SOCIAL DEMOCRATS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 87, 5 January 1918, Page 8

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS

Sir, —Prior to this war breaking out we were led to believe that should the German War Lord wish to cause an upheaval in Europe that the Socialists of that country, who were supposed to be in strong force, would by an absolute majority, refuse.to fight; in fact, would lay down their arms sooner than come to'blows with their international brethren. But what did we see? Simply nothing done, with the exception of a solitary one here and there who had the courage of their convictions, and who havo suffered for them. The balance have .aided their War Lord and his lesser lights to carry murder, miserv, and arson into every country, thev have touched. When thev thought that tilings were going bad with them, they, in coniunction with their master, called the Stockholm conference, so' as to include all international Socialists, which happilv turned out a, fiasco. >:<it being content, they have, through their, money, which the German Government is alwavs willing to snare when there is anything to bo gamed, stirred up strife'in all Hie Entente countries and have tried by all means m their power to stop reinforcements from- arriving at the front, The sample of Socialists which we have here include some of. the same kidney who are alwavs prating about conscription., hut who take eoqd care, to lot the other fellow do their share of the battling, and likewise take his hard-earned wages to keep them in comfort. To my mind the Socialism of to-day is nothing but n Gcrmn manufactured article, and should be labelled as such, seeing that it is to that country which wo own most of its origin. To my mind a small quotation from the Italian paper "Corripre Delia S«ra" sums up the position ivell: "Thr Socialists of whatever ilk in whatever Entente country found i>re work-ins with blind infatuation vn the supreme interests not of their own country, hut of the enemy's. Germain's last hope after her huge armies, her Zepnelins, and her submarines have failed,"is based on the moral stench' and putrefaction of all their asphyxiating Socialist cas in the Allied countries."—l.am, etc., •avtT