Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-04
POLITICAL CHANGES
GRIPPING GERMANY
BY RrAXIMAIN HARDEN
Ger1nany's Foremost Publicist
Neased Wire Service to The Journal. ]


(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1921
(Strange political changes are taking
place in Germany. The social Demo
cratic party, which changed the empire
into republic and overthrow score
of dynasties, having tasted power,
wants to retain it at any cost and is
dickering for coalition with the So
called peoples party, which, despite
its name, is a capitalstic group, le-
lieving in a monarchy. What is to
come of this maneuver remains to be
seen. 1t is fraught with many interest
ing possitilities.)
BERLIN Oct. lit is hardly pos
sible for foreigners to understand
the significance of the meeting of
the social Democrats in the old
Slav city Of Goerlitz. People we'll
may wonder how a party which
three years ago tore old Germany to
pieces. overthrow a score of dynas-
ties and announced an memorable
fight against all reaction, should de-
clare now it's readiness to accept
governmental power in cooperation
with the pee pies party, which, de-
spite its name. represents high fl
nance and nOn&VC ISir,. aSpira tons.
The situation reminds one of the
disappointment of 1914 when these
same 'iaternationalists" instead of
hindering the world war with a gen.
eral strike, as they so often had
threatened, patriotically voted cred
its to carry on the great slaughter.
The French propensity to see all
occurrences in the German republic
Of Of today t{oa as nothing more than
justified over the present political
situation. but the careful observer
will see in Gcerlitz Only the culmi-
nation Of long evolution.
To understand the situation easily
one must compare temporal condi-
tions with the eternal. The early
Christians, for instance, were a
of the world was approaching and
that they must purify themselves for
a future life in Gods kingdom. Paul
WIdened this belief into a world re-
ligion, compatible with emperors and
republics and states. Unlike the
ton of modern times has not been
limited to soul and mind. The COM
munist canifesto, or bible, in Ger
man, and the Slav communist mani
festo differentit,+e as the Bible does
between the struggling poor to whom
letariat above the bourgeOisie, as we
call those who profit by the labor of
others. They promise a kingdom of
blessed justice on this earth in which
the masses shall rise to great
heights, but this apparently can be
ensured only by the temporary in
evitable dictatorship CT the prole-
tariat.
Horrible Phantom
For half a century this prophecy
has been a horrible phantom before
the eyes of the German government.
Wild language and two attempts on
the life of the emperor determined
Bismarck to make a special law
against social Democratic agitation
which is dangerous to the commune
W" This PruSSian creative genius,
born the year Napoleon was de-
throned, understood instantly what
ever he saw even once, but he saw
nothing of the masses, knew nothing
of their. life or their aspirations, re-
garding them merely as cogs in a
machine. He imagined that by COM
!'ulslon ana such palliatives as sick
and old age insurance he could ar
rest the movement toward equality.
Once in the reichstag he offered,
however, to give the social Demo
Gratis province in which they might
try their communist experiment.
IT Bismarck now could see the
party, which so long fought him he
would be astonished. No longer is
it Dangerous TO be community -
What the strictest laws could not
accomplish has been achieved by a
brief glimpse of power.
If the world does not come to an
end, then the religion which counted
upon that termination must be
changed to satisfy the needs of the
jewellers on the earth who must and
viii! be fruitful and multiply. Three
social Democrats have been chan
cellors and two dozen have been cab
met ministers, all keeping their titles
for life under the German custom. A
president of the republic and since
all state offices now are open to
them, thousands Of social Democrats
are interested in preserving the
status quo so far after all is said
and done they cannot be so damnably
nad as the agItators' speeches would
indicate.
Change Tactics
Until the war the social Democrats
called themselves the enemies of
bourgeosie society, but now they
make treaty with it. They have
abandoned their old interest in ma
tlonal belief that men Of the same
lass III 1O1C15I IdlluS SlOOu nearer
together and could sympathize better
than fellow countrymen of different
classes.
Does all of this mean that the Ger
man worker has turned nationalist?
No. 1t simply means that social
democracy no longer is proletarian,
but is party of small officials and
nationa! democracy and is hardly
socialistic
The leaders sometimes like to l.
ouige in the old radical phraseology
nut lnWa1dly they desire settled con
dltlons, under which they may be.
come presidents and cabinet mem
bers and aldermen.
Inc laboring masses consequent
~ have turned to the independents
though many have become outright
communists. But by far the great
er number, bitterly disappointed
nave Withdrawn party allegiance
and are interested only IN business
quotations, wages. hours of labor
and prices.
1t is uncertain whether a coalition
of the social Democrats with the cap
Jalistic and basically mona'chistic
Peoples party will succeed and sur
noun. the troublesome taxation ques-
ton. But the very. fact that this
party Of Marx, of Bebel and Of Lieb-
knecht, once Dangerous to the com.
n.un1ty," now seeks sue" a coalition
shows how far it has progressed.