The Yale expositor., 1918-11-21

ton, Washington, ID. c.
BY HARVEY O'HIGGlNS,
Associate Chairman, Committee on Pub
lie Information.
| CThis is the third article by Mr.. O'Hig-
| gins dealing with the propaganda of the
enemy in our midst)
In two previous articles on the Ger
man whispering propaganda" some
account was given of how the German
agents are endeavoring to divide us
from our allies and to arouse domestic
| differences among ourselves by means
Of various lies and rumors that arouse
religious animosities and increase race
problems and promote an agrarian SEN
timent against the war. But the at
1oes not end there.
The leaders of section of the So
cialist party here as in Italy and in
Russia, are attempting to do the
Saiser's work, and are obtaining Ger
man support in it. They are trying
to divide the country in a class quar-
rel that would leave us as helpless to
resist the German military autocracy
as the Russians are. This section of
socialists was first organized as po-
litical party in America by German
eXiles. They have always been led
by German sympathizers. 1t has been
rule among them that a man is not
socialist unless he pays dues to the
party leaders, accepts all the party
nominees of those leaders without
question, subscribes to every plank of
the party platform, and votes only a
straight ticket under the party en-
blem. He did these things or he was
expelled. That is q Prussian idea of
organized servility and unquestioning
obedience. 1t has succeeded in Ger
many, but II has never succeeded here.
At the outbreak of the war In Europe
the Prussian government, by means of
false news and distorted dispatches,
made the German people believe that
their country had been invaded by
Russia and attacked by France, and
for q time all the German socialists
supported their governments war Of
imperial conquest, believing that it was
war of self-defense. Since then the
Independent socialists in Germany
have learned that they were deceived.
They are now fighting the German gov
ernment in Germany as the independ-
ent socialists are fighting the German
government here, under the leadership
Of men like John Spargo and Charles
Edward Russell.
Germany's Plan to Squeeze.
Soon after the war broke out a men,
Der Of the German reichstag named
David made a speech in which he said :
Germany must squeeze her enemies
with n pair of pincers; namely, the
military pincer and the pacifist pincer.
The German armies must continue to
fight vigorously whilst the German so
cialists encourage and stimulate pacif-
ism among Germany's enemies" 1t
is upon this stimulation of pacifism
in America that our Prusslan socialists
have been most busily engaged. They
have been recently denounced by the
Social Democratic League Of Americs
and the Jewish Socialist league, under
the leadership of John Spargo, J. G.
Phelps Stokes, William Edlln and
Henry L. Slobodin.
The work of our pro-German social.
lists has been nullified by the unjust
terms Of German peace forced upon the
Russians and by the continued Ger
man invasion of Russia since peace
was signed. The same events have
greatly strengthened the loyal support
| % tba ,vor ~, Aroorfoon cociolicfS Con.
sequently there seems to be now nc
danger of a successful bolshevist fac
tiOn In this country procured by Ger
man agents. We have passed that
danger point as the British have passed
It. The independent socialists in al
Countries are fighting the kaiser and
Is commercial war of imperial con
.uest. And when the pro-German So
ialist In this country asks, "Why dc
you blame German socialists for sup
porting their government and yet
blame American socialists for not sup
porting their governmentT the an
,wer is, because I'm both cases they
are wrong; in both cases they art
lighting against freedom and democ
racy In support of military conquest
and autOcratic rule"
Another German Trick.
In our western states another sort
of class cleavage is being widened by
German sympathizers. There, for O
decade past, political struggle has
been proceeding between reformers and
corruptionists. In many states the re-
formers have won. They have broken
the political bosses and ousted their
henchmen. When the government
boards at Washington called for volun'
teers I'm the work of organizing the
trade and industry of the country many
Of the defeated political enemies OF
the western commonwealths volun
teered for service and were accepted
The assignment of such men to wal
work has been used "to give the war a
black eye." 1t is argued that the dark
mowers which so long exploited the