Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1917-11-30
INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISM AS
GERMANY'S ALLY

Lewiston Tribune: have
been frequent references In the gener-
al news dispatches to the charge that
the original Italian disaster was due
to the disloyalty of some Of the troo"s
in Gen. Cadorna's army and this
is now declared categorically In Mr.
Medill McCormick's statement, given
out Sunday night on his return
from the front. 1t appears that two
OF three divisions, equivalent to an
army corps or more, laid down their
arms to the Germans, which breach
in the defensive line enabled the enc
my to gain a thanking position and
to avoid which caused the precipi-
tate retreat of the entire Italian front
This not only explains one of the
causes of the collapse, but the heavy
loss of the Italians as prisoners. 1t
was the working of the same cause
" hich enabled Gen. Brusiloff to effect
such phenomenal captures in the last
offensive in Galicia preceding the
Russian collapse. In that case. the
Czechs and Slavs in the Austrian
armies deserted. But there is this
difference, that whereas the Czechs
and Slavs, and particularly the Slavs,
responded to their sympathies and
spontaneous impulse in going over to
the enemy. the Italian deserters we're
yielding chiefly to the Establishments
of German propaganda. It is another
| one of those German victories that
have been made easy, il not possible,
1t is another of those militaryachieve-
| ments whose merit is compromised
by the success of German intrigue.
to the arts of duplicity.
i ~acLs~ ~ - %In
currence is that socialism is the
agency with which Germany has &C
jcOmplished ends more threaten
ing to her. enemies than military
/ effectiveness has yet secured, or
| promises to secure. 1t was the call of
| socialism to socialism which seduced
ing down their muskets before the
Germans, and 1t is the same call that
has made deserters out of Italian SOL
diery. The fact is astonishing for
two reasons. No one has denounced
socialism in terms of greater obloquy
than the kaiser. unless 1t was Bis
marck. The kaiser has defined q
socialist-or at least such definition
is of undisputed record-as a man
UNFIT to bear the name of a German
The other reason is that nothing
could SO firmly establish the rule OF
militarism as German victory
Hence socialism not only stultifies
itself in serving Germany but en-.
cages in a work whose every success.
must operate to prolong and intensity
the rule of militaryism, the ending OF
which has been declared to be one
of the chief missions of socialism
Socialism's ideal is international isn'
"a worthy and lofty ideal which
must be realized in some degree Il
the world Is to know durahlf peace
But German socialists show more
readiness to preach than to practic,
fidelity to this obligation. They have
been deaf to the call which Italian
and Russian socialists responded to
which French and British socialists
would respond to unless restrained b,
the strong hand of government, not
withstanding that they in responding
and the German socialist in declinin,
to respond are contributing to caus,
which, II successful, would bar an,
approach to internationalism ant
more firmly establish the rule O
militarism.