Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-21
POTSDAMS REVOLUTION
[From the N. Y. Tribune

From the n. Y. Tribune
Germany's political revolution"
defines the laws of levitation. A true
revolution is the result of pressure
from below. Discomfort deep down
within the iron frame of government
becomes volcanic and bursts the op-
presSive container wide open. But in
Germany to-day the democracy and
parliamentarism" are being called
down from the clouds by a group of
divine right sovereigns and their
political handy men.
The reason for this is obvious. The
absolutist government of Germany is
being "populariZed" for dynastic rea-
sons. The kings and grand dukes are
following the counsel of the mill
tary leaders. We are seeing political
revolution carried through for mill
tary purposes. The military caste
wants to save the German army at
all hazards. The kings and grand
dukes need the army and the Ger
man military system to prop their
shaking thrones. Hindenburg and
Ludendorff have said that the armies
in France can be extricated only
through a speedy suspension of hos
Itilities. The German rulers have rea-
son to think that the Allies will ne
gotiate only with a German govern
ment which has stolen the clothes of
the radicals, SOCIALISTS and parlia-
lmentarists. So the princes are taking
off their uniforms and are putting
on frock coats and silk hats. Prince
Max, the new chancellor, would not
balk at delivering a eulogy on Bebel
or at walking down Under den Lin
den arm in arm with Liebknecht.
The Kolnische Zeitung blurted out
the truth when it said: "Only mill
tary reasons could compel us to
accept President Wilson's condi-
tions." Military reasons only induced
the Kaiser to shelve Won Hertling for
Prince Max, to send his old political
partner, Gott into the wings and to
summon portly Germania, wearing a
Liberty cap and waving a red flag,
into the spotlight. If this little diver
sion will win him peace conference
and get his armies back out of
France he can we'll afford to swal-
! low for the time being his amour
Ipropre as the divinely ordained head
of the Hohenzollerns.
/ 1t merely helps along the Kaiser's
window dressing for the Kreuz-
Zeitung, the organ of Prussian junk
erdom, to declaim lugubriously:
Prussia as state is dead
Prussia will exist no more, or, at
least, only as a geographical express
sion. The work of all our famous
ilSut liOlll ekhO W
William II, lies in ruins. From the
throne of the King of Prussia the
jewels have been ripped out"
This is only the patter of the bar
ker outside the theater. If the AL
lies should take seriously the revolu-
tion staged inside, Prussia would still
be Prussia for years to come and the
Hohenzollerns would still be the
German ideal of Godgiven leaders.
William IL himselfis an actor by ma
ture. Nothing would please him bet
ter than to be the stage manager of
a German revolution" of his own,
which would qualify him, in his
opinion, to pose at a council of ma
tions as the chief of a new. Central
European democracy"
The present revolution is made in
Potsdam. 1t is the old imperialism
camoufiaged for military advantage.
1t does not come from the heart or
will of the German people, who are
still infants in the business of real
revolution. We shall not be dealing
with the German people except as
Ipawns when we deal with the Kais-
er's new democracy" Let the pawns
become masters, as they may If the
war is really brought home to them.
Then we shall make no mistake.
Only e-HohenzollerniZed Ger
man can be either democratic or rev.
iolutionary.