Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-07-07
The GERMAN POsI-aECiIIoN CHAOS

Eani1e q strike AgainSt mobtli1Auon or
anything like that. It IL true that the
German Socialistic newspapers and.
periodicals theoretically favored anti
that a, when their country went into
agsWar aggression, they referred cynf-
caaly to the fact that they had,snevaNEe
Officially gone onfrecord against war;!
f. Lost Their Head.
TSItfwould, of course be shortsghted
and unjust to ignore theadifficulties
lists But the fact remains that they
lost their heads fromsthe very moment
when they came into power.
During the first years of the war.
Kautsky said somewhere that. the at
titude Of Socialists could be changed
at the moment the party no longer re-
manned an opposition group: Some
of the demands might be modified
when we have secured power. &
tactily recognizes the inability of the
Socialists to be the government party.
There have been plenty of words
and promises from the very begin
ming. Men who speak and write have
t,been1 responsible Q the chaos that
now prevails. For their has been no.
action TO back up all the golden, ,slo-
gars.
Strength OF Syndicalists. 81
It is true that the communists (syn-
dicalists)- elected only two members
of the ReichstAg, and that their vote.
aggregated only 43S,19s. Abstractlyt
seen, that may not mean a whole
flot, but looked at as an actual fact,S
without judging it in relation and pro-
portion to others, 1t Is an amazing
number, and it does not promise well
for Germany, nor for the best OF the
world.
have before me a copy Of the Ba-
ovarian communistic organ, "Rote
Fahn" ("Red Banner") in which the
editor says:
Bavaria is n Of the districts over
which: we rejoice, for the s%yndicalists
have shown exceedingly gratifying
strength"
\. And "Berliner Tageblatt", a copy
Of which is also before me. says that
the syndicalistic vote in, Bavaria is
"abnormally large"
Bavarian syndicalists cast sixty
thousand votes! In the one city Of
Munich, $4,000 syndicalists votes were
recorded; In Bochum, 600; Dortmund,
II, 400; Hamborn,, 1000; Duisburg,
$4,000; Dusseldorf eastern wards4,
$500.
10 ~ ally WOIUof t1dL HSNSlOlc dcT"
mans are worrying?
Not at End of Rope.
Socialism. still relatively strong but
actually crushed, Is a minor factor for
the time being. Its defeat may have
!! lasting effects in Germany and else
where.
But It is not at the end OF the rope
yet. for there are signs that indicate
q Socialistic trend in the direction of
syndicalism. There is yet a possibility
that the Socialist defeat paves the way
for a syndicalist success some time tn
q future that may be as distant as It
seems at the time of this writing.
When German syndicalism nay
reckon with the moral and financial
support Of synd1calism in other coun-
tries. IL will overturn the government,
embark on q Of socialization-
and s~yndicalism elsewhere will gain In
strength in proportion to the aid 1t has
rendered the Germans.
The time is past when syndicalism
was a localized Russian or German
affair. 1t aims at the whole world
and you q trace 1t back to one cen
trail point, the city Of Moscow.
Itmay be we'll to point out that
Eevenas geographical isolation is no
darnple protection against the menace.
IT is necessary to anticipate events
+--zaild to guard against sormefgofsthem!