Arizona republican., 1917-09-16
Socialists Not Great Liberal Party

some of the characteristics of a great liberal party. This is far from being the case By their acts, if not by their express declarations, they have shown themselves as opposed to the monarchical form of government, and their leaders are charged with having declared themselves openly in favor of free love and against religion. The Roman Catholic Church recog- nizes in social democracy it's greatest enemy and has made great efforts to counteract the advances of social de- mocracy by fostering sort of Roman Catholic trades union for a religious body of socialists.
 The social democrat in Germany is almost an outcast. Although one third of the members of the reichstag belong to this party, it's members are never called to hold office in the gov ernment, and the attitude of the whole of the governing class-of all the pro fessors, school teachers, priests of both Protestant and Roman Catholic religious of the prosperous middle classes that of violent opposition to the doctrines of social democracy. The world must entertain no illusion that the social democratic leaders speak for Germany.
 Rule From Above Downward
 If the industrial population had their fair share of representation in the reichstag they might perhaps even control that body. But, as I have time and again reiterated, the reichstag has
 r,tth1 1ia iyain I the Germany of today is ruled by off cials appointed from above downward All of these officials in Germany must be added to the other class that l have mentioned There are more of ficials there than in any other country | in the world. As they owe their very existence to the government, they must not only serve that government, but make the enemies of that govern ment their own. Therefore, they and the circle of their connections are op- ponents to the social democrats. 1 All this shows how difficult it is at | present for the men of reasonable and l liberal views who do not wish to de- | clare themselves against both religion and morality to find political refuge. How Liberal Party May Be Formed | Chancellor von Bethmann- Hollweg, himself a liberal at heart. as I have said, declared that there must be I changes in Germany. It is perhaps within the bounds of probability that 2 great new liberal party will be formed to which I have referred, com posed of the more conservative social | tIa No | tional liberal and Progressive parties and of the more liberal of the con- | servatives. The important question, | then, is whether the Roman Catholic or centrum will voluntarily dissolve and it's members cease seek election merely as representative of the Roman Catholic Church.
 ! For some years a movement has | been going on in the centrum party 1 looking to this end. Many members believed that the time had come when it was no longer necessary that the Roman Catholics of Germany should cast their votes merely as Roman | Catholics in order to safeguard their l religious liberties and attempts were made to bring about this change. It was decided, however, by the Roman Catholics to continue the political ex- istence of the centrum But the ques- tion is not dead. Voluntary dissolu- tion of the centrum as Roman Cath ollie party would immediately bring about the creation of a true liberal party to which all Germans could be- long without a loss of social prestige, | af the monarchy and without declaring themselves against religion and mo- rality.
 Erzberger and Doctor Spahn
 It is perhaps too much to expect that the centrum party as a whole and as at present constituted will declare for liberalism and parliamentary gov ernment and for fair ,redstricting of the divisions in Germany which elect
 members to the reichstag, but there are many wise and farseeing men in this party, and it's leaders, Doctor
 Spahn and Erzberger, are fearless and
 able men.
 At the congress which will meet after the war it will be easy for the
 nations of the world to deal with the
 representatives of a liberal Germany
 with representatives of a government
 still monarchical in form, but pos
 sessed of either a constitution like
 that of the United States or ruled by
 Easiest Transition Is Likely
 I believe that the tendency of Ger
 man liberalism is toward the easiest
 transition, that of making the chan
 cellor and his ministers responsible tC
 CT a vote of want of confidence by
 that body.
 At the time of the Zabern affair
 Scheidemann asserted that the resig nation of the chancellor must logically
 follow a vote of want of confidence
 and it was the chancellor who refused
 to resign, saying that he was respon sible to the emperor alone It requires
 no violent change to bring about this establishment of parliamentary gov ernment, and, if the members of the reichstag should be elected from dis stricts fairly constituted, the world would then be dealing with a liberal ized Germany and a Germany which has become liberalized without any violent change in the form of it's gov
 ernment.
 Of course, coincident with this par. liamentary reform the vicious circle system of voting in Prussia must end This change to a government by { | reSpOnSible ministry can he accom-