Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-04
spondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence OF The Star.
PARIS. January 81, 1917.
r. HAVE spent two interesting hours
with the venerable Adolphe Smith,
so long the connecting personality
x between French and English So
cialists.
The occasion was the voting of the
peace resolution by the national con-
gress of French socialists. This was
unanimous for France and Belgium as
against Germany, but expressions used
in the debate have been turned to their
own ideas by American pacifists.
Adolphe Smith took part in the con-
gress as associate of the two labor
representatives of England-Hender-
son, who is a minister in Lloyd Georges
cabinet and one of his war council or
five. and Roberts. who leads the labor
party in the British parliament.
No one can speak more from the in
side than Adolphe Smith. OF old York
shire family. his father came to France
in 1S4S (when the republic was estab-
1ished for the second time), and be-
cause he was enamored of France ne
gave his son purely French name,
there is no other Adolphe Smith in the
known world. His mother was direct
descendant of Granville Sharpe. COM
panion of Wilberforce in the liberation
of slaves in British colonies, but
Adolphe Smith acquired his own po-
litical education during the Franco
German war of 1870 and his first awak-
ening to economic problems in the Paris
commune.
Since the commune" he says, SIM
ply, Il have used every means in my
power to bring about union between
working class organizations Of different
countries. but especially of France and
England. When Karl Marx. by his
autocratic interference, caused the
breakup of the old internationale l
was in close association with DR.. Paul
BrousSe. afterward president OF the
Paris municipal council. and together
in 1882 we started a new organization.
Gradually we built UP a new interna-
tionale. Unfortunately, some ten years
later. the German element again began
to grow predominant. and it has large
ly facilitated German intrigues of the
present war"
He explained benignantly that it ap-
plies equally to France, England and
America.
You know" he said, 'the socialist
party, since it is international in prfn-
ciple, admitted into it's ranks very
recklessly in peace times any foreigner
who chose to present himself. Conse-
auently. it has lot of very able. edu-
Gated. Travelled men of whom it would
be difficult to pick the nationality.
Many call themselves Russian or Polish
Jews. but whether legally Russian or
not. their education, language, reading
and sympathies German rather
than French-and strongly anti-Rus-
sian, therefore not pro-ally.
You have a brilliant American ex-
ample he. continued, mildly, where
one of the principal leaders is Morris
Hillquit, born in Riga, the most Ger
man town of all Russia. He went to
America at the age of seventeen. Being
an extremely able man, he managed to
qualify as lawyer, and took up all
manner of questions between working
class organizations and anybody else.
been a leading socialist of the Karl
MARKHAM social democratic school. He
is undoubtedly working for Germany.
Also he is an example of what is hap
pening in France-for instance, Rap
poport, who has been trying to make
out Jaures to have been pacif1st. Two,
in England, are in prison, and one has
escaped. Petroff-does that sound like
a true Briton?-tried to excite strikes
incarcerated under the defense of the
realm act, and he was a leader of the
British socialist party. In France, when
the Germans were marching on Paris,
many of this element emigrated to
Bordeaux. They did lot of pacifst
work there. but. as some did other
things, they had to bolt to Spain. And
to whom do you think they went? To
the former German consul of Bordeaux,
in his present headquarters at San Sc
bastian."