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military operations will be taken over by Ludendorf and "Orgesch," and the political responsibility for the slaughter of working men will be thrust once more on to the Scheidemannists and the Right Independents. That is intelligible enough. What could be better for the bourgeoisie than to carry out its infernal aims through the medium of men like Noske and Dissmann? The German working class must fully realise the danger and face it without flinching; they must close their ranks and prepare their arms.
Latterly the social traitors have been turned out of the Ministries in a number of countries. Branting is no longer president of the Council of Ministers of Sweden; Renner and Bauer are no longer ministers in Austria; Vandervelde, apparently, will have to remain for some time without his portfolio in Belgium (a social democratic paper has stated in all seriousness that Vandervelde, the ex-minister of his king, is retiring in order to devote his time in leading the International).
In Czecho-slovakia all the social traitors have been turned out of the Czecho-Slovak Cabinet. In a word, there is a sort of epidemic of this kind. "The Moor has done his work, the Moor may go." The bourgeoisie casts aside its "Socialist" flunkeys as soon as they become superfluous. But this will not prevent the same bourgeoisie from inviting the social traitors once more into the government as soon as it has some new "delicate" errand for them. I repeat, the German bourgeoisie will undoubtedly make this attempt as soon as the struggle takes a decisive turn.
The mad fury, which was vented by the Right Independents at Halle, evoked from us the declaration that in fact the Right leaders of the Independents have only one prospect before them, the reunion with the Scheidemannists. However much the "Socialist" reactionaries, who have gathered under the wing of Hilferding and Crispien, may wail in loud remonstrance there is no other alternative left to them. The best proletarian elements will join the Communist Party, and the Right Independents will join the so-called "left" Scheidemannists. Then the situation will be perfectly clear. There is no place for a party of mediocrities at a time of workers' revolution. The events at Halle are of vast importance for the working class of the whole
