Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-03-14
Today We Celebrate
Is German Socialism Dead?

InlS year may be SAID 10 udrh Lho
centenary of the beginning of modern
socialism, since 1t was in 1917, that
Robert owen laid his plan for socialis-
tic community before the committee
on the poor law of the House of COM
mons. That was a year of great indus
trial unrest In England, hundreds OIL
thousands of workmen having peen
thrown out of employment by the CLOS
ing of factories and mills, while vast
armies of soldiers and sailors, returned
from the Napoleonic wars, competed
for such jobs as were left. owens
scheme came to nothing, in its imme-
diate effects, but it started an agita-
ton which has never since ceased.
That same year, 1917, witnessed the
/ launching of q definitely socialistlc
propaganda in France, under the lead
ership of the Comte de Saint simon,
whose political speculations then as
sumed communistic direction. The
so cialism of Owen and the socialism
of Saint Simon, while claiming many
adherents, eventually passed into the
discard, and were replaced by the
scientific and revolutionary" social
ism of the German school, headed by
Karl Marx. This is the socialism
which the world now knows-the so =
cialism which has built up tre-
mendous organization in all the civ
ilized nations of the world-the social
ism which was depended upon by
many to prevent just such war as Is
now raging in Europe.
Karl Marx, the German Jew who
fathered the modern socialistic school,
died thirty-four years ago today,
March IA, 1888. He was born in May
of 1918, and next year the socialists
of the world will celebrate his centen-
airy.
Marx had many great associates and
successors in carrying ON the socialis-
tic propaganda, including Frederick
Engels, Ferdinand Bebel and Wilhelm
Liebknecht, the latter the father OF
DR.. Karl Liebknecht, the latter day
leader of the German social demo-
cracy, who is now serving term in
prison on conviction of high treason,
/ due to his opposition to the war. 1t
is Marx, however, who is honored as
the founder and father of the move
ment. He was undoubtedly the ablest
| of the brave pioneers who endured
Imprisonment in Prussian prisons for
1.-The cause" Marks great work, Cap
| ital," is the so-called "Bible of social
ism," and the bitterest critics of the
MARKHAM creed admit that it is mon
| umental work.
Marx and the other German pion-
eers were often imprisoned, and ex-
| PEELED from the country, but they
continued their work in England Half
century ago the social democrats re-
| turned five members to the North
German diet, and since then the par
ty has grown in power and influence,
| in spite of-perhaps partially because
| of-the persecution of Bismark, until
| before the war 1T was the mQStn0oYEer.
| full of GIeCQpaat7Ir par wa:
ting me- powerful numerfca4y, but,
| under the German system of govern
ment, the socialists, in spite of their
millions, could do little more than talk
and agitate.
There are indications that the Ger
man social democracy, for a time con-
| sidered dead or at least hopelessly di-
vided will become a greater menace
| to the Holhenzollerns than ever once
peace is concluded. The masses of the
Teuton socialists have been loyal to the
government during the war, but it is
now known that 1t was socialist SEN
| timent which forced the kaiser to
| make his peace proposal. The era of
reconstruction following a futile war
| Is more than likely to witness the
| awakening of the giant of German
socialism, and 1t Is quite within the
realm of the possible that the GEN.
tenary of Karl Marks birth year
from next May may be celebrated by
the hosting of the red banner over the
palaces of the Hohenzollerns. Ger
man socialism Is not dead, but sleeping
and talking menacingly in Its sleep