New-York tribune., 1918-02-11
BY William English Walling

by William English Walling
new "pacitist" has arisen in Kaiser
'ahd. Philip Scheidemann, leader OF
the Majority Socialists, is now put for
ward as the spokesman of a genuine,
democratic peace movement. Early las.
summer it was Erzbcrger, leader of the
Centre or Catholic Party in the Rsichs-
tag, that was to lead the German na-
ton to demand reasonable pcace.
Erzberger. followed by Scheidcmann.
did get the Reichstas to adopt 81 resc-
luton which claimed to favor demo
cratic peace. But it did not Civ any
concrete applications to its vague and
ambiguous phrases. Erzbergcr, inter-
preting the resolution in concrete
terms, showed that he did not propose
that Germany should freely surrender
anything though she might sell some
OF her plunder~in exchange for other
territorial or economic concessions.
The Radicals and the Majority Sc
c'alists issued similar interpretations,
Even Count Czernin. speaking for the
Austrian government, adopted the
Reichstag formulas and has continued
to toy with variations of the same up
TO tho present moment. Yet, when he
repeated his phrases the ether day and
said there was good hope of "peace Ly
negotiation" with President Wilson he
could specify but one concrete point,
Russia, upon which they might agree,
whlie he definitely stated that he i'll
tended to stand by Germany at every
point. What that means we can see in
the peace" statement of the German
Chancellor, Ncrtling, issued on the
same day Hertlng specifically denies
all nine of the concrete points Of presi-
dent Wilson'S peace programme of
January S.
Why Believe in
Scheidemann?
But how about Scheidemann, l4aicr
of 100000 Socialists? Schcidcmann
says he agrees with eleven out of the
fourteen points Of Mr.. Wilson's pro-
gramme. But does he? Surely We
have ceased to believe literally every
word that comes out of Germany, even
il spoken by Socialists. We know the
role of stoolpigeons played by the Sc.
cialists-both Minority and Majority
at the Stockholm conference, a role 50
bold and so trcacherouS to the cause
OF democratic peace that President
Wilson exposed the conference as
trick of the Kaiser and refused pass
ports for American citizens.
Why should we attach any credencc
to Scheidemann 1t may be doubted if
able to the Kaiser and his war. t is
,.,p Sphoidpr rOoNo nootoI
on the ultra -militarist iunkcr clique
row in control in Berlin. But ono may
be mlitarist and still oppose the
ra-miltarists.
Scheidcmann, Erzberger and COM.
pany are stand-patters on the subject
of militarism. They want German
militarism to he preserved intact pre-
cisely as it was before the war. That
is. they want a drawn war, and a re-
turn to the territorial status quo that
previously existed. Germany would
neutral states she has now terrorzed
and partly by exhausted countries like
Russia, Italy and France. which would
easily become the prey of her superior
military and economic power. These
territories she would gradually annex
e economically. In the meanwhile she
would at once annex-politically and
economlcally present allies: Aus
tria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey.
When Scheidemann says he agrees
with all of President Wilson's terms
but three, this is what he means-and
the fact is demonstrated by many re-
cent speeches as we'll as the party
congress only a few weeks ago. 1t is
true that the junker clique in power
wants far more than this, and there
fore there is bitter discord. Scheide-
mann says Germany can't be beaten
and that the Entente knows it, also that
Germany cannot win more victories ex-
cept at too high a price. Therefore,
let her cash in her past victories now
and avoid useless bloodshed and
trade war after the war. But his attack
on the junkers is largely based on do
nestle politics. the franchise, food,
freedom of the press, etc With
out these questions the quarrel about
peace terms could not be very acute
For Scheidemann's plan would as
sumo German domination Of Europe
almost as rapid and complete as the
iunker plan OF immediate annexations
and indemnities.
eleven out of the fourteen points of
Wilson's programme. Let US see. Five
OF these points are abstract. Even
Hertlng claims to agree with these
five points, though we know lis inter
probation and Wilson's are diametrical-
ly opposed.
Does Not Agree on