The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-01-29
The 'Kaiser's Socialist" Confesses

These words from the confession, not of
prince not of whiteguard officer of the Kasers army
not of court prostitute of Potsdambut from the
fesson of Philip Scheidema leader of the sociademocrac
party of Germany and of the chiefs of the Second Inter-
national of which the Socialist Party of the United States
is part The words quoted from Memories OF Social
Democrat Schedemanns latest book published in Dresden
Germany.
The time was just before the abdation of the Kaiser
in 1918
"Comrade" Schedemann had just looked out of Win
dow and demonstration of workers and soldiers He
the time awaiting anxousy the pleasure of the A
Highest Wilhelm Hohenzoern who, he respectfully hoped,
will resign merely in order to quiet the Schede
mann is still His Maestys Minister and is still loyal but
he takes the liberty of the situation of tele
phonng the Kanzere to ask whether the Kaiser has
signed yet After the workers pouring out onto the
streets shouting for revenge upon the imperial government
of which he is sill mnister) Mr.. Schedemann becomes
bold resign before Wilhelm has abdicaed He
sees the flooded with the red tide of workers and
soldiers topped with glering bayonets 1t the Revo
luton. The streets rang with the cry A to the
workers councils!
And so Mr. Scheidemann Morris Hilqus present leader
and even then steady contributor the Jewish Daily For
ward knew that the of the German workers Revo
lutonthe moment toward which the whole working class
had looked forward for threeuarters of century
was at hand Red Germany! German Socialist Soviet
Republic! Union of Socialist Soviet Republics extending
from the Pacific Ocean to the English Channel
But this nightmare to Herr Scheidemann, the
Kasers socialist. mo! thousand times Nor writes he,
in describing his role at the time And then Mr. Sehedemann
did his bit again for the enemies of the German working
class He rushed the Rechstag building peered through
window at the demonstration that filled the square, and
shouted that the Republic is proclaimed!"'
Schedemann is perfectly cod-blooded about it. In his
very expensive volume he admits that the purpose
of his action in procamng the Republic to defeat the
workers which would otherwise surely bring into
being workers Soviet Republic.
1t is the confession of political sneak-thef, stool
pigeon the labor But Scheidemann tells it with
sign of shame He makes secret of the fact that his
purpose to hold the German capitalist class in the saddle
any cost In the early days this done by deception
by the lying and sneakng and conspng with the big capt.
taist chiefs which has become highly developed art of
socialdemocracy throughout the wordjust smaller
scale yet is art practiced by the Socialist Party
leaders here in the United states in every class struggle But
later Comrade Noskes turn with the guns of the
wheguard regiments turned against the of workers
in Berlin and the Ruhr and throughout Germany The merc
less png rivers the workers blood upon the streets of
Berlin the final triumph of this working class leader
Scheidemann went through many stages AS the Kasers
unkey who with his party voted the credits and helped
to mobilize the workers for the perast again as the
Kasers funkey whose party boosted that alone prevented
revolution from interruptng the mperast
the Kasers funkey who did all in his to keep the
'Al Highest the throne again the flunkey who pro
claimed the Republic only last resort to prevent the
establishment of the workers rule yet another time the
funkey who slaughtered the workers to keep the
bourgeoisie in power and finally the key who strove to
the limit of his power to bring about periais encrce
men ard final bloody crushing of the Union of Socialist
Republics
This is Scheidemann the shameless To mention his
amazingly servle boasts of the Kasers paronzing cop
mens to him for his political sneakng for the government
during the war; would be to complete the picture.
And there is nothing unusual strange about all OF this
except the frankness with which it told! Schedemann
is not strange exception is the typical socialist of
today. He still the "comrade of Abe Cahan, Jim Oneal
Norman Thomas Marer Hqut and the Socialist Party of
America.
Scheidemanns story is not the confession of indi
vdual is the confession of whole yellow international
through the mouth of one of it's foremost leaders
This exposure of the function of the Socialist Party
of America just much exposure of the function
Of all other sociademocratc parties Of all countries.
That is why we the Communists must fight these pro-
fsssona traitors and butchers of the working class without
They become the end the last buwark of the capt.