The Dominion FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1917. THE GERMAN SOCIALISTS' CONSPIRACY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3105, 8 June 1917, Page 4

The Dominion FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 1917. THE GERMAN SOCIALISTS' CONSPIRACY

An announcement is mado to-day which should servo a useful purpose in helping- to expose and discredit the peace manoeuvres Germany is conducting through the agency of tile Socialist Majority.Party in tho ,'Eoichstag. The international section of the German Socialist Minority, it is stated, refuses to attend tho Stockholm Conference. Herr Mbhrikq, the leader, explains to the Russians that he refuses to attend the same conference as Here Scheideimnn, who is merely assisting German Imperialism. It is particularly important that Here MehRING's explanation is addressed to the Russians, since it is chiefly with a view to oozening Russia that Germany planned the elaborate comedy whioh is now being staged at Stockholm, and in. which Herr Scheideimjtn and his oolleagues are cast for tiie leading roles. In other Euro- , j?ean countries' the real nature of the conference at Stockholm is generally recognised or admitted, except by minority factions like that which made itself heard the other day at Leeds, but Germany hopes that Russia, as a result of her internal divisions and disorders, is in a state to be fooled and deceived. It is the pious mission of Herr Scheibemann and the other nominal democrats with whom he is associated to turn conditions in Russia _ to the best possible account in tho interests of German Imperialism and despotic militarism. Anything which tends, as Herr Mehring's yarning does, to enlighten those sections in Russia which aro only too ready to welcome advances made ostensibly in the name of Gorman democracy is therefore to be very heartily welcomed. If the Russian Socialists and Labour representatives become fully aware of the true character of the German Socialist mission to Stockholm Germany's hopes of a separate neaoe_,with Russia will vanish utterly and finally. Though thero is no doubt that the revolution in Russia awakened consternation in the minds of tbo German autocrats, they at once set themselves with all their accustomed energy and enterprise to turn _ to their advantage the new, conditions created by the revolution. Ample evidence exists, also, 1 that they found tho leading members of tho Socialist Party, most of Whom had been throughout blindly obedient and submissive to their behests, very useful instruments in this emergency.. An obvious opening for German scheming was given when the more enthusiastic promoters of the Russian revolution addressed an eager invitation to the people of other countries, and particularly to the people of Germany, to follow Russia's example. At the end of March the Council of Workmen's and Soldiers' Delegates issued a manifesto to tho peoples of all countries, and more particularly to the German "brothers of tho proletariat," whom it called) upon to "cast riff the semi-despotic yoke, as the Russian people have thrown off the autocracy of Tsardom." The manifesto concluded: Workers of all ooimtries, in extending to you a fraternal hand over,mountains of brothers' corpses, across rivers of innocent blood and. tears, and through the gmoking ruins of towns and villages and tho destroyed treasures of civilisation, ive summon you to n renewal and strengthening 1 of international unityTherein lies a gage of our victory and ot our complete freedom.

At about the samo time M. ChkHEIDZE, the Labour Leader, speaking at a meeting, said: • Tho watchword ot the . manifesto _ is "Dowi with William-"- I a addressing ourselves to the Germans wil do not let our rifles out of our hands. If the Germans will not listen to lis we shall tight for our liberty to tho last drop ot blood. No' direct response was made to this, invitation, but even before theßussiaa appeal was issued the Gorman Government had initiated an elaborate scheme to offer a separate peace to the pacifist group of Russian Socialists. Five leading German Socialists, including Hemi SITDEKUIt, lett Berlin for Stockholm as early as March >19, in tho hope of getting into touch with tho Russian pacifists. Before starting Sudekum and his colleagues had a long conference with tho Imperial Chancellor, and no doubt they carricd out his instructions as faithfully as ScHEiDEmann and his colleagues are doing at .tho present hour. Qther German Socialists in tho days < immediately following the revolution went to Zurich, Berne, Geneva, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen to persuade Russian Socialists living in those towns to return to Russia and agitato there for pcace. One of the German emissaries, addressing a meeting of Russian bociahsts at Geneva, said: '.'1 pledge my word that there will Ijo a revolution in jiorliii twenty-four hours «/£«'_ peace has been signed. Brothers, give us peace, and wo will give you a, splendid revolution in Germany. f n° re " upon, according to the Vt lreless Press correspondent who forwarded the news, the Russians at Geneva jent a. telegram urging their Petro-

gracl (tfiimule's to end the war. But those at Petrograd apparently did not full irito this trap. They were not so easily duped. If there are any .Russian Socialists who still believe that the German Socialists are honest and sincere in their peacc advances, they must be even more simple and conliding than those who were so easily fooled at Geneva. Many Russians undoubtedly believed in the early days of the revolution that a similar uprising- against despotism was imminent in Germany, and that the German Socialists with whom they wero in touch spoke as tho representatives, of a democracy about to cast off its fetters and meet them on oven terms. To entertain such an opinion to-day would bo to ignore ah overwhelming body of evidence to tho contrary. Enough light h.r been cast recently upon political conditions in Germany to prove beyond, doubt not only that 110 strong, organised party in that country is intent upon forcing a revolution but that thcro is no real sign of an inclination on the part of tho German people to revolt. The attitude of Scheidejiann and his colleagues of the Socialist Majority "Party has nover been in question. They have acted and spoken throughout In har- ] mony with tho German Government in regard to all essential . issues. They havo supported its war policy and approved its exactions, and it cannot be doubted that they are acting as its instruments in the mission to Stockholm. Some Socialists of the Minority profess to have hopes of a revolution after tho war, fiut their own utterances show how little foundation there is a,t present for such a hope. Russian Socialists, and their fellow countrymen of other political views, are blind if they do not. recognise that tho £tc-> tual lesson of lato events is that the German Socialists as a body are merely playing the game of Germany to suit the plans of the German War Lords.