The Washington herald., 1918-11-15

The rising tide Of Socialism in
some of the other countries of the
world makes US cast around and see
what there is in the governmental
fabrics of our own nation which the
Socialist can lay claim to. in some
OF their extraordinary demands.
! We have found the answer.
! The initial manifesto of the So
cialists has reached members OF
Congress. A number OF the lead
ers have received letters from the
national office OF the Socialist party
at Chicago telling them what the
Socialists expect this nation to do
and holding out the threat that IL
these are not granted certainly this
nation cannot long survive the
popular wave of indignation and
RESENTMENT that will sweep the
country.
The letter strikes hard at some
of the supposed reactionary groups
In both parties which have Indicated
time and again that too much -Ieni-
ency should not be shown Germany.
1t indicates that such reactionary
group might very readily be ex-
pected TO impose such hard terms
that an enduring peace could not be
arranged for-and in this the So
cialists seem to forget the point
4 that a reign of Socialism might pre-
vail in the enemy's country which
| would make 1t impossible for the
enemy not to accept our terms.
But recurring to the communica-
tion to congressional leaders-we
| find this document, for a starter
not as serious as II might be. not
as heavily laden with the germs of
propaganda, In fact. there are
some evidences of sanity about II
which lead us to believe that, after
all, the Socialists may not be as
absurdly radical in their beliefs
as we thought they'd be. Here are
the seven demands--one for each
tlittle governor who signed the let
ter asking Roosevelt to run for
president in 1912, to recall handy
number of the same size:
| We demand that the imperial
istic and reactionary forces in our
own and allied countries shall not
be allowed to impose such terms
and conditions as will make the ac-
| ceptance of the proposed armistice
impossible by either the govern
ments or the peoples of the enemy
countries -
We demand that in the coming
peace the principle of self-determi-
nation of peoples be asserted to the
fullest degree. with the right OF all
subject peoples and races of both
the central and the allied powers
to determine the conditions of their
own existence.
We demand that the peoples of
Russia have complete freedom to
solve their internal problems. and
that the integrity of Russian ter
| ritory. as well as that of Finland
the Baltic provinces. Poland. Lith-
uania, Ukraine and the other border
provinces. be preserved
we demand that the present pre-
liminary and all subsequent peace
negotiations be conducted with the
strictest observance of the princi-
pie of open covenants OF peace. ar
rived at publicly.
I'VE demand that duly accredited
representatives of subject peoples
and of the economic and political
organizations of the working class
in all countries participate in the
final peace conference.
We demand that passports be
| granted representatives of labor and
socialist groups to attend interna-
/ tional conferences for the exchange
OF opinions between the labor groups
OF the belligerent and neutral ma
| tions.
We demand that this government
refuse to consider any proposal for
economic war after the war"
Reporters at the Capitol appear to
have discovered something to talk
about IN the companionship being evi-
denced of late between Boise" Pen
rose. Bob LaFollette and Mount Ara
rat" Smoot
Really, there is something discon-
certing in this-for the Democrats.
We doubt not that Penrose is likely
to persuade LaFollette to urge the
repeal OF the seamsn's bill, or that
Smoot Is to get him to make a speech
in favor of the retention of private
| ownership of railroads. There's no
telling what will happen. either. The
EFFORT of the two stand-pat leaders
may be entirely successful, and they
may be able to announce wits some
glee to their fellow conspirators one
of these days that Fighting Bob"
has come over to them, boots and
boosts.
Have a care. Democrats. The COM
ing Congress is to be Republican, and
with the goal of the Presidency in
sight-and with it jobs for the starv-
ing party pie pushers-there Is no tell
ing what dark deed will be perpe-
ira cd In ha ~ n,-srr
We most humbly suggest that the
only proper sleuth to detail on the
| case is some job hunter of the G. o.
p. who. because of his Hooverized DO
litical meals for six years past, has
not enough on his bones to tell wheth-
er he is Republican looking for
posi'i"7 or a Republican just out of
| civil service position looking for a
job as a car-tink with McAdoo's rail-
road workers where they get real
money these days.
\