The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-28

SCopyrtGht. 1917, by the Public Ledger
Company
Copyright, Canada, 1917, by the Public
Ledger Company. International copy
right. IpIs, by the Public Ledger
Company. All right. reserved. Any
infringement will he prosecuted.
XLTII
German Liberals and
Reasonable Men

Reasonable Men
/ have already expressed belief
that Germany viii not be forced to
make peace because Of a revolution
and that sufficient food will be some
how founG to carry on the population
during at least another year Of war.
What then offers a prospect of reas-
enable pcace-supposing Of course.
that the Germans fail in the submarine
blockade or England and that the
crumbliHg Up Of Russia does rot re-
lease from the east frontier soldiers
enough To break the fines Of the Brit
ish ard French In France?
II GERMANY TURNS
TOWARD LIBERALISM
| think that II il only by an evolu-
ton OF Germany herself toward liberia
iisrn that the world will be given such
guarantees Of future peace as viii jus
tSfy the termination Of this war.
There is, properly speaking. no great
Liberal party In the political arena
In Germany As I have said. the reich
stag IS divided roughly into Conserva-
tives, Roman Catholics of Centrum aud
Social Democrats The so-ca}ied Ma
tional Liberal party has in this war
shown itself branch OF the Con-
sentative party. and on some issues
as bitter, as conservative as the Junk
FRS themselves Herr Bassermann and
Herr StresemAnn have not shown
themselves leaders of liberal thought,
nor has their leadership been such as
10 inspire confidence in their pout!-
cal sa gacity.
II was StFesemann who on MAY 80,
1916. said in the reiehstaR, referring
II President Nilsson as a ucAcem1kcr
I'VE thrust the hand Of Wilson as. de"
On the day following the day on which
the president announced 10 congress
the breaking OF diplomatic relations
news Of .ihat break had not vet arrived
In Berlin. Herr Stresemann on that
peaceful Sunday morning was engag-
81 in making q speech to the mem
bsrs OF the National Liberal parry In
which he told them that as q result
81 his careful ~tutfv of the Americas
Situation, Of his careful researches
into American character and politics
-h.-e.a.s4a assure them that-A.aeEiGa
would never break with Germany.
As he concluded his speech and sat
ffown, amid the applause OF his admir-
ers. a German who had been sitting
In the back OF the room rose and read
from the noon paper, the "B. T." a
dispatch from Holland giving the news
that America had broken relations
. with Germany The political skill and
foresight OF Herr Stresemann may Re
Judged from the above incident.
STATUS
OF THE SOCIALISTS
The Socialists, or Social Democrats
moro properly speaking have shown
themselves IN opposition TO the raonar-
ehical form OF government in Ger
many This has put them politically.
eailltarlly and socially beyond the pale
AfteI i successful Freuch atracK in
f ffie cram payne + fieer& II aaid Of a
~ Hftsr Il
thought TO he Killed, that her rage
and despair had been 80 great that she
iaad said she would become a Social
Democrat and her expression was re-
peated as showing 20 what lengths
grief had driven her. This girl was
The wife OF an ordinary clerk work.
fne III Berlin
The Social Democrats are not given
offices. are not given titles. they never
Join the class Of Rats" and they can
not hope TO become officers Of the
army Did not Lieutenant Forstner,
Y The notorious center Of the Zahern
affair. promise a reward 10 the first
3ne Of his mep who in case OF trouble
should shoot one of those damned
Social Democrats"
"A Liberal PARTY
VT To RI CREATED
There is; therefore, no refuge at
te'e5N@NfA'
men OF liberal inclinations. and II is
these liberal men who must than
selves create a Liberal party, party
mem bership in which viii not entail
loss Of business, q loss of prospects
Of promotion and social degradation.
There are many such men in Ger
many today. Perhaps some the con-
servate Socialists will Join such a
party, and there are men In the gov
arr b.h 81, d. a
and thought are not incompatible with
membership in a Liberal organization.
The chancellor himself is perhaps
At heart o Liberal. He comes OF a
banking family in Frankfort. and
while there stands before his name the
Won" which means nobility, and
while he owns country estate. the
whole turn OF his thought liz toward a
philosophical liberalism.
Zimmerman, the foreign secretary,
although the mental excitement caus-
ed by his elevation to the foreign Of
ace at time OF stress made him GO
over to the advocates OF ruthless sub
marine war lock, stock and barrel
ig nevertheless az heart Liberal and
violently opposed to Eystem which
draws the leaders Of the country from
only one artstGcrat.c class
Doctor Son, tho imperial colonial
3 and his family, Ia a man 80 reasonable
In his views, 80 lndulgert of the views
Of others, ana fndulgent without weak
ness, that he would make sn ideal
leader OF iiteraiized Germany. The
great bankers. merchants and manu-
facturers, although they appreciate the
luscious dividends that they have re-
4 reiyed during the peaceful years since
1870. nevertheless feel under their
skins the ignominy OF living in a coun-
try where a class exists by birth. a
Hattt e-s4AEt taet44ai- +444.4fRt tf4-s,t4-
zeal its anete-t contempt for all those
who soil their hands by business or
trade
In fact, such a party is q necessity
: Tor 1ssrrsaa-ray --aai s.s. &
extreme Social Democrats.
WHEN GERMANS'S
6OLDIERS MARCH HOME
At the close Of the war the soldiers
who have fought in the mud OF the
trenches for three years will most in
Il Afntauffv AMrytx ys1 trfc ia +kn