Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-02-26

and TICK ana every natural IMPULSE
to accept peace at the price fixed BY
the kaiser.
HlLLoUrr AS A PATRIOT
without claiming any exclusive In
formation on the point, we hazard the
guess that the government win not
avail itself Of Morris Hillquit's offer to
tell the socialists Of Germany and
Austria the truth about America. II
we are to believe IN the sincerity OF
his speech in New York Thursday
night, HiIlquit goes short step OF the
way toward loyalty and patriotism In
bis new-found indictment of auto
cracy and mdlitarism Of the Hohen-
zollern brand.
II want to say to you, my socialist
friends" he said, there is at least
enc branch Of war service into which
you can enter with an your hearts
end souls to aid our president in
bringing about his ideals Of peace.
That branch of war service is the
work of scattering propaganda among
the laboring classes Of Germany and
Austria"
Perhaps Mr.. HiTlquit does not in
tend to volunteer as propagandist.
Possibly he considers his Job is the
exhortation of his fellow. socialists In
America to defy the kaiser by writ
ing letters or sending literature to the
Germans and Austr1ans, or. perhaps.
BY slipping across the frontier from
Switzerland and conducting house
to house campaign in Germany
against autocrAcy.
Only last fall Mr.. HI1lquit, then So
cialist candidate for the mayoralty Of
New York, was stirring his hyphen-
ated audiences by his appeals to class
prejudice and his pacifist TRADES in
hich he pleaded for the "tnterna-
tionalism'' of which all socialists
dream and chatter. He rallied the
pro Germans and pacifsts to his sup
rort along. with the socialists and
near socialists and made victory for
Tammany certain.
Now he has discovered that auto
cracy and militarism in Germany and
Austria must be put down. Apparent
Iy he has made the discovery since
last November and it might be expect
ed that he would be ready to admit
he was in error then. But there is no
record that he has made such an adj
mission, nor does it appear that he
more than half inclined to regard the
present war and Americas part in 1t
az really loyal American citizens re-
gard II.
If he did, We might find him help
ing to obtain recruits for the army or
the navy from among the socialists.
His New York address, SO far as its
text is at hand, did not indicate that
he would advise American socialists
to ffght in the war whose outcome will
smell permanency or utter defeat for
the government under which they
have enjoyed privileges no other gov
eminent in the world would permit
them or their kind.
Hrlouit is one Of those socialists
who endorse the Russian bofshevlki
and regard them as representative OF
the highest type OF advanced thinkers.
Only now is he able to realize that
the Lenine-Trot1ky movement in Rus
sia has been at the mercy OF the kali
ser from its inception. Only since
Trotxky himself detailed the methods
BY which Germany is exploiting Rus
STA after apparently recognizing the
bolsheviki agitators as duly consti-
tuted government, has HillQuit voiced
alarm over the vicious power Of kali
| serism.
Meanwhile. socialists in Germany
are supporting the government in all
its IMPURITIES. Somewhat unwfllinsly.
| possibly. but without any successful
efforts to assert themselves, these so
cialists are making It possible for
Germany to crush socialism in Rus
sia and oppose iron armies against the
governments which stand for freedom
end liberty.
These German socialists are past
masters. Only few days ago one OF
their Spokesman denounced the Dol
| sheviki in Russia as mere tyros IN the
same Of world reform. He boosted
that German socialism long ago
, rassed the stage at which Russian so
cialism finds itself now. and warned
/ his German hearers against following
In the lead of Lenine and Trotzky.
Mr.. Hillquit and his New York so.
cialists would fare but sadly should
they attempt to fan to blaze the
| feeble flame Of militant socialism In
the Teutonic empires. The German
socialist Is far superior to them. with
a typical German excess OF "kultur
and cunning that would mock what
ever half-hearted methods they might
ADOPT in an effort to win him to sup
port a government to which they
themselves are, at best, only hall