The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-04-05
CRUSH SPARTACANS
FIRST TASK FACING
GERMAN REPUBLIC
BY Frank J. Taylor.

(Unlted PreSS COrreSpOuuent.J
Berlin, March 20. (By Mail.)-
Crushing the Spartacist movement is
the first and most immediate duty
of the new German republic, acc ard
ing to Minister President Scheide'
mann. His views are held by practi'
cally everyone in Germany, that does
not belong to the Spartacans Is a
blind fight against hidden enemies
and the trembling republic is having
hard time of 1t.
1t is one thing to declare war tc
the finish against the Spartacans, as
Scheidemann did on behalf OF the
government on February 21, and an
other thing to carry that war out
There is no clean-cut campaign tC
conduct, except in regions where the
Spartacists have stirred workmer
into open revolt, and there force can
not be used until the issue has been
made clear, that people may not ac-
cuse the government Of using arms
against hungry working people,.
The Spartacan leaders have con.
tinually covered themselves under
the cloak OF labor leaders. More and
more it is becoming increasingly
clear that Sparta cism Is not labor
movement but a political and econo-
mic struggle. Invariably the Sparta
cans have begun their work as a
strike or a series of strikes, inspired
by propaganda directed against
wealth and the government. When
the issue became clearer, 1t was seen
that the struggle was not for the
workman but that he had been used
as a means for political ends.
In a considerable degree, the
Spartacan movement corresponds tc
the l. w. w. in America, except that
it is perhaps less of the worker and
more of the world. = Sparta can ideals
are not clear to anyone, and no two
exponents will give you the same ex-
planation. But, in general, they aim
the workers-abolition of govern
ment as it is known in civilized lands
and in its place the establishment
of workers soviets who shall rule
Politically it is an autocracy Of the
"underdog," to which social strata
every man woman and child should
soon belong, according to Spartacan
creeds. 1t would be general wip-
ing-out of the established order.
Comment on the merits or dement's
of this movement is unnecessary
Familiarity with Spartacan, or boil
shevik, or communist movements
shows that your point of view is
tempered by how hungry and how
desperate you are. It is conceivable
that practically everyone, with the
exception of few individuals of iron
will, would become Spartacan IL he
were starved long enough.
This is the position of Germany,
or rather districts in Germany, which
the government Is trying to keep in
order. Factories which have been
paying high wages to munition work
ers have suddenly become idle. Food
becomes more and more scarce and as
suffering continues people become
more and more mentally bolshevik.
Along comes Spartacan leader and
offers fifty marks a day. and pays it
too, to the man who will demonstrate
and fight for freedom from the gov
ernment which has stolen the peo-
pies revolution" as the cry Is word
ed. 1t goes without saying that
leader can get followers.
To make the illustration more
real, place it in on actual and living
city. Dusseldorf, for example, for 1t
been in Spartacan hands for
three months. Dusseldorf is an in
dustrial city rich and busy in normal
times Spartacan leaders arrived in
laden with Russian gold,
with which they secretly organized
their first forces there. In December
they overthrew the old government,
under guise Of a workers uprising,
and a government Of soviets was set
up. Factories were taken over with
out payment and managers were
ordered to pay enormous sums to
workers, which they did for the most
part under threat Of death. while
funds lasted When they were gone,
as they mostly are, the factories
closed.
Next the soviets took control Of
she hanks, thereby securing encr-