The Washington herald., 1915-08-29
SOCIALISM DEAD
| IN GERMANY NOW
War Has Accomplished What
Bismarck and Successors
Could Not.
PARTY NOW A NONENTITY
$50 Much Has Gone to Pieces Partisans
Now Call for Belsium's
Annexation.
PARTY NOW A NONENTITY
By FREDERICK WERNER.

| Drlin, Aug. S.-The war has accom-
plished what neither the great Bismarck
| nor his minor successors were able to
do. 1t has broken UP the great social
democratic party in Germany.
In the Chamber OF Wuertemberg re-
Gently the radical socialists declared war
| to the knife against their old party when
they formed the new independent party.
| the Socialist Union. whose actual pro-
gram is peace-peace without any at
| tempt Of conquest or of subjugation Of
nationalities.
Perhaps the most tragic element in
| the breaking up Of the great socialistic
world movement is that its downfall in
Germany has been brought about by
question as typically national and i'm
perialistic as this: Whether or not Ger
many Is to profit by the war by extend
ing her frontiers.
Here. at least. one was inclined to
think, was a question on which all in
ternattonal Socialists must agree. It ap-
peared SO absolutely evident that, of
course, one must not suppress people
| and nations when the foundation Of ones
program is freedom. But those who
thought so were evidently mistaken, ana
the later attempts that were made to
bring about a reconciliation served only
to widen the breach.
Fate q Tragic One.
The fate that overlook the interna-
tional socialists when the war broke
out was indeed tragic one and especial
ly tragic to the German socialists. Never
had Cat party held stronger or more
proud position-with its 100000 voters,
the greatest party in Reichstag. and
numerous representatives On the cham
bers of the various countries of the
German empire.
In one day the gigantic work Of gen.
erations collapsed. The day when the
flock of sheep, deserted their Ideals and
voted in favor of the war appropriations
they sealed their own doom.
In a single moment the powerful
party became a nonentity-its ideas
and its power were swept aside by q
word of the Kaiser and the millions.
of voters who for generations had been
taught to hate and detest war. en-
braced the guns. shouldered the rifles
and went to war with q song on their
lips.
1t was seen then that there must have
been a great unsuspected flow in the
massive ingot Of International social
ism. It has counted without taking
into. consideration that patriotism. old
fashioned love OF country. love OF the
particular clan to which you happen to
belong. though a most primitive and
unmodern feeling. is still stronger than
the more ideal love Of all mankind In
general.
Anybody could see there was no
sense in international socialists going
to war against those they used to
call brethren. for no other reason than
because they happened to live on the
other side of a political frontier. When
the leaders afterward have tried to
l. IL
is small wonder that they have not sue
ceeded.
Want Germans Crushed.
So much has gone to pieces that tho
leaders Of the French socialista.
solemnIy call for bitter and implacable
war until Germany. with millions ofi
German socialist brethren. lies crushed
and bleeding to death on the battle
field!
So much has gone to pieces that
most Of the German socialist leaders
see nothing repulsive in annexing Bel
gium. which the German chancellor
himself a year ago declared had been
violated by Germany, in defense OF her
national existence.
So much has gone to pieces that Ger
man socialist leaders calmly discuss
regulations of frontiers" as the re-
suit Of a war in which millions OF
people have been murdered.
How is it possible to get away from
these facts?' says Herr Liebknecht, the
only German socialist who from the
very first remained loyal to his ideals,
which with him had become convic-
tions. How powerless are even
the most honeyed and clever phrases
against these dreadful events. and what !
a bottomless pit of hypocrisy it Is to /;
pretend that they do not exist or that
they mean nothing"