Evening star., 1925-08-02
HARDEN SEES Joke
IN RADICALS MOVE
Social Democrats Merely
Playing With Nationaliz-
ing Wealth.
BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN.

By Radio to The star. s.r
AMSTERDAM, August 1.-'Eco-
nomtc development has lawfully
caused the strengthening of capital
istic big business
Is this the triumphal cry of the
trust hammered from steel and lined
with gold? No, 1t stands at the head
of Germany'S new social Democratic
program.
This party, notoriouSly feared by
followers of Marx, who a thousand
times before during and after the war
prophesied the speedy downfall of
capitalism, now has grown stronger.
The flood which was to drown 1t only
swept away the former Socialist pro-
gram with other obsolete things.
The new program, which has been
three years in the making, also prom
ises destruction of the capitalist syS-
tenn, of course, but the promise is
somewhat like the Clergymans' con-
ISOLATION of a better world to come.
The Socialists want to. transform
the democratic republic into a state
unit with centralized government and
law administration. But the Bava
rians. SaXons, Wurttembergers and
many of the Prussians oppose this
tooth and nail. Also the farmers and
lnduStrialistS are against the plan.
which would prevent customs tariffs
and liberty from forming cartels, or
syndicates and which would increase
the income tax, transfer part or all
capitalist enterprises to the state, and
change all treasures of the soil and
all power sources from private own
ership to common property.
The labor party, says the program,
will specialize means of production
when 1t has gained political power.
But it has had this power in a land
ready for the most radical changes,
and the result is registered as
Strengthening of capital"
This loud confession of faith in the
approaching end of private property
is obviously to make the program
tastier to the untamed members who
separated from the party during the
war because it was on the side of the
imperial government. These untamed
ones called themselves Independents,
and only in 1922 were obliged, through
lack of funds. to return to the party
they had accused of the worst
treachery.
Red Query Ironic
The Communists then asked iron
fcally, with what power a party not
wanting a bloody revolution could
hope to realize a program of nation
alizing the soil, the mines. raw ma
terials, machines, etc, and insuring
international proletarian justice on
which a United States of England
could peacefully rest. The Commu-
nists' irony was only lessened by a.
Moscow decree suddenly changing
their strategy.
Zinoviev realized that Europe was
not yet ready for acute revolution
and therefore the German Commu-
nfstS were ordered, instead of waiting
For f1S SfYNy
form, helping the wage-earners es-
pecially; to creep into the trade unions.
whose rehabilitation should be their
next aim
1t was shown publicly at the party
assembly how until now women,
youths, small farmers, miners and the
like had been Influenced by different
brands of propaganda, as if this skill
fully managed agitation was now to
be regarded as terminated The i'm
portance of this change In Communist
tactics is increased by the Social
Democrats new program. 1t seems
as If both sides were preparing for
an attempt at union of the two par.
ties, which until now have been
strongly antagonistic.
Moscow is favoring this attempt as
we'll as proclaiming brotherhood with
Asia'S proletariat and hopes that the
unsettled labor situation in England
will engender a trade union alliance
which for every demand of principle
can put 100000 organized workmen
in the field.
A guarantee pact between insular
and continental trade unions would
facilitate concentrated attack on
capital and lead to labor conditions
which would shake, without d violent
revolution, the whole European sys-
tenn of private enterprise and prop
erty.
1t would be criminal not to listen
TO the threat expressed in the alliance
offer of French and British miners,
but ii would be stupid to be too much
intimidated. Everything must be
done as quickly as possible to i'm
prove the existence of the workman,
but property right still stands like d
red checked youth on firm legs, and
even capitals enemies affirm that he
has become stronger in the storms of
the last century.
rht