Show I 1 iwa making icing tomorrows i tomorrows world by W WILLIAMS 11 LIAMS dean of an actu uta juao GERMANY A REPUBLIC munich bavaria every social democrat la is synonymous with enemy ot of the nation 41 and of tho the fatherland the words are from nn an official letter ot of william II 11 emperor of germany again and again in spirit it not in exact substance he has repeated the statement nor has haa the german emperor more powerful than any other european monarch hesitated j d to use his bis enormous power toward suppression ot of tho the party which he so vigorously denounced noun ced electorate 30 per pep cent socialist ile he has allied with him in this determined ter mined opposition the clerical and conservative classes combinations ot of capital and possessors sors ot of privilege the agricultural interests the less radical liberals of the middle class and yet nearly one voter in every three in germany to la a social democrat the largest single party Is the social democratic party and its membership ber ship organized on an military and well disciplined lines Is with occasional and temporary lapses steadily increasing tho the figures which political statistics furnish showing its progress are sufficiently impressive as to its growing strength and importance in thirty years it has increased the number of 0 its voters from to more than from 6 to 30 per cen cent centon tot of the total number of votes polled with representatives de spite an absurdly inequitable suffrage system in a reichstag or parliament of members far more impressive even than these thesa figures are the conversations ot of the man in the street the program which to him Is gospel the organization which he be has built up and maintained and forward the treno trenchant hant dally daily newspaper which he bo rends reads these will count whether we approve or disapprove in tomorrows Ger germany vany and tomorrows germany is to ta loom largo in tomorrows world I 1 what social democrats ata demand the th parti platform or program may lie he summed up in few words the editor of declared it thus adult suffrage one vote for each man and each woman government responsible to parliament local self government referendum voluntary militia freedom of speech and of the press equality of woman and man before the law no state church compulsory attendance with free tuition at state schools tree free legal proceedings medical attendance and burial provided by the state progressive income tax and succession duty in advocating this program the social democratic party has other and less clearly defined purposes it 11 Is committed through its leaders to an attack upon the church which has led its more radical members and official utterances to ito approve atheism the party Is confessedly and entirely atheistic said a berlin conservative journalist on the tha contrary the man in the street while attacking t the he church as a kind of at class privilege Is frequently careful to distinguish between church and religion between and the deity indeed an entire section of the party or ally of it the christian social union as its name suggests Is at variance with the doctrines of atheism for peace and hla his throne the abolition of monarchy Is of course held as an end to which the social democrats look forward it Is not strange that the emperor via views ws the party with such scornful and nt disapproval the assertion Is often heard in german cafes that the emperor war lord as aa he Is and aad seeker after military renown has haa beer been constrained to become an advocate of peace many times and just now in the latest but not the last balkan struggle for tho iho predominant reason that a war might and probably would mean the downfall of the monarchy ve deaca aco and a throne have bava been preferred above war and william private citizen the kaiser keeps his own counsel and the assertion maya may be wholly unjustified but there have been twenty five years without war and the emperor at af berlin still rules the purpose of ota a program la Is some edme I 1 times morel more ilsc aya of a party lantya lart ya desire than tha program itself 1 this his huge party has expressed pr ts ta in much writing mriln oad of making kingi nany books on the social democratic party ra germany germani there la 16 no end much mitch translated quotation there fromes la a weariness to the flesh A dinglo dingi a quotation from an official handbook of the party with an early announcement inno of purpose ae furnished lt the office of the official organ will suffice the aim of social democracy Is divide all property but to com jilce it and tte the development and improvement ot of mankind in order to give to all a ufa life worthy of man work shall become a duty for all men able to work the word ot of the bible lie ile that does doea not work neither shall he be eat shall become a true word declares for lavo marriages marriage in contradiction to religious te teachings achin la Is in innumerable cases a financial transaction pura and simple woman has value in the eyes of 0 man only when she has haa a fortune and the more money the she has haa tho the higher rises her value therefore marriage has haa become a business and thousands meet in the mair marriage lage market for instance by advertisements in newspapers in which a husband or a wito is ia sought bought in the same way in which a house or a pig Is offered for sale consequently unhappy mar biages havo have never been more numerous than at the present time a abato of affairs which Is in contradiction W t the real nature of marriage soda democracy desires that marriages be concluded solely from mutual love and esteem which la Is only possible it man and woman are free and independent if each has a free existence and av ao individual personality and Is therefore not compelled to buy the oth other er or to bo be bought this state of freedom and equality la Is only possible ir in the socialistic society who desires to belong to a church shall not be hindered but he only shall pay tor for the expenses of his church together with his bis co religion ests the schools and the whole educational system shall be separated from the church and religious societies bo be causo education Is ia a civil matter wants brotherhood of nations the god of christians la Is not s german trench rench russian or fa english glish god but a god of all men mem an international god god Is the god of love lova and peace and therefore it borders upon blasphemy that the priests of different christian nations invoke this thia god of love to give victory to their nation in the general slaughter it Is equally blasphemous it if the priest of one nation prays the god ot of all nations tor for a victory over another nation in striving to found a brotherhood of nations and the peaceful operation cooperation co of nations in the service of civilization social democracy acts fi K 4 4 N s 41 august sebel bebel in a most christian spirit and tries to realize what the christian priests of all nations together with the christian monarchs hitherto would not 0 or could not realize reallie ze by combining I 1 ng t the 0 workers of nations