New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-01
The Crisis in Germany

The Majority Socialists in Germany,
backed by the bourgeois elements, are
clnging fast to the life line of German
unity. They are still Germans first and
Socialists afterward-just as they were
in 1914 when they incontinently aban-
doned the doctrine of proletariat broth
erhood and supported the Kaiser in his
long planned war of conquest.
The Majority Socialists still have a
strongly developed nationalistic sense.
They appreciate the economic advantages
of unified German state. For centuries
Germany was a collection of small king
doms, principalities, grand duchies, free
cities and what not, loosely bound to-
gether and all jealous of their own privi-
leges and rights. They spent most of
their time quarrelling among them
selves. Prussia and Austria were rivals
for control in the German world. At last
Prussia outwitted and vanquished Aus
tria and became the cornerstone of new
and materially prosperous German En-
pire
The Majority Socialist leaders want to
insure the perpetuity of the imperial
union before they reorganize society on
the MARKHAM model. Therefore men like
Kurt Eisner, the provisional President
of the Bavarian Republic, insist on the
maintenance of the Federal Council and
on the immediate election of a national
assembly charged with creating new
federal machinery. They are anxious to
see the terms of peace executed before
the big experiment of federal socialis-
tic republic is launched.
Against these moderate advisers are
ranged the Minority Socialists and the
INDEPENDENT Socialists of the extreme
Spartacus group. The Reds want to re-
organize society at once and 70 postpone
U.le election Of constitutional assembly
until tire social revolution has been prac
ticaliy accomplished. They care little for
the fate Of Germany as nation. They
would dismember her as Lenne and
Trotzky dismembered Russia if they
thought partition would give them g
freer hand in prosecuting their class war
against the 5ouygeoisie. They are Boil
shevist. urashamed And though they
are now p small minority, they hope,
through the aid of the Berlin mob and OF
the military sovets, to impose their pro-
gramme by terrorism on the Socialist
Moderates of the Ebert, Schejdemann
and Eisner stripe.
The struggle between Kerensky and
the Bolshevist minority in Petrograd is,
in fact, now being staged over again IN
Berlin. Herr Haase, one of the Red lead
ers, maintains that it is impracticable to
elect national constitutional assembly
until all the soldiers are demobiized and
able to vote. Meanwhile he expects to
use the power of the undemoblized mill
tary soviets to establish a Red govern
ment strong enough to dissolve any as
sembly which might attempt to dispute
it's will OF undo it's work.
The political crisis in Germany is thus
becoming more and more sharply defined.
Bolshevism is rampant and uncom-
promising. If it's leaders can seize power
in Prussia they will hold Germany by the
throat. Bavaria and the other South
German states may threaten to secede.
The Rhineland may seek independence
and protection under an Allied occupa-
ton. But the rest of Prussia will re-
main Red will turn to civil war as re-
lief from foreign war and will attempt,
by scrapping the old order and dissipat-
ing the economic resources which remain,