The Commoner
SEPTBMBEE, 1915
23
o
Militarism vs. Democracy
"Democracy had progressed to such
an extent in Europe that it was neces
sary for monarchial parties to have a
war, or change their methods of gov-
nrnment." So says Dr. John W.'
Slaughter, of the University of Lon
don, who is a native of Alabama and
now lives in England. That is the
view that was expressed by many
Americans when the war broke out
mord than a year ago.
Dr. Slaughter, says that many per
sons in this country do not under
stand the great progress that has
been made in social democracy in
Europe and he might have said that
most Americans do not understand
it; and that this is particularly true
of England. "Through popular ed
ucation, socialism, trades-unionism
and co-operative societies," he says,
"the common people of England have
been taught what their rights are
and how they can secure them.'
Of course, the privileged classes
including, the great , land-owners who
perform no services, yet have vast in
cbmes from ground rents have as
Dr. Slaughter points out, watdhed
the growth of the democratic idea in
Great JJritaiii,' wi$h alarm, just as the
privileged' classes in America .have
Watched 'with much alarm the growth
of the democratic idea in this coun
try. And (herej ;as An Great Britain
and in,i Germany, militarism is "pe
culiarly, .theuf unction of the ruling
classes; .. .
"When t the opportunity was pre
senfe'd' f6f 'engaging in wars without,
or of facing difficulties within," as
Dr. Slaughter puts if, Germany de
clared war;,.i Austria " declared- war,
Russia declared war- and GTeat Brit
ain declared! war foi? the common
people1 to tfight' and pay .for. That
easily and naturally and correctly ac
counts for the iefforts 6i men Of spe
cial privileges in this country to cre
ate a military spirit here.
Tho political and economic prob-H
iems at nomo are easily forgotten
when a nation is at war, or is busy
getting ready to fight a real or an
imaginary foe. It is easy for Tho
People to forget and turn aside from
their political and economic troubles
when calculating, scoundrelly con
spirators have cultivated hatred for
some nation. The People will not
willingly, bear tho expense of huge,
costly military and naval establish
ments unless they have been taught
to fear and then hate their brothers
of some other nation.
The interests the war trust and
but there has been a well defined im-ing of tho Whito Star lino steamer
pression that tho ouly immediate Arabic on August VJt which w
step would bo th. cancellation an-, eomniuuicatod to tho American ara
nounced today of tho nassnort of : bassador. James W. Gerard, for trans-
-- - m
I
Archibald, tho American who carried
tho intercepted dispatches.
COMPLETE
DUMBA
mission to Washington, is in tho for
of a inomorandum under dato of
September v, tho text of which fol
On August 10 a German subma- '
HnglJflh steamer
TEXT OF
LETTEK
A London cablegram, clatml Snnt Jrino stopped the
8, says: Here is the exact text in Eng-!Dun8lc' about sixteen nautical miles
liBh of tho Duinba letter, seized ! south of Kinoale, and was on the
ainonc the effects of Jamn p. J. 'point of sinking the prize by gun fire
Archibald, which has made such a uftcr thc crcv lmtl lcft tuo vessel. At
mis moment tne commander saw a
largo steamer making directly toward
him. Tho steamer, as developed
sensation in the United States:
New York, Aug. 20, 19 15.
My Lord:
Yeatordav ovonlno- nnnmii Onnnrxil later, was the Arabic. She was reo
VOn Nuhr ronnivnrl lltn ltiflnnnfl ntrin 'Ogllizod as ail enemy YCS30l, as BhJ
theThirooa orspooTal prlvncgo -""ota, f romiici rtlE? oC thS .- ,ro - -
luwwiy Known paper szauausag, alter ,;,.:; :"' k
a previous conference with him in When she approached she altered
pursuance of his proposals to arrango ll0f original course, but thon again
for strikes in tho Bethlehem, Schwab Pointed directly toward tho subma
Steel and Munitions War fac-tor-v and,rIne From this the commander bo-
in this country are alarmed for
fear that some of their privilege,
their power to take tribute from tho
people, will bo taken from them, and
it should be taken from them. Hence
tho demand for "preparedness."