social democracy tries to effect a federation of nations in which every state enjoys equal rights and in which the peculiarities of the alner t ner character of every nation naion may peacefully do celop the antl anti socialist finds in 1111 these thes 0 principles attacks upon the state society the mon monarchy chy the family the church and is quick to denounce both program and principles leaders able followers devoted the social democratic martyle par party tyle ia remarkable in the high personal character and ability of its leaders and in the well nigh blind devotion of the followers alnut exclusively a party of workingmen strongest in the industrial du centers its leaders are men from the ranks ranka who in many cases give their services without pay supporting themselves and their families by dally toll toil in shop or factory the funeral in SwItzer switzerland lad of an august bebel bong along the leader of the party took place a few days ago the praises to bebeles intellect and char numerous even in aber government press before hla his portrait draped in crepe in the window of ahm newspaper office was seen a veritable procession of german reverently pausing to pay silent client tribute while debel bebel was olive alive the great german historian professor had bad gritl oan everybody in germany knows taba with brains bradna like those of debol debel it I 1 would be possible to furnish forth a dozen nub from froin east of vie the me elba in in a fashion that would make theao shine among their peers of 01 the followers professor wrote the devotion the tha self sacrificing e cirit ot of the masses inaBa ea impresses Impre ases even rss le who are tar far from sharing their alms some causes cause of bartys growth the german government tried force to suppress the growth crowth of the tha social socia ll democratic party and then tion alon of oc its leaders but without avail Work mens insurance allowed the unemployed benefit of great britain but this too had no effect the tha party continued to grow the tha immorality suggested by the advertising in the newspapers and by the terrible fact that one of every ten births in germany Is illegitimate tho the low wages and crowded housing of tho the working classes the official casto caste system even the tha democracy taught in the schools whoa sons sona of kaiser and d day ay laborer sit on the same bench were causes c contributing to its ita growth the founder of tho the social democratic party in germany was william liebknecht who began at the suggestion of his wife the movement liebknecht was a poor journalist when bhea iha he had bad created and organized the party and was serving in his old ago age as editor of after having been in jall from tima to time for his political opinions boldly expressed he was sharply crosa croes examined by a committee of the party as to his household expenses and censured for keeping it a domestic servant and accepting a salary as editor instead of living like an ordinary ry workingman not a job getting party the party has succeeded to the tha present time in maintaining a strict democratic equality and a rigid discipline among its members it to is aided of course in its discipline by tho the spirit of organization which is drilled into the german from childhood its leaders are never beyond party criel cism but its masses act as a unit under the leaders direction it has added strength because it has not permitted itself to be used by politicians to get jobs it has been a cause which lias has held the members together rather than a campaign to get offices all this added to the ills considerable and widespread industrial discontent has baa increased tho the membership of the party bringing to it at the elections many bankers merchants and professional men of advanced liberal views who were disappointed at the ineffectiveness of the liberal parties which like most else in germany live under govern government me nt inspiration and displeased at the ineptitude of their leaders Is substantially a unit what is tho the future of the social democratic party others than the german kaiser and those of the he established order aro are asking this question most seriously in part duo due to its influence though perhaps more large ly due to the paternalism of the government and other causes much much progress has beeri been made in the wide field of social reform the party has haa remained substantially a unit bebeles towering influence aided in maintaining this unity ilia his successor without bebeles historical importance though possessed of his ability may not be ba able to prevent the rise of discordant factions and the destruction of the party as so many other parties have been destroyed on tho the rock of personal ambition already three distinct schools or factions struggle tor for supremacy the older and more radical faction wish to insist on all their reforms in their entirety or none the younger or revisionist vis lonist elements apparently now the stron stronger jer are willing to join with the liberals and others to get halt a loaf today rather than no bread expecting the whole loaf tomorrow a third and influential faction seek to harmonize the old and the new schools preserving unity of action bartys future provision discussion of the general strike as a political weapon Is acute just now as in criticism by the radicals of their representatives in the reichstag who voted according to the revisionist principles for direct instead of indirect taxation for milt airy purposes as aa the lesser leaser of two evils these thesa discussions are of less consequence than consideration of the future of the party as a whole there are no signs that this future will be less leas important in the empire than has been the bartys past indeed the contrary appears probable the social democratic party in a country where men and wor woren moren en are educated to understand and do what they are told without asking for any reasons I 1 la superbly organized its leaders have balo courage common sense cense ability the tha confidence of the tha rank and ills file it to Is tho the one potent political force for democracy in germany today all that it appes it may not soon it if at all ao com comi ilish under tinder its influence how over ever or the influence of tho the party or parties into which it breathes life bureaucracy feudalism and caste now so obnoxious in this mighty nation will be ba shorn of much of their offensiveness 0 veness ness and power short of to EO clallam germany may be content with a republic whatever ele elbe may como come from the detor determined mined struggles of the social democrats it la Is certain that william 11 II Is tho last german emperor who will write in the golden book of munich supreme Su prema lex volun tas ilia successor kaser or president will crite rather the tha n aito on massouris Mis souris coat of arms anna salus Bil supreme prema lex esto ile he will live up P to the motto or falling failing lose his job or perhaps ills hla hold for this germany was the social democratic party P ty and abetted by the german emperor himself to thank copyright lili 1914 by joseph joaeph B |