June 14, 1917 
LAND & WATHK 
II 
in other ways, have taken care that the nip should be both 
painful and insulting. So Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzer- 
land, and above all, Holland, are ready to " show zeal " in 
favour of their great military neighbour ; fear, not love, 
being the impelhng motive. 
German Social Democrats 
But there is another set of men who arc still more amenable 
to German designs and can be still more effectively used, on 
account of their legitimate influence with considerable numbers 
of working people. These are, of course, the Socialists of 
the various countries, who are entirely opposed to the war, 
on the ground that a victory for Germany could not make 
the condition of the wage-earners of all nations worse than 
it is, and that, consequently, this war is a hideous holocaust 
of working men, carried on in the interest of the capitalist 
class which ought to be put a stop to at once. Now Gemiau 
statesmen have at their command, ready to do their bidding 
in any way whatever, the majority of the Social-Democrats 
of Germany. Men like Scheidemann, Siidekum, Ebert, 
David, Heine, Noske and others are the official agents of the 
German Government. Their paper Vorwdrts — whose record 
in the past was honourable enough — has become a semi- 
official organ of the Wilhelm Strasse. They themselves have 
vigorously supported the Junker Party in all its campaign 
of atrocities, and were but yesterday as eager for annexations 
as any of their employers. The fact that Scheidemann and 
Siidekum were intimate friends and correspondents of the 
Independent Labour Party in England, and in particular of 
Mr. Ramsay Macdonald, before the war, is, from the German 
])oint of view, another advantage. Nothing, in fact, could 
be more convenient. 
So it was that Scheidemann and a comrade were 
sent off on a fishing expedition to the neutral States, in order 
to ]>repare the way for a really imposing " International " 
Sociahst Peace Conference — seeing that the Conferences of 
the Pcace-at-Any-German-Price Sociahsts at Zimmerwald 
and Kienthal have failed to deceive anybody, except those 
who had taken pains to deceive themselves beforehand. 
It was not a bad trick. Quite a large number of well-meaning 
people might be taken in"! The leopard was discarding his 
spots and the negro was changing his skin in the presence of 
all men. The transformation was dexterous. And the 
-(jmmittee of Dutch Socialists appointed, with Camillc 
Huysmans the Secretary, to carry on the detail business of the 
International Socialist Bureau during the war, were con- 
veniently manipulated, in such wise that they were persuaded 
to hold up the screen while this strange transformation was 
being effected. In other words, the Dutch Committee went 
out of its way to summon an International Socialist Con- 
ference at Stockholm, in accordance with Scheidemann's 
secret suggestions elsewhere on the part of the German 
Government. The Dutch Committee has no mandate what- 
soever to summon .such an International Socialist gathering 
in order to discuss tlic terms of peace ; there was no agenda 
formulated, of any kind ; the Socialists fighting at the front 
could not either send, or vote for, delegates ; and the Presi- 
dent of the International Socialist Bureau, M. Emilc Vander- 
velde, the Belgian Minister, expressed his determination not 
to attend. But what of that ^ The Dutch section issued 
their invitations all the same. M. Hjalmar Branting, a 
SwecUsh Socialist of high reputation and a strong pro-Ally 
man, was induced to accept the post of chairman ; and 
although tlie British section of the " International " voted 
against being represented, by a large majority, and the 
French Socialists at first did the same, active preparations 
for the assembly of the Conference continued to be pressed 
steadily forward. 
What ought to have warned the entire Socialist world as 
to the real meaning of the Conference, was the visit to Berlin 
of M. Trcelstra, the Dutch Deputy and the strongest member 
of the Dutch Committee, who, before the war, denounced 
German machinations against the rights of Holland in The 
I'orlnighlly Revieic and elsewhere. Arrived at the German 
capital. Tra'lstra actually had a long private interview with 
Herr Zimmermann, the German Foreign Minister. That, 
to my mind, was the most significant incident in the whole 
intrigue. Troelstra may have intended to act in all good 
faith ; but this private conversation with a German official 
of Herr Zimmerrnann's standing, stamped the whole Con- 
ference, coming as it did after Scheidemann's efforts, as a 
pro-German plot from start to finish. Not even Branting 
Chairmanship, nor Huysman's action with the Dutch con- 
veners can change this aspect of the aftair. 
