Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-15
SOCIALISTS TORN
BY Discussions
German Party Almost Disrupted
by Quarrel Caused
by War.
SOME ARE DEMANDING PEACE
Organization Endangered, Judg-
ing From Heated State
ments of Leaders.
SOME ARE DEMANDING PEACE
BY FREDERICK WERNER.

socialist party Is in the throes OF
Great internal struggle. and. judging
from the heated words that have fallen
from the lips OF the leaders OF the OPP
posing factions one might almost
think that the party Is in danger OF
disintegration. There Is no danger OF
mis-. however. but the crisis. neverthe-
less. is very serious one. and the war
Is at the bottom Of II all
When the German Reichstag on Au-
gust 4. 1914. met to sanction the action.
OF the government and pass the ne
cessary appropriations for the cons,uc, of
the war. the Social-Democratic faction
made public manifest I'm which |,
SAID: The results of an imperialistic
policy which necessitated an incessan,
race for ornaments. and which spread
III Will among the nations. are now
sweeping Europe like a devastating
tidal wave. The responsibility falls on
the shoulders OF those who have cham.
pioned and approved this policy. and NO
decline to take any share in IT."
STRONGLY CONDEMNS
ANY WAR CONQUEST
The manifest strongly condemned any
war OF conquest and ended with these
words: we demand that as soon a.,
our national safety is assured and on.
ndversaries show any inclination TO-
wards peace the war shall immediately
STOP AUD a peace be signed on condi-
ions facilitating a friendly under
standing with all neighboring nations.
AS the situation was at that time, IL
was impossible for the Social Dcmo-
cratic party TO express its love OF peace
IN more emphatic manner At first
10 raise strong protest against thu
standpoint taken by the party in the
Reichstag and maintain that the Social
lists should oppose the war absolutely
Gradually. however. more and more or
the best men within the party came to
The conviction that the party had made
a+beriouh mistake and was becoming
tool in the hands OF the champions or
the impcrialistic policy. The growing
feeling of.spnFsst Within the party ana
= the Increasing opposition to the govern
mont, however. did not become openly
apparent for many months and Il was
only when Bernstein. Hugo. Haose ano
Kadtsky made public theIr peace mani
fest in the Leipziger Volkszeit on Juno
10 that the outside world got a glimpse
OF the disharmony within the German.
Socialist party.
What caused considerable surprise
was the fact that the manifest waA
issued by private members. and not b.
the Official leaders Of the party ann
the central committee. Various fac
lions. however. were represented as III.
president OF the party. Hugo Haose
Joined hands with the revisionis,.
Bernstein. and the leader OF the, mos,
radical ring OF the party. Kautskv.
Apparently. the manifest was in per.
rect accordance with the principles
made known at the outbreak OF th>
war. but studying it more closely. I,
Ia seen that the latest manifest goes
much further than the first Its
''lettmotic" is the emphatic manner ir
which the German nations desire for
peace Is made known. and on tho
strength OF this desire Bernstein, Haos.
and Kautsky demanded that the part>
should change its tactics in the Reich
stag. refuse TO continue to $50 on until
victory was won" and, instead, appl>
It's whole energy to working for peace
founded on the sovereign will of tho
nations themselves. and not humii,at-
ing to any OF the bellgerents. That
the central organization of the party
was very much dissatisfied with tho
= manner Of Bernstein, Haose and Kaut-
sky became apparent almost immedi-
party. Vornaerts. was compelled to
publish very strong attacks upon
Haose. It was asserted that his be.
havior was indcfensible. and that h.-
had forgotten his duties as the presi-
dent OF the party. II he could not In
duce the central organization and the
representatives IN the Reichstag tul
change their tactics he must either re.
sign or give In to the will Of the ma
jority.
FAMOUS MANIFEST
OF CENTRAL COMMITTEE
few days later however, the
Nornaerts published the famous mani
fest from the central committee, en-
titled THE Social : Democrats and
Peace" which asked the German gov
crnment to open peace negotiations.
1t was impossible to believe ANYTHING
hut that this sgnIhed compromise be
tween the opposition and the party rep.
resentatives in the Rechstag, for the
manifest was practically Identical with
that issued by Bernstein, Haose and
Kautsky. and even went step further
by openly demanding that the govern
ment should open peace negotiations.
Then followed the suppression of tn,
Vornaerts, and 1t was generally thought
that this would have united the party
but no sooner did the Vornaerts appear
again than 1t became apparent that the
discord was as strong as ever Day
after day the attacks upon Haose ano
Kautsky Increased In violence, and rep
resentatives in the Reichstag asserted
that these two men opposed the will
81 tho party.
The quarrel became more bitter than
ever after the appearance Of a
pamphlet, the contents OF which have
never become generally known, as tho
press was forbidden to publish 1t.
what is definitely known. however, Is
that the opposition accuses the ma
jority of the party members in tho
Reichstag Of having betrayed the party
to the imperialists. who are using them