The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-11-17
VICTORY BY REVOLUTION
German Agents Busy In Russia, Italy
and America.
(From the New yo,,, r,,,,o.

'he government may be forced IN q
separate peace. Germany has been
stirring up this revolutionary move
ment for months and now seeks to
duplicate i'm Italy the conditions in
Russia. For months the German news
papers have been coupling Russia
ana Italy, as the sources of their
nope for an early disintegration of the
Grand Alliance. They have not suc-
ceeded i'm debauching Russia to the
point of making peace, but the meas
ure of success they have had is known
TO all men. They hope for a similar,
or greater measure of success with
italy, and now they have struck this
mighty blow to give emphasis to their
arguments with the Italian people
They advance on the Italians with
banners inscribed Peace" and the
kaiser's faithful newspapers take up
the pretence assuring the Italians
that they need fear no conquest, moth
ing worse than an honorable peace.
III is the form which the German
propaganda has taken in Italy for a
long time, and the Germans believe
IT is bearing fruit. 1t may be that the
course taken is, ill-chosen. The Ital-
ian sense of nationality is keen, and
the spectacle of the Tedeschi vio-
lating the soil of Venetia moy rouse
Il patriotic fury that will put an end
to pacifsm. The Germans, however.
do not expect this; they count on
exactly the contrary result. They
count on an Italian defeat to give
point to all the arguments with which
the Italian Bolsheviki have been ply
ing their compatriots.
In every country in the world, ex-
cept Germany and her companions
the German is appealing to the feel
ing of internationalism. Why fight
against your brothers? Why shed
your blood? If all the soldiers will ley
down their arms and refuse to fight,
fooled by this idyllic picture, many
Russians proceeded straightway to
follow the German precept. What
they do not see is that. If every SOL
der I'm the world except the German
were to lay down his arms and refuse
TO fight. the German soldier would pe-
come lord of the world and all others
his slaves. That Is precisely what
Germany does see and does intend
ganda. Men with intelligence apd
IL is the whole purpose of the prog
foresight i'm the Allied armies and the
Allied nations see it plainly enough
and refuse to be cajoled; but there
are plenty of ignorant and foolish
men in all armies and all nations,
and IL is not upon the intelligence and
clear-sighted that Germany expects to
work.
In Russia she has had this much Of
success. that while the intelligent and
clear sighted soldier sees plainly her
intention and refuses to follow her
precept. he cannot fight effectively
against her because of the paralyzinz
uncertainty about. what the foolish
and ignorant soldier by ais side may
do. Precisely that state of affairs is
what she aims to bring about in Italy,
and ultimately in France. but without
success. She has been trying it in
ISumania, so far without success She
Is trying II here in the United States.
We have seen the result of this
WORK In Russia; we are face to face
with the uncertainty of whether it has
seen successful to any degree in Italy.
, an uncertainty that must soon be re-
( solved one way or the other. And
now the time has come to take warn
, ing, If we are ever to take warning by
the mistakes of other nations. If we
are ever to give over our ancient
habit of stumbling into pits that are
i'm full sight in our path. Let us no
longer treat these agents of disrup
tion and destruction as If they were
honest but amiably misguided Ameri-
can patriots. exercising their opinions
without let or hindrance. What they
are doing is not exercising the right
OF free speech. but carrying on de-
moralizing and disintegrating propa-
ganda concerted i'm Berlin for the
purpose of paralyzing the American
national will These uillquits and
hearings and Friends of Irish Free
dom" and the rest are doing the same
work that IIindenburg and Macken-
sen are doing. only not with guns. Let
us take warning by Russia let us