Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-06-09
SOCIALISTS
UPTO.DATE
IN GERMANY
Socialistic Farmers Organ
izations Made Up OF
Owners OF Estates
ARE \
BY
System Advocates State
Ownership Of Nearly All
Things On Earth
(By &. s. .~strandvold)

tBy &. s. >strandvoad)
Hvam, May l16.-One of the most
interesting results Of the postwar per-
iod in Germany.and Austria IL the or
ganizatiOn Of what 10 called a lam
wirtschaftliche Arbeiterpartei." that is
In reality, a Socialistio farmers or
ganization which proceeds along lines
somewhat more advanced than the
older Socialism In tho Central Euro
pean countries.
The movement had it's inception at
a gathering In Dresden a Tow months
ago and has been gaining ground to
such an extent that considerable fear
is being felt lest the ideas underlying
the propaganda become 30 prevalent
that they may prove a most serious
handicap to the agriculture of Germa-
ny and Austria. That agriculture. by
the way, needs respite moro than any
thing else. Constant political friction
following in the wake OF h great
war and tho crushing defeat has re-
suited in a most extraordinary lesson.
ing Of production.
Boss Farmers Organised.
The new movement docs not gather
its recruits among the farm hands, but
among the farm owners who. arc try
ing to consolidate their interests In
exists between town and country. al
though it Is Internationally '6antnod
that the sole aim of tho movement 10
the actual lettering Of tho conditions
of farm life.
Back Of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Arbeiter partet' Is ~Bolahevisrn. pure
and undiluted, and Russian organizers
who have a fluent command Of Cor
man have been instrumental in formu-
lating the laws of the group and in
defining it's real aims. 1t is said that
the new farmers party at tho present
time comprises moro than 200, 900
members who pay a biennial feo OF
800 mark for the privilege Of belong
ing to he faction.
Herr William Rooster from WAld-
seestein, Bavaria, who Is a sort OF
South German Arthur c. TOWnloy, in
sists that The new party ia solely eco-
have been originally true, the fact now
is that the farmers are tFyinE,to break
into politics in Germany and Austria
as an independent unit. and that they
are alfying themselves with tho red
dest Of the red.
Against I~nitint:ve.
A distinctive feature II the new
movement 10 its syste- ,4attc eDpeRition
to everything that evan ren eteiy re-
minds of private initiative, but It III
peculiarly inconsist ent in that while it
ership of nearly everything between
heaven and earth. it teaches private
Tbs object is plain. These people
want to reform tha rest or the
world, but claim that their own init
mate ownership interests are exempt
from those Of th.'r felloY men. For
to say that the NOV, rent is egotistfcal
in it's origin as we'll as in it's princi-
ples and effects. On he surface it Is
wholly communistic-and more dan
eerous than other fol rs OF commun-
ism because Of the pecu: !arly disturb
ed conditions existing il the "
countries. At bottom the i'd "a is mere
~ to benefit the individual at the e1.
pense of all the other indtvidtala. 1t
is needless to FAY anything by way
of comments In this connection.
Government for and Against
Tho general situation is rather
strange, for the governments OF Aus
tria and Germany are soeialistic, and
FOR this very reason arc unable to
make any attempts at di~scouragins
me new tendencies. although 1t is un-
CRITICALLY known that the 6coialfztic
government authorities look with dis
favor at the organization.
Here, then, is a concrete i~lustfatioA
Of a s~ocialistic group which possesses
I'm ME government powers, and which
shrinks back at the sight of its own
theories and principles applied. Or
PAPER, they reason, state Socialism
NAV look very nice and attractive
hut when carried gu in practice II
.tain,t what it's cracked up to be"
And the experience will soon be uni
yersal. Every time h 6ocialistic par
tv becomes the government party in
tho European countries, it fears the
consequences of it's own PRINCIPLES and
becomes as sedateiy conservative 81
anyone might wish. In other words
it, only justification, insofar as 1t hal
any, lies in the fact that it is q minor.
itv opposition party. AZ soon as U
gets the upper hand, It turns .rtgh'
around and blithely continues the pol
lev pursued by the detested party tina
formerly ran things its " way.
Secret Caucus . Feature.
It ID, of course. impossible to make
the claim that the new Teutonic farm
ers'. party hi copied its methods from
vogue in North Dakota. but there Il
= least a suspicious similarity be
tween the VIC, and one of tho feature
that underscore this claim 10 tho soc
ret caucus which has boon inaugural
ed within tho last five or stx weeks
ana in which candidates set explici
instructions and pledge themselves
whole-heartedly to every detail Of tn
extremist program.
What transpires at the secret meet
ings IL not known. But those Wit
have been studying tho movemen
have been informed that Russian az
itators appear at these ooneiavse AM
MAKE s,,eeches which aFo tyNneis.et
By sympathetic Interpreters, ! All
tators have come direst tram Mosoev
ana ara mid 10 be Acting undsf ia