The Washington times., 1922-07-16

berlin, July I5.--Walter Rath-
en4u. Germany's foreign minister
also her greatest industrial or
gahizer and her most far-seeing,
sa&acious statesman, wrote a book
SHORTLY before he was assassinat-
ed. In it he criticised capitalistic
efforts to keep labor in chains
and, at the same time. attacked
orthodox Socialism as a "dream,"
fand Sovietism as a disease"
4 Foretold War Result.
All three movements, he wrote,
are but symptoms of the world
revolution in the organization of
! society now going on.
This extraordinary man, the larg-
est employer in Germany, was the
only eminent German who foretold,
with exactness, the result Of the war
J two years before II happened. He
was turned out of office by the
former kaiser because of his warn
ing. ..E# a
This fact makes Walter Rath.
enau's opinions, just before the Ger
man monarchists murdered him, Of
special interest and Importance. A
condensation OF his last utterances
has been made for the Heart papers
al follows:
A human society will be complete.
ly socialized only when no one can
have an income without working for
1t. This goal is not equality, re.
duction Of toll, or increase of the
enjoyment of life. II is the abolition
Of the prolectarian condition; the
abolition Of the lifelong serfage, the
Il. A..
annulment of the hereditary, two.
abolition of the enslavement Of
brother by brother, of that western
abuse which is the basis of our CIV
ilization as slavery was of the an
cient civilization, and which vitiates
30 many of our efforts, our creations
and our joys.
Based on the Tavern.
The political object which I have
described may be closely approached
by a suitable policy in regard to
by a limitation of the right of in
heritance; not by a limitation of
the rewards Of those who contribute
greatly to the convenience, the
comfort, or even the happiness of
mankind by their talents for in.
vention or organization, or skill
Of management.
What is necessary is to with.
draw from the sluggish hands of
the governing classes the determine
ton of time and Of method and
place II in hands that have a
better title of leadership and
through them to the whole COM
monalty, which at present stands
helpless =.
Democracy means the rule of the
people only when the people think
politically. The symbol of German
bourgeois democracy Is the tavern;
thence enlightenment is spread, and
there Judgments are former; II is
the meeting place of political asso.
Citations the forum of their oraters
the polling. booth where public
opinion is registered in advance OF
elections.
The most dangerous of class
rnonopolies is not the hereditary
monarchy, or even aristocraoy: II
10 that of plutoracy. 1t can be
destroyed only by the genuine de
mocratization of the state and pub
he economy and a system Of uni
versal education. For only by edu
cation can the people learn to
avoid wellmeaning Utopias and the
blissfully ignorant assumption oi
doctrinaires who pursue policies Of
popular wellbeing exaggerated ten
fold beyond all possibility. These
always lead to failure and produce
reaction.
Behind In Politics.
Multitudes of people, including
me most young ones, aDe guided
oftener by negative impulses thar
by positive ones-not by the effort
TO get something, but to get away
from something else. To this effort
which is really a flight to ills we
know not of, we give the positive
name Socialism" without troubl
ing ourselves to think what Il
means:
We Germans, for instance, arr
fairly we'll educated in business, ir
science, in thought, but in polite.
we are about on the same level a,
the East Slavonic peasant. At bes
we know-and even that not al
ways-what oppresses, vexes anc
fortures us. We know our griev
snces and think we have conceived
q cure:
many. No one seriously desired II
we have at last established parlia
mentarianism. No one wanted II
We have set up kind Of Socialism
A majority did not believe in It. W.
used to say: 'The people will liv'
and die for their princes; our las
drop of blood for the Hohenzollerns!'
Mo one denied II! The people meaI
20 be ruled by their hereditary lords
they win go through fire for thei
officers; rather death than yield |
foot OF German soil to the foe"
Only Habit Thought.
was all this a delusion? BY n,
means. II was sincere enough. Blu
n was a habit OF thinking: cot a deel
conviction. 1t was the kind of sin
certify which depends on not knowing
what might happer-what alterns
tiyes might be presented.
When the alternatives were pre-
sented as not merely possible bu
actual, we all turned republican
when the military strike had broker
down discipline, Prussian officer
we're man.handled. When the wa
was lost, the fleet disgraced and tn
homeland defiled, then we became
republic--and began to play an
dance.