The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1917-12-22

amental principle of renunciation of
annexations and of all sorts of op-
pressions. 1t STILES through the main
tenance-in itself illegal-of martial
law Censorship, etc.) public knowl-
edge Of embarrassing facts and social
lsttc criticism of its procedure. The
German government thereby discloses
Its system of specious legality and
sham nationality as a system of act
ual force, Of genuine hostility 70 the
people, and of guilty conscience as re-
CARDS the masses.
THE cry Of down with the govern
ment brands this entire policy Of the
government as fatal to the masses.
'This indicates further that a strug-
gle Of the most strenuous character,
class struggle against the government,
is the duty Of every champion of the
welfare of the proletariat.
Not In Interest of Masses.
'The present war is not a war for
the protection of national integrity,
not for the freeing of oppressed peo-
pie, not for the welfare of the masses.
at signifies from the standpoint of
the proletariat the most extreme con-
centratiOn and extension of political
oppression, of economic exploitation,
Of militaristic slaughtering of the
working classes, body and soul, for
the advantage Of capitalism and of
deSpotiSm.
''To all this the working classes of
all countries can give only one an
swer-intensif1ed struggle. Interna-
tional class struggle against the cap
italistic regime and the ruling classes
Of all countries for the abolition OF
every species of oppression and ex-
ploitation for the termination of war
through the institution of a peace con-
sistent with the spirit of socialism. In
this class struggle, the socialist, who
knows no country but the internation-
al, must come to the defense of every
thing which as a socialist he is bound
to defend.
"The cry down with war; signifies
that / must stand opposed to the pres
ent war, condemning and hating 1t on
principle, in it's historical character,
in its general social causes and spe-
cif1c origin, in the method Of its con-
duct and in the purposes for which
1t Is waged. That cry signifies that
it Is q duty incumbent upon every
defender of proletarian interests to
participate in international class strug-
gle for the ending Of the war.
GAS a socialist, I am fundamentally
opposed not only to this present war,
but also to the existing military sys-
TEN, and I have to the utmost of my
ability continually urged on the fight
against militarism as an especially
portentous undertaking, a matter Of
life and death for the working classes.
(See my paper: Militarism and Anti
militarism, 1907 international confer
ence at Stuttgart, 1907, and Copenha-
gen, 1910). The present war is a sum-
mons to maintain the struggle against
militarism with redoubled energy.
Socialism Not Hurt.
"Since 1889 the 1st of May has been
consecrated to manifestation and
propaganda of the great fundamental
principles Of socialism, against all ex-
ploitation, oppression and violence,
consecrated to propaganda for the es
sential solidarity of workers in all
lands-a solidarity which the war has
not impaired but strengthened
against fratricidal conflict, for peace
and against war.
'The declaration and propaganda Of
these principles is a sacred duty i'm
posed upon all enthusiastically so
during the war.
''The policy advocated by me is set
forth in the pronouncement of the in
ternational socialist congress held in
Stuttgart (1907), which bound social
lists Of every country-since they have
not prevented the war-to work with
all their energies toward it's speedy