ding capitalist
politicians. To make such attempts delays more than ever the peace which
is strongly desired by the whole people. _The people do not want any
annexations. The people want peace._--THE EXECUTIVE OF THE SOCIAL
DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF GERMANY. June 23, 1915, Berlin."

When we remember that the Social Democrats of Germany number about four
millions,[47] the importance of this manifesto becomes clearer. It is a
tremendous fact. The loud-voiced threats of crushing, boycott, etc., by
influential sections on this side have been one of the greatest
hindrances to the Social Democrats, and one of the greatest aids to
German militarists.

We heard much in 1915 of the "annexation split" in Germany. The
Delbrueck-Dernburg-Wolff Memorial represented, to my thinking, nothing
strange, or new, or abnormal, but rather the voice of natural and normal
Germany making itself heard again amidst the clamour of foolish hatred
and silly bombast in which present-day crises seem always to involve the
contending nations. "Germany did not enter the war with the idea of
annexation"--thus the Memorial opens. It is easy to scoff at this
statement, because it is always easier in a crisis to be swayed entirely
by bias. Frankly, as regards _Germany_, that is (if this word is to have
any meaning), as regards the mass of the German people, I believe this
statement to be true. Whatever the militarist and commercial schemers
may have contrived, Germany as a whole did not enter the war with the
idea of annexation, but, as the Memorial goes on, "in order to preserve
its existence, threatened by the enemy coalition against its national
unity and its progressive development. In concluding peace, Germany
cannot pursue anything that does not serve these objects." Who were the
signatories to this Memorial? Amongst the 82 names are those of
Professor Hans Delbrueck, Dr. Dernburg (the ex-Minister), Professor
Adolf von Harnack (the theologian and General Director of the Royal
Library at Berlin), Theodore Wolff (Editor of the _Berliner Tageblatt_),
Dr. Oppenheim (who holds an important position in the dye industries),
Carl Permet (Judge of the Berlin Commercial Courts), Prince von
Hatzfeld, Franz von Mendelsohn (President of the Berlin Chamber of
Commerce), Prince Donnersmarck, Count von Leyden (ex-ambassador), Dr.
August Stein (Editor of the _Frankfurter Zeitung_), Major von Parseval
(the designer of the famous airship). These are representative names.
The