Observe that, Qven so far, and presuming that the Con- 
ference, from one cause or another, is not held, Germany has 
to a large extent gained her ends. She has set SociaUsls to 
work in every belligerent country discussing terms of peace 
and filling the public mind with ideas of settlement, though 
not one of her statesmen has propounded any peace terms for 
Germany herself. All the time, too, she has been carrying 
on, first with the Emperor Nicholas, his Court camarilla and 
ministers, and then, alter the Revolution, witli the Russian 
anti-Nationalists, elaborate negotiations for a separate peace. 
What von Jagow and Stijrmer had begun, and nearly siic- 
ceeded in effecting, was continued by Zimmermann with 
the aid of Lenin and others. The Committee of Workmen 
and Soldiers, also, were by no means disinchned at first to 
listen to similar overtures. The Russians, too, following 
.the lead of the Dutch, are now anxious to call 
an International Socialist Conference themselves ; though 
they have even less right than the Socialists . of Holland 
to do so, and the basis of the Conference, as set forth, renders 
it certain that International Socialism must sufter greatly 
should it meet. Failing this, they say their delegates are 
going to Stockholm. 
Now, however, comes the most extraordinary surprise of 
all in this queer business. The French have more reason to 
feel deep and lasting anger against the Germans, their 
Scheidemanns, Siidekums and the rest of the champions of 
piracy and general German infamy, than any people except 
the Belgians. Yet when Marcel Cachin, Moutet and Lafont 
return from their mission to Petrograd, they bring with them 
appeals of such a startling character from their Russian Allies 
that the Frencii Socialists turn right round upon themselves. 
Majority and minority vote unanimously in fa^-our of sending 
delegates to Stockholm, there I i>resume, to embrace, with 
truly fraternal rapture, the very men who betrayed the whole 
Socialist movement in August, 1914, and from that time to 
this have looked on and applauded every outrage and horror 
inflicted upon Fiance. 
French Socialists 
What the full arguments used by Cachin and Muutet to 
beguile their comrades and to persuade them thus to 
give way to Scheidemann and Co., were, I do not know. 
But one statement made by Cachin is so utterly ridiculous 
that if it is a sample of the rest the French .Socialists are 
being terribly misled. Cachin said that Russia has 10,000,000 
soldiers and 100,000 ofticers ready to resist, and to attack, the 
enemy. The truth, of course, is that she has not, equij)ped 
and prepared for war, at this moment, more than half the 
troops we English have under arms ; that is to say, she may 
have at the outside, 2,500,000 men. I believe this last 
figme to be an exaggeration. Moreover, without nnmitions 
and supplies from us, even that army could not carry on. 
As an old Social Democrat I deeply regret that my French 
comrades, for whom I have always had the highest regard, 
should palter with the destinies of their glorious country at 
this critical moment. I consider that M. ^Ribot was quite 
right to refuse them their passports to Stockholm. I wish 
our own Foreign Office were not always afraid of its own 
shadow, and tlial it would for once pluck up a little courage 
and follow in the footsteps of the American President and tlie 
French Premier. 
What the (jcrman .Sociahsts, or, at any rate, the great 
majority of them, really want is tlie victory of their own 
aggressive militarism, no matter how obtained. They will 
all subordinate every other consideration to that, at Stock- 
holm or anywhere else. 'Wliat does Victor Adler, of Vienna, 
frankly tell us ? That Germany and the Germans must un- 
questionably have control of the International Socialist 
Bureau, and the International Sociahst movement generally, 
after, as before the war. It is their right ! And their prestige 
to be used again, I supj/ose, when convenient, to betray us 
ail again as they did nearly three years ago ? That is the 
general German view. F""or my pait, I regard with the gravest 
suspicion any efforts for peace made either by Sociahsts or 
others until the (icrmans arc beaten and have .stated their 
terms for cessation of hostilities. W'e must, therefore, 
shake off all war weariness and even distrust, however 
justifiable, while this, the greatest menace that has 
threatened the progress of humanity, is being finally crushed 
down. 
Those who oppose the policy of the nation and its 
AlHes must be fought tooth and nail. The French majouty 
thought to win over the minority by fair words and fraternal 
deeds. Consequently, the less has swallowed the greater. 
That ought to be a lesson to us. I am more of a revolutionary 
Social Democrat, if possible, than ever I was. But I am 
quite convinced that until German jackbootery and wholesale 
infamy are proved to be nnsHcccssfid and nnprofilable there 
is no hope for the Co-operative Commonwealth, National or 
International, and that pro-German pacifism is treachery 
to the human race. 
