and for this double end I will struggle as long as a breath of
life remains in me. Duty wills it!"[25]

Such doctrines must of course be suppressed, and the exposure of those
who had relations with Bismarck made it impossible for him longer to
deal even with a section of the labor movement. The result was that
persecutions were begun on both the Lassalleans and the Marxists. And it
was largely this new policy of repression that forced the warring labor
groups in 1875 to meet in conference at Gotha and to unite in one
organization. In the following election, 1877, the united party polled
nearly five hundred thousand votes, or about ten per cent. of all the
votes cast in Germany. It now had twelve members in the Reichstag, and
Bismarck saw very clearly that a force was rising in Germany that
threatened not only him but his beloved Hohenzollern dynasty itself.

For years most of its opponents comforted themselves with the belief
that socialism was merely a temporary disturbance which, if left alone,
would run its course and eventually die out. Again and again its
militant enemies had discussed undertaking measures against it, but the
wiser heads prevailed until 1877, when the socialists polled a great
vote. And, of course, when it was once decided that socialism must be
stamped out, a really good pretext was soon found upon which repressive
measures might be taken. I have already mentioned that on May 11, 1878,
Emperor William was shot at by Hoedel. It was, of course, natural that
the reactionaries should make the most possible of this act of the
would-be assassin, and, when photographs of several prominent
socialists were found on his person, a great clamor arose for a
coercive law to destroy the social democrats. The question was
immediately discussed in the Reichstag, but the moderate forces
prevailed, and the bill was rejected. Hardly, however, had the
discussion ended before a second attempt was made on the life of the
aged sovereign. This time it was Dr. Karl Nobiling who, on June 2, 1878,
fired at the Emperor from an upper window in the main street of Berlin.
In this case, the Emperor was severely wounded, and, in the panic that
ensued, even the moderate elements agreed that social democracy must be
suppressed. Various suggestions were made. Some proposed the
blacklisting of all workmen who avowed socialist principles, while
others suggested that all socialists should be expelled from the
country. To exile half a