Evening Past. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1902.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 141, 11 December 1902, Page 4

Evening Past. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1902.

SOCIALISM IN GERMANY. The death of Herr Krupp, the famous ironfounder, gave Emperor William of Germany an opportunity of initiating a strong movement against the rising power of Social Democracy. Herr Krupp's great factories naturally appeal to the national aspirations and vanity of the German people. He has competed, successfully with foreign rivals in the manufacture of weapons of warfare, and has consequently played no small part in raising his Fatherland to its present military pre-eminence. In a rash moment the Socialistic press made reckless charges against his private character. The Emperor, with a flash of that political insight which has stood him in good stead on many occasi6ns, saw in the deceased manufacturer's funeral an occasion for turning this unwise attack against the Social Democratic party itself. He made a vigorous appeal to the workmen to vindicate their late employer's honour and cut themselves loose from an organisation which could be guilty of defaming a dead patriot. A movement started by high dignitaries and leading commercial 'men of the Empire has, with, the Emperor's approval, developed

into a regular crusade against the Social Democrats. A "Kaiser Party" to eqnibat Socialism has been formed in the Reichstag, and the Emperor is preaching whenever he speaks, as, for instance at Breslau kst week, the aati-Socialistic gospel he enunciated over Herr Krupp's renaaans at Essen. This means that the Tbarone and the leaders of society, as at present organised, are rallying for a desperate struggle with Socialism. From the British constitutional point of view, the Sovereign of Germany is unwise to ally himself with any political* party or group of parties against a particular set of politicians. In Germany, however, conditions are different to what they are in the United Kingdom, and it would be a mistake to judge the Emperor's conduct by British standards. The Social Democrats, too, although they have been year by year becom^umore practical and growing more 'rfl- a j? progressive Parliamentary fact-„ jj.ni re tain revolutionary planks in. their platform %L ?' rev ° utlon "Xr extremists in their ranks. Theo^^j therefore T h im ls .f e '-mmate overthrow "s the Throne, the nobility, property-own-ers, the Church, and tlle o f existo n rL S °tTr^ d r Uti * Cal ins «tuitl iX - •* " a ree £ tate and a sociaiistic moiety niay be established. It is e -carcely to be wondered that with «Uch objects before them, even if they are not prepared to urge them in the immediate present, they should excite the opposition of the Throne and bf all those who have anything to lose, or think they have anj-thing to lose by a possible social revolution. The steady growth of the Social Democratic vote at the Reichstag elections has, no doubt, 1 caused grave anxiety to the ruling classes of Germany, and as a general election is due next June 'Hi is easy to account for the eagerness with .which they seize upon any chance of weakening the hold that Socialism nas obtained over the German working-class. In 1871, just after the federation of the Empire, thfe Socialist vote was 101,927 ; ten yeanj later, in 1881, it was 311,961; in 1890 it was 1,427,000; and at the last elections, in 1898, it was no less than 2,120,009> considerably larger 1 than that of "any other single party, au& jnore than a quarter of the total votes recorded. Not only has the ofthiaA Vote of the Social Democrats increas&d at this rapid rate, but a growing sympathy with socialistic or quasi-sooialistic experiments of a ncm-revt>lutionary character has been illustrated by the so-called "Socialists of. the Chair " or academic political economists and by Christian socialistic organisations, Catholic and Protestant. Hitherto, the Social Demecfats have been weak in the rural districts and strong in the- towns. If the -peasants could be got to unite with the -urban workers, as Professor Mommsen, who seems to be coming out as a "Socialist of the Chair," suggeste, Social Democracy might have the preponderance of power in the coming Reichstag. The recent alliajice of the Government with the Agrarians will probably force a union of ihe moderate progressive forces of the country, which may encourage the Social Democrats to push their revolutionary Socialism further into the background, and so help the creation of a Radical and Labour party. On the other hand, the Agrarian policy may meet with approval from the peasants and prevent them from joining the town "Workmen. This is apparently what Professor Mommsen fears. It is quite evident that the revolutionary doctrines and extreme theories of Social Democracy can only be rebutted by reforms that will undermine the foundations on which they are built, and consequently the crusade of the Emperor and the magnates will scarcely succeed, unless it is accompanied by drastic legislative measures for the improvement of the condition of both urban and rural workers.