* A "bouncer" in a brothel --Ed.
** Swiss Metalworkers Gazette. --Ed.
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Now, after January 7, 1917, Grimm's "tactics" have been fully exposed.
He wants to be regarded as leader of the Left, as chairman of the International Socialist Committee, representative and leader of the Zimmerwaldists. He is trying to deceive the workers with the most "r-r-revolutionary" phrases, using them, in reality, to conceal the party's old, social-patriot, bourgeois-reformist practice.
He vows and swears that he sympathises with Karl Liebknecht, Höglund, etc., that he is their supporter, that he is pursuing their policy.
But Karl Liebknecht in Germany, Höglund in small neutral Sweden, fought not against foreign, but against their own social-patriots. They attacked the reformists and nationalists at home, in Berlin, in Stockholm, not in other countries. Their ruthless exposure of the social-patriots won them the honour of being hated by the Berlin and Stockholm Greulichs, Pflügers, Schneebergers and Dürrs.
Is it so difficult to realise that when the French chauvinists laud the German Liebknecht, and when the German chauvinists laud the Englishman MacLean, they are behaving like swindlers -- using "internationalist" phrases in praise of other people 's internationalism to cover up their own nationalism? Is it so difficult to realise that Grimm is behaving in the very same manner when he pours abuse on the social-patriots of all countries except Switzerland, that he does this for the express purpose of covering up his desertion to the Swiss social-patriots?
Grimm denounced the German social-patriot Ebert as a "Rausschmeisser in einem Bordell" for having stolen the Vorwärts from the German workers, for ejecting Left wingers from the party while shouting about a split.
But what is Grimm doing at home, in Switzerland, in company with the dismal heroes of dismal January 7, 1917?
Did he not steal from the Swiss workers the solemnly promised special congress to discuss the fatherland defence issue? And is he not preparing to expel Zimmerwaldists from the party while shouting about a split?
Let us not be childishly naïve, let us squarely face the truth!
At the January 7 meeting, Grimm's new friends and patrons, the social-patriots, joined him in protesting against a
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split. They especially accused the youth organisation of splitting activities. One of them shouted to the party secretary, Platten, "Er sei kein Parteisekretär, er sei Parteiverräter."[*]
Can one remain silent when such things are being said and when the "leaders" want to hide them from the party? Can it be that the Swiss socialist workers will not protest against such methods?
What crime have the Youth League and Platten committed? Their only crime is that they are sincere adherents of Zimmerwald, sincere Zimmerwaldists, and not careerists. Their only crime is that they are opposed to postponing the congress. And if scandal-mongers say that only the Zimmerwald Left, acting as a separate faction, is opposed to the postponement of the congress, "opposed to His Majesty Grimm" in general, has not January 7, 1917 proved that this is nothing but idle gossip? Have not you, Comrade Naine, spoken in opposition to Grimm, although you have never, either directly or indirectly, formally or informally, adhered to the Zimmerwald Left?
Causing a split! That is the truly threadbare accusation the social-patriots in all countries are making in order to cover up the fact that they are ejecting the Liebknechts and the Höglunds from the party.
* "He is not a party secretary, he is a party traitor." --Ed.