The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1918-02-08
FUTURE EFFECT GERMAN
STRIKE PRODLEMAT|CAL
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tContinued nom First PageJ
ers abandoned the idea OF a joint
Austrian.G German strike after failure
of the Austrian strike. It appeared
they desired to await more favor
able moment.
But when the spontaneous out.
break" did come, the adherents of
Philip Scheidemann, majority Social
list leader, feared that the minority
Socialist party, under DR.. Haase,
which was supporting the strike,
might gain too strong hold on the
workers. Scheidemann and his ASSOC
ciates therefore openly Joined the
strike. They shared part OF the re-
sponsibility and Scheidemann HIM
self undertook leadership. From all
the mass of rumors and reports re-
ceived here it appears there were
very few excuses.
Lighting and heating throughout
the city was unaffected. Gas workers
and electricians did not join the
strike.
Prominent Germans here doubt
that any collaboration will continue
between the Socialists-adherents of
Haase as we'll as Scheidenann-and
the government liberals and central
party members henceforth. One thing
the strike emphasizes is that is that
though the food situation in Germany
| is not as bad as last year, the hard
ships of constant food economy are
in the long run beginning to work
heavily on the public
AS to the injunction of peace dem.
ands into the strike the impression is
prevailing in Germany that the anne
xationists are influencing the conduct
Of negotiations of Brest-Litovsk. Soc
ialists in the empire are convinced
the German delegates would have
been more successful If they had
given the impression that Germany
was serious when she said she was
willing to permit self-determination
Of the Poles, Lithuanians, Let's and
peoples of other Baltic provinces.
Foreign Minister Kuehlmann's ex-
plantations before the main committee
may have satisfied the Socialist men,
bers of the reichstag-but they did
not convince the workers Of Germany
whose mistrust was strengthened by
General Hoffman's speeches.
Though the German people have
an impressian that Bolsheviki Minist-
er Trotsky is dishonest, they believe
his influence at Brest-Litovsk would
have been much less II the central
powers had clearly shown they really
wanted a decent peace.
The fact also that the German gov
eminent will not declare open war
against the fatherland party-the
Junkerites supreme-has increased
general dissatisfaction.
Prof. Delbruike explains the gov
ernment's action on the ground that
so long as the party's program do not
conflict imperial word of August,
1914, yoicing the belief there were no
parties in Germany. The general dis
content has likewise been formented
by the delay in constitutional reform
on the part OF the Prussian diet and
the main committee of the reichstag.
Reform has been promised so far
withheld The reason is that the
German conservatives understand
they cannot fight reform openly
therefore they are trying to delay it
by first discussing the whole matter
in the upper house.
On account of all these factors, the
strike would have been greater If it
had found the ground fortified by the
Russian revolution. But even the
most radical of the Socialists express
the belief that chances Of revolu-
tiOnary movement seem small-partly
due to conviction that the allies de-
mands on Germany are in the inter-
ests OF world imperialism.