Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1917-05-19

resistable storm, a rushing tempest
OF war and victory. Nothing is easier
than to underrate the weighty inn
portance of this Stockholm confer
, ence, nothing more statesmanlike
than to give it serious consideration.
! The allies and our own Government
are making a huge mistake in per-
mitting German statesmanship to OBJ
tain a commanding position among
the revolutionists and socialists who
may decide the fate of Europe in the
Swedish capital. Another error,
which may prove disastrous, is to
overlook the power and constantly
accelerated spread Of revolutionary
sentiment in England and France, as
well as in Germany, Austria and
Italy-tO say nothing of the neutral
countries. At this moment revolu-
tion is far more imminent in Eng
land than most Americans realize
if they realize anything that is true
of English conditions. We are well
within bounds in saying that the
huge strikes of munitions workers,
weavers, engineers, transportation
employees and other laborers, to the
number of over a quarter of mil
lion, now in progress in England,
could be and may be converted into
a proletariat revolution overnight by
laundering government or corpora
tion action. The situation is indeed
serious today Tomorrow it may be
menacing. The censorship does not
allow you people to know what is
going on in France, either. There
the radical Socialists, who advocate
joining the Russian Socialists in
timatum demanding peace, with the
alternative of revolution, have OBJ
tanned practical control of the power
full French Socialist party. They
are resolved to send delegates to the
Stockholm conference to express
these views. lhe attitude of these
French Internationalists is two-fold.
They hold that France has sacrificed
too much and England too little, ana
are weary of the alliance; and they
hold that if Il peace without annex
ations or indemnities were negotiated
quickly, the proletariat of each ma
tion would be in a position to es-
tablish social democracy for them
selves, unhindered by war waged
from without. These are exactly the
sentiments of the Socialists of Ger
hear here at home talk of war being
carried on for another year, for two
years more, for three years more.
We do not believe it. We do not be-
leve that war can be carried on by
any government on earth through
another year. If there were not
famine to reckon with, the universal
WEAKNESS of slaughter in Europe
would end war, either by persuasion
or by armed revolt. We believe that
unless the European Governments
soon negotiate peace for Europes
suffering peoples, then Europe's suf-
fering peoples will before long rise
in mass and overthrow their govern
ments in one common outburst of
revolution and ruin. We do not
hazard this as prophecy. We simply
state it as fact. The truth is that the
very situation we predicted, as you
will remember, more than two years
ago, and many times since, has now
arisen-and Armed Socialism is
marching steadily and rapidly to
overthrow the institutions and gov
ernments of all Europe and to raise
the red flag OF internationalism over
every capital of the Old World. Be-
cause this is so apparent, because
this seems so inevitable and SO near,
we do not believe that the war in
Europe will be prolonged over an
other year. We believe that unless
the governments of Europe soon
make peace, THE PEOPLES Of
Europe will make peace by over
throwing all thrones, nobilities and
privileged castles and classes; and in
that case peace will come to us auto
matically. We are well aware that
this is not the view Of the statesmen
in Washington, but we have seen
nothing in the conduct of the states
men in Washington to impress us
with any particular respect for either
their foresight or their understand
ing OF this great drama which is be-
ing played upon the stage of con-
temporary history. We shall con-
tinue to make up our own mind upon
the facts; to express our own opinion
without caring at all whether it coin
cides with Washington opinion, and
to wait, as we have done before, un-
til time and the march Of events have
I decided what views and what fore
casts were correct and well founded.
We repeat that all calculations of
prolonged warfare in Europe, based
upon continued obedience of the
masses to their present governments,
are idle calculations. foolish calcula-
tions, calculations that will be blown
to pieces by the storms and tempests
of social revolutions unless the gov
crnments of Europe make peace be-
fore their peoples rise against war
and against their governments. The
signs of these troublous and momen-
tous times could not be more plain
to thinking men if they were written
by some mighty angels moving hand,
in letters of fire, across the sky that
domos the earth