associations
were dissolved more than four hundred
| periodicals were suppressed, many of
| their leaders were banished from the
| country, and others were placed under
| police supervision and derived of en-
/ ployment. Thousands were reduced TO
| poverty. many were imprisoned and
others were obliged to flee 10 Switzer-
| land. England and the United States.
! This persecution was kept up, with
more or less severity, as long as Bis
marck remained at the helm of state.
Kaiser and Chancellor Disagree.
! One Of the causes which led up to the
rupture between the present kaiser and
| prince Bismarck was the emperor's con-
| viction that Bismarck had erred in
dealing with the socialists. He resolved
that he would kill the Social Democracy
with kindness. ShortlYbefore Bismarck
! was dismissed the EMPEROR published a
| rescript lacking the cOnstitutionalily
necessary countersignature OF the chan
! cellor, in which he declared that 1t was
1 the duty of the state to regulate the
| time, the hours, and the nature of labor
in Such n way as 70 insure the preServa-
. tioh of health, to fulfill the demands OF
morality. 10 secure the economic re-
/ quirements of the workers to establish
| their equality before the law and 70 IA
| cilitate the full and free expression OF
their grievances. 4 little later he calico
/ an international conference for the pro-
/ lection OF workers. Then Bismarck was
I dismissed and the emperor began his
attempts to crush the socialists By
! granting them some of their socialistic
reforms and thus bribing them to fore
( go their democratic doctrines
The result was that in the first cleo
I ton the socialist vote increased from
/ 100000 TO 1925, 00O After that the
/ emperor gradually abandoned his lib
eral policy and more and more initiated
/ Bismarck's methods, tactics and mis-
/ takes. But the party has thrived, and
| in the twenty years since William
! dropped his great pilot from the ship OF