The Red Conspiracy | Page 8

in Austria-Hungary as far back as 1907 could count
1,121,948 votes and 58 newspapers. Shortly before the end of the
World War the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy fell. Austria and Hungary
separated from each other and each became a republic. Count Karolyi
was head of the new Hungarian government, socialistic in tendency. In
the early spring of 1919, when Hungary was being invaded by
Czecho-Slovak troops, Italians and Rumanians, and was threatened
with an invasion from the Allies Count Karolyi fled and the
government fell into the hands of the radical Socialist, Bela Kun, who
soon established intimate relations with the Bolshevist government at
Moscow. One difficulty after another, however, especially the attacks
of the Rumanians, soon taxed the strength of the crimson-red
government; and in the summer of 1919 it succumbed to pressure
brought to bear on it by the Allies. Notwithstanding the Bolshevist
propaganda carried on in Vienna, the Austrian government down to
February, 1920, has resisted all inducements to adapt Bolshevism.
Modern Socialism in France was rather inactive previous to the
outbreak of the Commune in 1871. Then, after the victory of the
government forces over the revolutionists, many leaders of the
Commune declared for Anarchism, but subsequently abandoned it as
impracticable and devoted themselves to the propaganda of Marxian
Socialism. After Jules Guesde and other communards were permitted to
return to France, by the amnesty of 1879, the party at first developed
considerable strength, but soon split up into several factions, with
Guesde as the leader of the more radical wing and Jaurés and Millerand
at the head of the moderate parliamentarian group. In the election of
May, 1914, the United Socialists under Jaurés polled 1,357,192 votes,
while the Radical Socialists and their allies in the Caillaux combination
cast 2,227,176 votes. During the World War most of the Socialists,
especially those in parliament, supported the government.

After the War the Longuet faction of the Socialist Party became the
majority party, took over control of the great Paris Socialist daily
L'Humanité and chose Cashin as editor. On April 6, 1919, a great
demonstration took place in Paris in honor of Jaurés, the Socialist
leader of France, who had been assassinated at the beginning of the
World War. This and the decisions taken at the Socialist party congress
of the Federation of the Seine on March 13th, demonstrated the decided
turn to the left that the Socialist Party had taken since its previous
congress in October, 1918. In the demonstration, consisting, perhaps, of
50,000 Socialists, cries of "Revolution!" "Down with the War!" "Down
with Clemenceau!" "Long live the Soviet!" and "Long live Russia!"
filled the air for three hours.
"The Call," New York, May 19, 1919, thus comments:
"The Socialist papers for several days appeared uncensored, though
every line breathed revolution. Most startling of all, there were as many
soldiers as civilians marching.
"Seven days later the representatives of each Socialist local in the
Department of the Seine met in convention to decide upon which of
three resolutions they should recommend the coming national congress
of the Socialist Party to adopt. The discussion was hot, and more or less
revolved around the personalities of the three leaders, Albert Thomas,
Right Socialist, Jean Longuet, Left Socialist, and F. Loriot, Communist
or Bolshevist. Broadly speaking, the Thomas resolution based its faith
upon present political action and future political power; the Longuet
resolution advocated a third International, without indorsing the third
International held in Moscow in March, and the Loriot resolution
indorsed the Zimmerwald resolutions (against all wars) and recognized
the existence of the Third International established by the Russian
Bolshevik party.
"Most of the discussion hinged upon affairs in Russia with hoots of
derision at every uncomplimentary mention of Bolshevism, until the
speaker either had to take his seat or qualify his criticism of the Soviet
republic.

"Both the Longuet and Loriot resolutions called the war the
consequence of imperialistic anarchy and bourgeois ambition, both
denounced the imposition upon Germany of an unjust, or Bismarckian,
peace, such as was imposed upon France in 1871, and both mourned
the assassination of Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, and Kurt
Eisner.
"The Longuet resolution was as strong in its declaration of solidarity
with the Soviet republic of Russia as the Loriot resolution was in
opposition to all annexation of the Sarre Valley by France."
The National Congress of the Socialist parties of France was held from
April 19 until April 22, 1919. A motion by M. Kienthaliens demanding
the adhesion of French Socialists to the Internationale at Moscow,
under the leadership of Premier Lenin of the Bolshevist government
polled only 270 votes. This resolution failed to pass probably because
the Longuet majority faction desired the union of all the French
Socialist parties. The Congress adopted by a majority of 894 votes, a
resolution offered by Jean Longuet to