The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-31

reat. This British official photograph,
g through q ruined village during the
socialists to refuse all compromise
and all common action at Stockholm
with the majority socialists? These
are men with whom the sincere DEM
ocrats Of Germany have recognized
it Is impossible to act in concert, and
with whom they have abruptly broken
off relations. Are we. who are sep
arated from the German majority by
many other points Of disagreement
and by many other offences OF theirs,
to go and resume relations which are
repudiated by the minority In Ger
many? Are we to go and recognize
as representatives Of German de-
mocracy men who are denounced in
Germany as traitors to the cause? Are
we to assume the task Of rehabilitat-
ing them? Surely singular way of
assisting In the emancipation Of Ger
man democracy
1t is important not to give way at
this point, either to Idle scepticism
or to childish trustfulness. No one
is justified in maintaining that Ger
many will for ever be incapable Of
realizing her own democracy. There
exist today no peoples marked out
for servitude by q kind Of irremedia-
BILE predestination, just as there exist
today no elect peoples. But, above
all, no one is justified in regarding
this process of characterization as In
evitable and imminent, and in basing
his politics upon that dangerous n.y.
pothesis.
It has been said that the Russian
| revolution made the German revolu-
ton imminent. Perhaps it would do
| SO, II the Russian revolution were to
triumph both at home and abroad.
But if the revolution is defeated, if
! its armies take to flight, If it is una
BILE to avert anarchy or economic
paralysis from the country, what
| then7 After spending two months in
Russia in close study Of events, and
latter careful examination of the sit
uation in Germany. I have no hesi-
/ tation in saying that up to the pres
/ emit the events in Russia have con-
| tributed to spelling the chances Of a
/ revolution in the dominions Of the
Emperor William.
It has been declared that, if we
were to make peace with the EN-
peror today, democracy would tri-
umph tomorrow. History teaches us,
i however, that it is not victorious
Caesar who is overthrow, but Caesar
vanquished. If, the German people
are to be detached from their EN-
| peror, they must first be convinced
that William, like Napoleon before
him, has become the public enemy
and that the nation has not only
nothing to gain, but everything to
lose from linking its destiny with that
Of the tyrant.
Before concluding r must say a
word about a. last class Of advocates
Of the Stockholm conference. those
q who would go there, not with the OBJ
ject Of paving the way for a peace by
cempronatse,f but for some other rea.
son, as, for example, in order to ar
raign the German majority socialists
or to lay the case for the Western
Allies before the neutral powers and
Russia Their intention Is most lau.
dable. But it is not by their inten
tons that political actions must bt
:. judged, but by the results to which
they logically lead. Unless I am yer.
much mistaken. the results from
Stockholm would be deplorable.
Is the atmosphere of a Peace Con
ference very favorable to an arraign
ment? In opposition to our friend
. who desire to proceed with the con
ference, there would be in Swade1
the German and Central delegates
who have no intention Of standing
their trial. the neutrals, who desir
at all cost to prevent tha pro1onga
. ton Of ia war into which they are Ii
danger of being drawn, and the Rus
SLAMS. who have declared most audi
:. bly, that 1t was for the express pur
pose Of effecting peace with despatcl
and consequently, by compromis
: that they were SO insistent upo
= summoning the conference. More
= over, in opposition to them would b
an important section Of Western dele
!. gates. who would represent. in mum
bers wholly disproportionate to thel
: strength, the paciist elements c
: France, England, ITALY, America an
other countries. What good coul
> come of an arratgnment Of which tt
first effect was to group all these di,
> parate elements into an artifici'
coalition2
. At Stockholm, as at all Conferenc,
: of this kind, it would not be tt
: speeches which would have any e
feet. The thing that matters is tt
temper created by the convocation i
- self, by the intentions proclaimed l
y !, the organizers, and by the adheren,
- won to their projects, Now. wheth
- we like it or not. the conference h;
70 been announced as peace confe
ence, and it was held up before Il
= peoples as the symbol Of the a.
10 preaching cessation of hostilities. :
"a attend 1t is to give credenee to tt
70 idea that that peace Is possible, al
rs to arouse dangerous hopes viii,
30 would be disappointed
IN Look at Russia. I know nothing
farther from the thoughts of the So
u let than separate peace, than fir
20 termination on the battle front, tn,
II abandoning positions before the en-
IN my. Nevertheless, the Russian sc
1r diers who fought like lions under t.
~ old regime and whose valor is abo
. suspicion, are now eomporting thel
It. selves In a manner which is so
u grief to all true friends of the reyol
IN ton Can we be surprised at IT. C;