Further, as Dr. Slaughter points
out, the British tories would lik'e to
see enforced military service "as a
basis' for the future, for imposing
militarism as an adjunct of the rul
ing classes." So, American tories
holders of special privileges, owners
of millions they have not earned
want enforced military service in this
country. That is one of the things
desired by the jingoes, by the war
trust, by all those who in the name
of "preparation for war in order to
maintain peace" would Prussianize
America.
The privileged classes of Europe
do not expect to pay for this War.
They expect to saddle the whole debt
upon tho plain people. So it is with
the privilege! classes of America,
who are willing to saddle upon work
ing people the huge cost of battle
ships and great armies. They would
have tho common people fight all the
battles and pay all the cost of pre
paredness and all the cost of the re-
Jsult of preparedness war. ban
Francisco Star.
also in tho middle west.
Dr. Archibald, who is well known
camo convinced that the steamer had
tho intention of attacking and ram-
to VOlir Inrrifthin. lfnvn tnrlnv n 1!im'nK him
o'clock on board the Rotterdam foi I . ln ordcr, t0 anticipate this .attack,
Berlin and Vienna. I take this rare,1? gavo orders for the submarine to
and safo nnnnrtunltv tn warmlvl dlvc and flred a torpedo at the
recommend tho proposal to your lord
ship's favorable consideration.
It is my impression that wo can
disorganize and hold up for months
if not entirely prevent the manufac
steamer. After firing ho convinced
himself that the people on board
were being rescued in fifteen boats.
"According to his instructions, tho
commander was not allowed to at-
fnr of miiniHnna iti nMiiintinm nnri ! tack the Arabic without warning anu
tho middle west, which in thc opinion (Without saving the lives of those on
of the German military attache is of ,board un,eB th,e Bh,lp attempted to
great importance and amply out-
United States Demands Recall of Dumba
Following are Associated Press
dispatches:
Washington, D. C, Sept, 9. Am
bassador Penfiefd, at Vienna, has been
instructed by cable tonight to inform
tho . Austro-Hungarian government
that Dr. Constantin Dumba no longer
is acceptable as an envoy to the
United States and to ask his recall.
Secretary Lapsing .formally an
nounced rtho, action tonight. It was
the answer of the American govern
ment to Dr.. Rumba's explanation of
his intercepted, Jettgr to Vienna out:
lining plans for handicapping plants
in this country making war supplies
for the allies.
Text of tho Note
' Ambassador Penfield was instruct
ed by cable yesterday to deliver the
following note to the foreign office:
"Mr.' Constantin Dumba, the Aus-tro-Hungarian
ambassador to the
United' States, has admitted that he
proposed to his government plans to
instigate strikes 'in American manu
facturing plants engaged in the pro
duction 'of munitions of war. The in
formation reached this government
through a copy of a letter of the' am
bassador to his government. The
bearer was an American citizen
named ArchibaM, who was traveling
under' an American passport The
ambassador has admitted -that he
employed' Archibald to bear official
dispatches from him to his govern
ment. "By reason of the admitted purpose
and intent of Mr. Dumba to conspire
to cripple legitimate industries of the
people of the United States, and to
interrupt their legitimate trade, and
by reason of the flagrant violation of
diplomatic propriety in employing an
American citizen protected by an
American passport as a secret bearer
of official dispatches through the lines
of the enemy of Austria-Hungary, the
president directs me to inform your
excellency that Mr. Dumba is no
longer acceptable to tho government
of the United Stages as the ambassa
dor of his imperial majesty to Wash
ington. "Believing that the imperial and
royal government will realize that the
government of the United States has
no alternative but to request the re
call of Mr. Dumba on account of his
improper conduct, the government of
the United States expresses its deep
regret that this course has become
necessary, and assures the imperial
and royal government that it sin
cerely desires to continue the cordial
and friendly relations which exist be
tween the Unit " States and Austria
Hungary." Sensation in Capital
In making his announcement Sec
retary Lansing explained that it had
escapo or offered resistance. He was
forced, however, to concludo from th
attendant circumstances that th6
But 'even if strikes do not come off, Jlr(JWcl Planned a violent attack on
W1VJ DUIJIUUl II1U.
