The Hartford herald., 1915-05-12
By the "War Lords" OF
German Power.
ARTICLE IN SOCIALIST PAPER
Which Counseled Peace and
Consideration Was De-
MED Publicity.
WORDS OF TRUTH AND WISDOM

An entire edition Of the Vor-
waerts was confiscated by the Ger
man government last November.
The vorwaerts is a daily newspaper
that speaks for Karl Liebknecht and
the Social Democratic party-known
in this country as the Socialist par
ty. The other day Karl Liebknecht
was sent into the army because Of
his anti-war speeches in the Reich
stag. He will not be permitted to
address any audience outside the
chamber in which he sits by vote Of
the people, and as he goes to the
front in Alsace, he may be killed.
The reason why the Vorwaerts
was visited by the wrath Of the gov
ernment is disclosed in a transla-
ton of the editorial which was
printed in the suppressed edition.
II will be seen by this editorial that
there exist in Germany some men
who have ventured to question the
righteousness of the present war,
and even to criticize the German at
titude. How widespread may be
the sentiment this editorial reflects
it is impossible to say, owing to the
measures that have been taken to
prevent its expression.
Text OF Editorial.
The editorial follows:
Man does not display all his
strength and all his weaknesses
save in exceptional situations. On
the day of battle certain giants fall,
like rotten trees before the tempest.
The people. like individuals, reveal
in tiu-s of crisis their hidden vir-
tues or ther unknown failings.
The present crisis is terrible.
1t shows us that the Ger
man people is stricken with a mala-
dy which in the end may prove ia
tai; and this malady is jingoism.
Thus one names a diseased nation
alism which sees neither virtue nor
courage in any nation but its own,
and which has only insults and sus-
picion for others.
"Unhappily this disease appears
to have seized on the German peo-
pie at a time when the empire was
in a particularly fourishing condi-
tion, and IL was in full blast even
before this war broke out.
when war was decided on there
was an eruption of jingoism of the
most feyerish sort. Violent articles
appeared in the press. In the great
cities infiammatory speeches were
made and war songs were chanted.
The confagration was regarded as a
fete. The campaign was to be a
simple promenade to Paris and to
St. Petersburg.
ITO argue the contrary was to |
risk being lynched. AS soon as war
was actually declared the people of
other nations were subjected to ev-
cry insult. We were honest Ger
mans; our adversaries we're brutal
Russians. 'perfidious English, in
solent Serbs The mob tore down |
rhe signs OF shops that bore a few
words of English or French. AS to
who began the war-we were the |
innocent lambs, while the French, |
Russians and British were the
wolves of the fable. Those who |
formerly had imputed to the Jews
all the faults OF our social state now
discovered in England the cause of
everything.
AT the first victory the flags ap-
peared. the bells rang. perfervid |
speeches were delivered in public |
places. In the restaurants nothing
was sung but Deutschland Ueber
Allies. The public. hypnotized.
recked nothing Of the death rattle
OF the wounded on the battlefield.
OF hundreds OF villages I'm flames,
OF thousands OF people robbed Of all |
their belongings. of German fami-
lies who awaited with anguish news
OF their sons engaged in the combat.
Then one heard the atrocious
details Of the war in Belgium. The
inhabitants had fired on our sol
diers. The Belgians were 'assas-
SINS savage beasts. unworthy OF
any consideration. They must ex-
plate their crimes by sword and
fire. No one troubled 10 explain
the uprising OF the Belgian people.
Our perferyid patriots could not
understand that people must lose
its calmnesg on seeing itself unex-
Deetedly attacked. its fields laid
waste. its towns and villages occu-
pied. its men sacrificed in battle.
Those who desire war ought 10
accept the evils that II brings. To
be enthusiastic for war and then TO
iOseend to petty stories about dunn