Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-05-12
American Leaders Send Mes
sage to Russia and Many
Other Countries
REQUESTS ALL TO SEND
MESSAGE TO GERMANY
German Socialists Announce
Program Saying: "HOhen-
zoHerns Must Go"

New York, May 12-Ameriea IS social
lists sent word to their colleagues of
Germany today that the kaiser and
kaiserism must go; that the war against
against Germany must be continued by
the democratic people Of the world un-
til this result is achieved.
The message was eabled by the Ma
tional executive committee of Socialists
of America to socialists in Stockholm.
Copenhagen, The Hague and Berne
with specific requests that its text be
forwarded to German socialists.
Names of America s most prominent
socialists were affixed to the message
including Charles Edward Russell, J..
G. Phelps Stokes, William English Wal
ling, Rose Pastor Stokes and others.
"There is only one way to bring the
war to an early end, the appeal assert
ed. "That is the kaiser must GO. -
The socialists message comes at a
time when German socialists, or pseudo
socialists, who are government agents,
are working vigorously under sanction
of the German government itself to per-
suade and coax Russian liberals into a
German-made peace. 1t comes Just be-
fore a meeting of socialists in Stock.
holm, called FOR June and which has
suspiciously German antecedents and
personnel.
Appeals to German Members.
The message constitutes virtual ap.
peal TO the German socialists that il
they are in earnest about peace they can
bring about the end of the war very
quickly by overthrowing the kaiser and
his autocratic governmental machine.
"The democratic peoples of the world
now in league against the kaiser and
kaiserism will be compelled to continue
their war against Germany and her
autoeratic allies until the kaiser and
kaiserism are overthrow" the mes
sage read.
"The German socialist faction that
opposes the government has already
realized that both an early peace ant
German liberty require that the power
of the kaiser should be rigidly and i'm
mediately curtailed and they have an
nounced the following program as {
cure for kaiserism:
Responsibility of the government
to the reichstag, reichstag control Of
peace and war; equal reichstag election
districts; abolition OF the upper houses
of the states and the empire; as wei
as equal suffrage in Prussia-now ap
parently on the way to accomplishment
though not yet promised, even 'aftel
the war
"This program is fundamental and
excellent-so excellent, indeed, that II
is extremely unlikely to be granted
without a protracted series of over
whelming German defeats. 1t is fully
| half of what is needed. But it is not
sufficient The Hohenzollerns must
go.
Liberty Will Remain Sham.
"The rest of the world realizes
whether the German people realize it OF
not, that liberty in Germany and peace
! in the world must remain a sham as long
as the Hohenzollerns and their support
ers retain any real power.
| "We have reason to believe that
the most courageous and responsible
spokesman Of the German people also
held this view before the war when Q
half a hundred opposition socialists
compelled the whole socialist group tc
demonstrate their republicanism and
practically to commit the crime of lese
majeste by remaining seated and silent
in the reichstag when cheers for the
kaiser were called for at the close OF
! the session.
"The other day Ledebour, the spokes
man for what remains of this group
again declared his republican faith in
| the reichstag We hope that republican
ism is again on the rise and that it will
soon equal and surpass the republican
ism that existed before the war.
Kaiser's Rule Must Be Broken,
But whether Germany prefers a re
public or a constitutional monarchy, the
Hohenzollerns tradition and prestige
must not only be reformed-it must be
broken. The kaiser himself claims that
kaiserism is to be democratized and thus
strengthened in it's fight against the
other nations. 1t will be difficult, il
not impossible, to convince the demo
eraeies of the world that a reformed
kaiserism is anything else than an ef
fort Of the Hohenzollerns to make thC
German people more willing tools of his
foreign policy. Nothing but the over
throw of the autocratic can prove final
| iy to the world that the German people
repudiate his past crimes and refuse t.
have any share in the crimes he is plan
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