Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-11

There is, in fact nobody left today
in the poor, old fashioned Second In
ternationa" except the British Social
ist party, n minority Of the French So
cialists and few Scandinavians. All
the rest of the European Socialists have
deserted it, irresistibly attracted by the
Red magnet of Moscow. and renounced
its principles even when they still
dcigned to attend its meetings. IL only
Socialists faithful to it's program had
been invited to the Geneva congress
there would not have been enough dele
gates to carry on debate, and If the
extremists had come they would have
ovCrpowered all opposition and forced 1t
to sign its own death warrant.
TlIE chief promoter Of the plan to
l. substitute another Socialist confer
cnce for the Geneva congress is the
French leader Froissard, who has just
been in Switzerland, where he arranged
its details with Grimm, the Swiss party
boss and with Herr Crispien, the chief
of the German Independent Socialists.
As a result of these conversations the
Swiss Socialists and the German inde-
! pPndcnts have agreed to take part in
the new conference.
| am further informed that the Ger
man Spartacists. the Italian Socialists
and the Socialist parties of Serbia,
JugO. Slavia, Rumania and Norway
have likewise consented to participate.
as we'll as the British Independent
Labor party and certain radical Sec
tions Of the American. Swedish, Danish
and Hungarian Socialist parties. The
Spanish Socialists have also declared
their readiness to attend the confer
ence. OF these parties the Spartacists
and the Italian Socialists have already
openly adhered to Lenine's 'Interna
tional": the German independents, the
lists have left the Second Interna
tional" without officially joining Lenine
and the rest have until now unwillingly
remained with the Second Interna
tional" while secretly sympathizing
with the Bolsheviks.
As the French Majority Socialists
have also repudiated the moderate
policy of the Second International, :"
the pro- Bolshevik clement will be over
whclmingly dominant and the congress
will certainly lead to the conclusion Of
the pact with Moscow which Lenine's s
Socialist supporters in western Europe
have been scheming to bring about ever
since the first meeting Of the Second
International after the war just u
year ago. Then the only alternative
left to the isolated moderate elements
of the ill fated Second lntCrnatiOnal"
will be to surrender Internationally or
to suffer socialistic accommodation.
Tn ORDER not to alarm public opin-
ion prematurely the organizers Of
the conference declare that they are not
going to join the Moscow "Interna-
tional" without reservations, which
Lcnine will have to accept first. The
Humanite, the French Socialist organ ,
publishes the following declaration by
Froissard:
1--WE must realize International
revolutionary unity by effccting the flu
sion of all the Socialist parties and sec
tions of parties that have remained true
to the principles of class strife with
those parties which have already ad
hcred to the international of Moscow.
If we don't do this soon the imminent
revolutionary world crisis will break
out without our being able to play our
part in it. We don't want to revive
the Second International in a new
form. Neither do we wish to create a
'Fousth International. We wish to en- =
| ter the third on conditions compatible
with the dignity Of our parties guaran
teeing us certain freedom of action -
T ENINE has shown so much rcadi-
- ness lately TO make apparent con
cessions even to "Capitalist govern .
ments," when it lies in his interest to
do so. that it is reasonably certain he
will prove equally accommodating as
regards the wishes of his western fel
low Socialists. If the International
is reconstructed on these lines the Boil :
sheviks will dominate the new organiza
ton, no matter what feeble reservations
they may have consented to accept.
The dictators in the Kremlin arc
already making preparations to assume
their sinister control Of European so .
ciaIism openly. Until quite recently
the Third International, whose seat
is at Moscow, was without official head :
quarters in western Europe. 1t has
now established provisional bureau
at Amsterdam, which Is under the man :
agpment of several Dutch extremists.
The bureau publishes fortnightly bul o
letip In English, French and German.
and it's avoWed aim is to convert the
workers of western Europe and
America and their leaders to the prin =
ciples Of the Moscow International. At
tached to the bureau is a special "ofice
for information, whose activity con
sists in studying and collecting news
about the labor movement in all coun
tries-a sort Of Bolshevik secret service.
which the Dutch authorities should Ger
taiply not tolerate on their territory.
VNHIS Amsterdam bureau is subordi
l. nate to the so called "Secretariat OF
the Third international for Western
Europe which. CharaCteristicall
enough, is established in Germany,
where it edits Lenine's official monthly
organ, the Communist International.
This Red magazine, which Is thus
edited in Germany and merely printed
In Moscow, is now also published Ia
several languages for circulation in
western countries.
Thus the Bolshevization Of western
socialism is merrily progressing. and
the day no longer seems far distant
when the reconstructed and reunited
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