New-York tribune., 1918-01-24
Political CanouAaoe
If the Socialists Want Any Pea,
They Want One Made in Ce,r,.

Sf' 1"0 'O''"""E e"ccfpt ~ taken ~,
an article that appeared in The rr.', s
Call" on January l8. Referring 10 -. Jug
statement in The Tribune that he -, 'Ns
fused to stand when "The Star -spanp,ed p' :
ner" was being played, shiplacof de.,.D 's1 1
"The more the enemies Of labor attacL 'ea]
more we feel that we are serving the interest,"
of labor. If any group of people in A,.e'
stand for the Stars and Stripes and .'s g.. =.
that it signifies, that group is the g.. G.. ai'
lists" 'al'
Is this sarcasm, or is he really IN
He, az well as the rest Of his party ,..s
has been for many years TELLING Il. ''
ences that the Stars and Stripes is III. .s.s,, aS
behind which the capitalists take ,s. sa'si'
That it is the symbol Of capitalism .-sse -ss'
the red flag is the symbol which renr..a-.
the ideas and ideals for which the soc;...
stand. If, as he says, the Socialists ...,a
the flag behind which the capita;u,s ~ ~
all that the Stars and Stripes sienises -
the Socialists stand for the flag behind wbis
the capitalists take ref ge.
1t is possible, however, that -
changed his views concerning our s.c a-,
that he now fully realizes and anrrao;s.'
the ideals for which it stands. II i ha~s,'
possible, though. that ne expects ps 70 !.
lieve him when ne states tha. he and tbc
Socialist party stand ior those ideal.
To live up to those ideals this countrr :.
now engaged in the worlds creates. w.~
To live up to those ideals men are sacr;s.
ing their lives on the battlehelds Of Euro,.
And in the meantime the Socialists Of III,
country are doing what?
Shortly before we declared war agans.
Germany, Local New York of the Socal;s,
party issued a manifesto I, It's members "a
the effect that any one enlisting in the army
or navy Of this country would be expeled
from the party. Shiplacoff, himself. A.
tempted to block an emergency war ammo.
priation bill in the Legislature. He slv
signed resolution adopted by the Socislis.
party at q convention held in St. Louis few
days after war was declared. An examir,.
tion of that resolution, which has been l..
nounced by many prominent American 5.
cialists, will show that the Socialist psrr
far from "standing for the Stars and Str;w
and what it Signifies is deliberately III
ing Germany to destroy all nope of our p,.
serving those ideals.
The resolution calls upon the workers :,
refuse to support their government in i'm.
of war. 1t calls upon their representative,
in the legislatures Of the various states and
Congress to vote against all measures IN,
the purpose Of military or naval appropra.
tions and to support all mass movements II
opposition to conscription. It accuses Ii.
Administration of treachery and attempts "a
justify Germanys submarine policy by de-
claring that it does not violate the rgb,,
of all Americans, but merely certain clas;
of Americans. and that this is the mos. u.
justitiable war in history. In short, eyery.
thing that they advocate would not only "a.
terially aid Germany, but would seriously
cripple this country IN its preparations to
preserve for the world the Ideals Of democ.
racy.
At the said convention Hillquit insisted
that the words "our country" in certain
sentence, be changed to "the country" Thn
was done because majority Of those preser.
we1e unwilling to call this country theirs.s
they claimed that the workingman has M
country. According TO John spargo, it VIZ
declared by a prominent Socialist that
was immaterial 20 the Socialists who rule
this country even though It be the Czaf ai
Russia or the German Kaiser. Spargo sid
he could not sign the resolution. because II
do SO would be TO stab America in the back
Shiplacof signed II. Hillouit was the au.hN
Of it, the majority Of the members Of The
Socialist party voted in favor of it, snd
Spargo, eX-Socialst Senator Gaylord and A
NJ. Simons decided that they would rather
be Americans than members Of the Socialist
party, and resigned therefrom.
When Trotzky sailed from New York %
attend the Stockholm conference, claiming
to represent the Socialists Of this country
he was denounced by The Call" as an an
archist, etc. When Trotzly obtained conru
Of the Russian government THE Call" pointsl
with pride to the fact that he was So
cialist. In The Call" OF January Il they
point with pride to the work Of the Bosheyih
in Russia. On the same page is an editorial
which shows that one-third OF the German
army is composed of Socialists They seek
to take credit for what the Russian Socialists
have done. but disclaim responsibility for tfs
German Socialist army
The foregoing will show that if the Socisl
lists are pacifists at al they want pesa
made in Germany" and will also show that
whether The Tribune's article was true G
false, Shiplacoff's staten Mt, to the efse
that "the Socialists stand for the Stars an'
Stripes and for all it signifies is to put
it as mildly as possible, merely bit Of 'p0'
litical camoufage'
If it is claimed that any other conclusi0'
can be drawn. or if he still insists that Bis
statement is true, l would be more ths'
pleased to meet him in public debate on th'
question. WALTER R. HART,
Private, L. S. Marine Corps, Barracks De-
tachment, Navy Yard. n. y.
New York, Jan. 10. 1918.