The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-05-09
TIE MENACE OF SOCIALISM.

TIE MENACE OF SOCIALISM.
William English Walling is a promlnens
American socialist who broke with the party
when he saw that, in this and all the other al
lied lands, German intriguers absolutely contro1
its acts and policies in the interest OF mlltar-
ism. In an article of moment in the New YORK
Times he warns the people that Germany,
II through the socialists, internatlonallsts ana
pacifists, is fomentng revolution IN all the ma
tons which oppose her. She is making adrol1
use of these agencies as she used the Dolsne-
visits of Russia, and her success is already SO
great that her propaganda is now the deaohese
menace to the triumph of the allied cause
It is probably impossible to overestlmate the
Importance of Mr.. Walling's warning. Bolshev-
ism. which is half Teutonisln and half anarch-
ism, is making appalling Roadway IN alhed
lands. In Italy, France and even in England
it is attacking the governments in the rear.
Germany does not fear the spread of the doc
trines at home Her very few internationalists
WIG are not entirely subservient to the govern
ment are in prisons The vast mass OF her so
cialists set German victory above all else, ana
the government uses them to demorallze the
proetariat of the allied nations Germany pro-
noted the socialist conference IN Stockholm
and is now encouraging another to be called IN
Switzerland But it will be highly lnexpedlent
for the allies to permit delegates from their
countries to attend. A majority would be out
and out ro-Ge11nans and declare IN favor OF
such peace asc the kaiser wants. The social
ist party in America has made this clear by
the resolution of the executive committee on
February fifth that Germany's proposition OF
peace on the basis of the war map be immediate
ily accepted We should spill no more blood and
waste no more treasure, they say, to rear
range the map of Europe. Give Germany what
she has seized, is their idea and end the war
The bolshevists socialists, lnternationailsts
claim that all existing governments are without
moral authority and that they alone represent
the people It is no exaggerated or alarmlst
statement that the German propaganda mask
ing as socialism, internationalisn, pacifsm IN
the allied countries is, next to kaiserism which
lit supports, the greatest menace to the cause of
liberty in the world today No other political
bodies in any nation have been SO false to their
professions, have so persistently served the
cause Of militarism or have so bad a record in
this war. In our own land these bodies are
practically indistinguishable in their purpose
from avowed anarchists and I. W. ". What
ever they call themselves, they are all playing
the kaiser's game, and it would be folly, by
itemporarizing with them to allow them to play
it successfully here in the United States Moth
/ ing would clear the atmosphere in America
more quickly than thirty-year prison terms for
Berger, Haywood and the socialists, they
call themselves, who made the impudent de-
mand that our government should ratify the
BrestLitovsk negotiations and drop its de
mands in behalf of the oppressed nationalities
of Europe. IF this is not treason, considering
the declared purposes with which we are In the
war, what is the true name for it?