Evening star., 1921-07-11
Editorial Digest
Furling the Red Flag.


"The red banner. which former
socialist conventions gloried in
Haunting. has become a faded pink,
says the Utica Press independently,
thus revealing the attitude of the
majority of the press toward the
conservatism" displayed by the ma
tional gathering of the followers of
Marx at Detroit. The action of the
conclave in refusing to indorse the
third internationale. the red revolu-
tion and the dictatorship OF the pro-
letariat is looked upon by many as
the end of the party as political
force and by some as a sign that 1t
is waking up" but the comment on
the whole is one of relief and salts
faction.
That the pendulum" is swinging
toward conservatism even in the
la Dor world" is evident to the Pitts
burgh Leader progressive republican,
in the conservatism" of the socialist
convention and the split at Detroit
tant force" While the Spokane
Spokesman Review independent re-
publican) considers that the COM
munistic issue" was ''straddled' since
the soviet form of government was
neither indorsed nor condemned by
the convention. still it Showed
CLEAN of intelligence and a glmmer
of patriotism when it killed reso-
luton to forbid socialist representa-
tives in Congress voting for military
or naval appropriations" A some
what cynical view is taken by the
Springfield Union (republican) when
it says that Russia spilled the beans
and the only thing left for the
Detroit socialists to do was to shake
their fist at Lenin' for dispelllns
their illusions by trying TO make
socialism work"
The ST. Joseph hIoD News Press
independently. thinks they have seen
the light" and sanity" characterized
their successful efforts to put down
the extremist, and disclosed, as the
Fort Wayne Journal-Ga%ette tdemo-
cratic) puts it. "a decided line OF
cleavage between socialism as 1t is
understood by the dominant party in
America" and the supporters OF the
Russian regime. The Ashbury Park
On. j. Press independent demo-
cratic). believes this is sign that
they are waking up but adds that
even the big swing toward con
servatiSm now made by the party
will hardly serve to regain the lost
membership" due largely. in the
opinion of the FL Paso Times (demo-
cratic) to the failure of socialism
to function where it has been tried"
Now fighting for its life. its back
to the wall" the St. Louis Post
Dispatch independently considers it
mental growth" and its hard shell of
biSotry" which has turned away SO
many Of its followers. appears at
last to be giving away" Since a
party needs votes and the socialist
party isn't unlike others" the Mil
siders it only natural that "a con-
ciliatory attitude toward milder
movements" is evident with the stern
principles" put away in a closet with
rose leaves
1t is ''eNperiency" that prompted
HillQuit and Berger, says the Chatta
nooga Times independent democrat
to quash the extremists showing that
"radlcallsm is on the wane' and this
step, the Canton News tdemocratic)
agrees. is "a most wise and COM
mendable one"
However. not all the writer's are
willing to accept the apparent re
forms" as made in good faith. Says
the Salt Lake Tribune (republican):
so long as socialism embraces with
in its ranks of eXponents those who
prefer the red flag of the Moscow
internationale to 100 per cent Ameri-
caniSm. the Bergers and the Hillquits
will find it necessary to employ more
drastic means than denunciatory
words IL the socialist party is to be
rehabilitated as a factor in political
affairs"
The st. Paul Pioneer Press Gnde-
pendenD goes even further. doubling
even the motives of those who op-
posed the radicals. The attitude"
it says. "of such leaders as Berger
and Hillquit will deceive nobody" in
deed. it continues: 1T is doubtful
whether people of thought and loyal
ty of purpose will not perfer the
brutal candor of the kruse and Eng
hahl species OF communism to the
hypocritical policies of the boudoir
socialists of the Hillquit type. The
basic color of the socialists ensemble
is the same no matter what the sur
face shade may be. The pink and
the scarlet work to the same end
even though the methods of one may
be subtle and deceptive and the other
be coarse and brutal"
Granting that tn . convention start
ed along the righ. path when it re-
fused to indorse the soviet as pos
sible form of government for the
United States" the Detroit Free
Press independently. declares that "it
stumbled and fell lamentably," when
it declined to take positive con-
dempatory attitude. thus more than
neutralizing the good it did and rails
ing "a question of the sincerity of
the party and placing it under sus-
picion Of being IAN organization ruled
ciple and capable Of treachery to the
country If treachery should ever
seem profitable"
A Sloganized World.