New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-04
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led for some days highly harasaed
and explanatory existence Thereafter
for months. no matter how definitely
the cable news justified or necessitated
IL. if a headline giving credit to the
Allies for any degree OF success APP
reared in The Leader, another outburst
Of Germanic indignation followed. AS
certainly so per cent Of the populace
were pro- German ct the inception OF
the war (this condition has markedly
changed since the American declaia-
tion) the sum total est was
formidable. Mr.. Ber~- - always at
tributed his defeat for Congress to the
resentment aroused by his one attempt
a. neutrality.
He promptly abandoned It From that
time on he became more or less pro-
fessedly pro-German. He began by
playing the game of Germany In Amer
lea in its various hidden or half-hidden
phases. He ended BY sneering at the
United States as "this star-spangled
country" controlled by capital, by Sc
ditious denunciation Of the govern
ment and by advocating methods against
tie war which, if carried out, would
have constituted something graver than
sedition. Berger's second phase, after
his reconciliation Of would-be benevo-
lent neutrality, is best studied in his
vagaries upon the question Of military
service and activity.
By Instinct
German Militarist
Though q professed sdherent OF ell
the accepted Socialistie doctrines Der
GER "a by instinct a mll:tarist IN me
German sense. That is part OF his se'1-
induced Prussianism. He praises Theo-
dor, Roosevelt for his "Prussian" ideel-
ism (the quotation mark. being Mr..
Berger's OWN. BE is even conscrip-
Zionist, though a somewhat grudging
one, and points out that "the land OF
IN. greatest CONSUMPTION army, Ger
many, also has the strongest Socialist
organization" wisconsin Socialists"
he has preached, "can turn even con-
scription into cornerstone OF the
Socialist organization" He formerly
jeered at the "pacifsts in the Socialist
party who have made pscifsm a test OF
party faith" and declared that the
party should "map out q course Of ac-
ton in case Of war" As late as the be-
ginning Of 1916 ne was preaching this
sort of doctrine: "But the Socialist
party is not for peace at any price.
War may be hell, but there are things
in this world worse than hell. Real
Socialists are willing to fight these
things" In fact, he followed his for
sighted snd patriotic fcrow-Soc'alist
Charles Edward Russell about half way,
and then stopped abruptly, for a reason
suggested in one If his own editorials:
Russell is undoubtedly wrong IN
foreseeing a German invasion. but he
is right in his opinion that the So
cialist party cannot pledge itself to
utter defencelessness and helpless
ness and still appeal TO the common
sense Of the American people"
In that first sentence Berger reveals
his underlying principle. With pre-
paredness, universal service, even con-
scription, he was content enough, so
long as all this pointed to an unde-
termined military activity. But if it
became a question Of war with Ger
many he straightway puts on the
feathers of the dove and turns pacifst.
To Victor L. Berger q world victory
for Germany Is not among the things
"worse than hell" A curious historical
parallel has been pointed out by one
of Berger's former adherents. Up to
the time when the assault on Verdun
was seen to be failure Berger was a
nilitarist. He was profoundly COM
mitted In his own mind to the belief
that the fall Of Verdun would mark
the opening Of the last phase Of war,
phase which assured an overwhelm-
ing German victory. In this event
there was no prospect Of the United
States being drawn in. II would all
be over too soon Hence military pre-
paredness here could not threaten Ger
many But with the successful defence
Of Verdun the war heightened indie
terminately, in prospect. Martial equip
i7ent on this side Of the water might
eventually be turned against the
gatherland. Berger first dropped his
militarism, then became an anti-mili-
tarist and eventually went to the
farthest extreme, once this nation had
taken up arms against Germany, Of
frsntically denouncing the principle Of
war as capitalistic and abhorrent 20
all right-thinking Socialists.
A Hearst-Like Attitude
Toward Mexico
Meantime he had been carrying on
Germany's campaign in America by
the familiar methods Of suggestion and
indirection. Whatever would serve TO
divert attention from Germany's az
erosion Berger seized upon and ma
nipulated with all the power Of his
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