"This conclusion
weighs the expenditure of money in
volved.
it is probable that we should extort
under the pressure of the crisis more
favorable conditions of labor for our
poor, towntrodden fellow country-
is all thc more
obvious as he h-J been fired upon at
a great distance In tho Irish sea on
men. In Bethlehem these white slaves I i;u8L "7 l ,8' a fev days be
are now working for twelve hours al'rJ ec na88enger 8tc,amer'
day And seven days a week. All!"0, b2 ongin io he BrItl8tt
weak nfirsonR tnicniimh and hnnomr iYia.1 t"tt" - x uukul company,
consumptives.
So far as German workmen are
found among tho skilled hands, a
means of leaving will bo provided for
them.
Besides this, a private German reg
istry office has been established,
which provides employment for per
sons who have voluntarily given up
their places, and is already working
well. They will also join and the
widest support is assured us.
I beg your excellency to be so good
as to inform mo with reference to
this letter by wireless telegraphy, re
plying whether you agree.
DUMBA.
His Excellency, Count Burian,
Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Vienna.
THE ARABIC CASE
The White Star Liner, Arabic, was
torpedoed and sunk off Fastnet by a
German submarine on August 19.
Tho steamer was en route from Liv
erpool to New York. According to
report of the captain and others on
board no warning was given. There
were 424 passengers and crew on
board, including 26 Americans. Of
these, 42 were lost, including 2 Amer
icans. Pending investigation and In
quiry to tho German government
through diplomatic channels, no ac
tion has yet been taken by President
Wilson. On August 24 tho German
lyuol.""""r ambassador, Count von Bernstorff,
been delayed in order that the note " ' ftnnwmTif rhi
i V. rnnviln hVnrV itTnuhli- informed tho state department that
might J; his government had not yet received
cation In this "" fftZ an ofilcIal account of the occurrence,
P?ffe1M? re'that it did not wish to cause loss of
fhVllliAmerlcan life, aul regretted such
ceivea ino .ummu w " (loss if ft had occurred.
aumiB LI1C "'
News that M Dumba's recall had
been requested created a sensation in
the capital. It was known to officials
and diplomatic circles that President
Wilson and Secretary Lansing re
garded the con-Juct of the ambassa
dor as a grave breach of propriety,
Note Fror- Germany
The following dispatches were car
ried by tho Associated Press:
Berlin, Sept. 9, via London, Sept.
10, 2:26 a. m. Germany's nolo to
the United States bearing on the sink-
whlch ho had neither attacked nor
stopped.
"Tho German government most
deeply regrets that lives were lost
through thc action of thc command
er. It particularly expresses this
regret to the government of the
United States, on account of tho
death of American citizens.
"The German government is un
able, however, to acknowledge any
obligation to grant indemnity in the
matter, even if thc commander should
have been mistaken as to tho aggres
sive intentions of thc Arabic.
"If It should prove to bo tho case
that it is impossible for the German
and A-ierican governments to reach
a harmonious opinion on this point,
tho German government would be
prepared to submit to difference of
opinion, as beins a question of inter
national law to The Hague tribunal
for arbitration, pursuant to article 38
of Tho Hague convention for the pa
cific settlement of international, dis
putes. "In so doing it assuraos that as a
matter of course thc arbitral deqisipn
shall not be admitted to have, the im
portance of a general deefsipn on the
permissibility or the converse under
international law on German s.ub
marino warfare." . ,
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