New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-06
By WILLIAM ENGLISH WALLING.

~ HE people Of America and other neu-
tral countries arc sincerely and pro-
foundly interested in the state OF
mind OF the common people Of
Europe Il is OF the uppermost importance,
then that the position and opinions OF the
leading democratic parties be understood
And while it cannot &c denied that 4 majority
OF this great popular movement take up
position very similar 10 that Of the govern
nent and the upper classes surely the position
Of the minority. representing millions upon
millions O; middle class and working people,
is worthy Of study.
We should not allow ourselves. in this i'm
portan; matter. to be entirely dependent upon
the reports OF the governments and their par
tisans To any one who will take the pains
20 read the Socialist press-censored though
it is-,here is not the slightest difficulty in ar
irving at the truth.
OF the dozen Socialists in the Russian
Duma all but one voted in February against
the government and the war. On the other
hand. the socialistiC peasants party, the So
called Labor Group-again with one eXcep-
tion-voted for the government and the war
The best known leaders are divided Blech-
anof. Bourtzef. Axerod, AleXinsky, Trotz-
sky. and Roubanovtch want 10 the Allies
win. Lenin. Dan and Martof are for i'm
mediate peace. The masses Of the Russian
working people according to the Berlin
"Vorwarts" are overwhelmingly for the war.
PEACE WHICH SHALL MEAN OVER
THROW OF PRUSSTAN MILITARISM.
There is no difficulty in arriving at the posi-
ton OF the working people OF Great Britain
as the censorship there is confined to military
affairs little more than half OF the Socialists
are for immediate peace. The Socialists con-
stitute about one-tenth O. the British working
class. The rest are for the continuation OF
the war until the overthrow OF Prussan mill
tarism.
The situation is similar in France. The lO2
Socialist members Of the Chamber OF Deputies
are unanimous for the continuation OF the
war. A considerable minority OF the labor
unionists are for peace. But they also de-
mand an indemnity for the Belgians and Tree
dom for the people OF Alsace- Lorraine. This
the German government will not grant until
il is throughly beaten-as we are assured even
by Edward Bernstein. the best known leader
Of the anti-war faction among the German
Socialists. The pro-peace labor unionists OF
France are also thoroughly aware Of this fact.
The Italian situation is somewhat more COM
plicated There the Socialists are almost
equally divided 1t is true that solid group OF
thirty-four members Of the Chamber, large
majority of the more important OF the two
Socialist parties. voted against the war meas
ures on May 20. But this party has fityone
members. leaving seventeen 70 be accounted
for The two syndicalistic members-one OF
whom is the famous orator Labriola, brilliant
professor Of the University OF Naples-voted
for the war. with the declaration that they be-
iieved that il would lead to the overthrow OF
rnilitarism and 10 disarmament. Moreover
the Socialist Reform party Of twenty members
were all for the war, including Bissolati, the
leading orator Of the country and one Of its
most influential statesmen. Among other
pro-war Socialists is MUSsolini. who edited
the daily paper OF the larger party, the Rad-
cal Socialists, until several months after the
war, and Raimondo, leader Of the Free
masons, expelled for his Freemasonry last
year.
Only the German Socialists are fundamen-
tally misunderstood. They are not divided at
all. as the public supposes. with Karl Lieb-
knecht on one side and all the rest OF the 10
Socialist members of the Reichstag on the
other. At the session OF the Rechstag in
March. with ninety-fve Socialist members
present two. Liebknecht and Ruehle, voted
against the third war budget of ten billion
marks. while thirty other members atstained
from the vote Liebknecht son OF the famous
Wilhelm Liebknecht. who for a quarter CEN
tury shared with August Bebel the leadership
OF the German Socialists. is radical Socialist
Bernstein. the most prominent figure among
the Socialists who abstained from the vote, is
undoubtedly the worlds best known moderate
Socialist leader since the assassination OF the
most brilliant OF French orators and most
popular OF French Statesmen, Jean Jaures. 1t
was Bernstein who-cupported by the man
agement Of the national party daily, "Vor-
warts" made the courageous protest
against the sinking of the Lusitania recently
telegraphed 10 this country But Bernstein,
the moderate. has made public declaration
OF his grounds for refusing the government
money which is essentially the same as that
Of Liebknecht, the radical. The only differ
ence is this: Liebknecht had opposed the war
from the beginning. Bernstein had at first
favored it. Both are opposed TO the war now,