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Show SOCIALIST ATTITUDE ASjOJRESENTM Editor Deserot News: There has been of Into much discussion dis-cussion in regard to tho position of International socialism to tho present world war. International socialism has been accused of going back on Its principles, especially tho ono which proclaims a class conscious working class all over tho world united in Its opposition to war. In order to understand tho position of Socialists In Europo today wo must return to tho very outsot of the war. The wur broke out with such rapidity that mediation nnd concerted con-certed action requiring tlmo wus Impossible. Im-possible. Let us take Germany. Tho Russian army was In active mobilization mobiliz-ation boforo war was fairly declared The question for Germans all Gcr-i Gcr-i mans was: German civilization versus ver-sus Russian barbarism. It tho Russian Rus-sian hordes Were to bo kept out of Germany, Immedlnto action was required, re-quired, Any opposition from tho Socialists So-cialists would havo been unfortunate In tho nauio of that civilization for which wo all have striven slnco we threw off the yoke ot mediaeval oppression op-pression and Ignoranco. Moreover, any opposition from tho Socialists would havo precipitated civil war In Germnny and though It Is accredited that ono third of tho Gorman army aro Socialists, It Is nevertheless only ono third, and the two thirds with their machine guus would havo annihilated anni-hilated tho Socialist third on masse. The latter condition holds true In all countries whoro thero exists compulsory compul-sory conscription. Unless all Socialists Social-ists of all countries Involved could have massed together In ono great army for mutual defence clearly Impossible Im-possible each separately would havo been destroyed. Thoro Is no doubt nt all In countries whoro soldiers are hired and men voluntarily Join, Socialists will not enter the army, as they aro utterly opposed to war, unless un-less as wo said before, an emorgency arises whero world principles of Socialism, So-cialism, which aro thoso of International Interna-tional Socialism, aro as firmly ground ed as ever and, In fact, nover beforo was more clearly Bhown how necessary neces-sary a change of social conditions Is In order, so that tho working class may not becomo tho pawn In tho hands of tho ruling classes. Let thoro bo no mlstako. It Is not stranger to seo a Socialist In a society soci-ety of compulsory conscription than to see Socialists in mills and mines working under present conditions whirh they abhor, but cannot aa yot change. For that matter, It is equally equal-ly anomalous to seo either Socialist sci'dler, wage slave or socialist millionaire. mil-lionaire. Conditions which Socialists ablwr, produce ull three. JOSEPHINE W. ELSTON, U.S. |