aimed
since the outbreak of the war by the Italian people, irrevocably decided
not to dishonor themselves before the world and before history in giving
aid to Austria and Germany, and requiring peace after two years of war
in Lybia.

Today, however, we are no longer able to be silent in the presence of
German Socialist activity encouraging the obscure play of diplomatic
intrigues on the part of the Governments of the ex-Triple Alliance,
which tends to move Italian neutrality toward the tortuous and perilous
paths of indirect co-operation. We want to affirm that our wishes are
for the immediate cessation of the war without conquerors or conquered.

But if now this hope is vain, we express our desire that this infamous
war may be concluded by the defeat of those who have provoked it; the
Austrian and German Empires, since the empires of Austria and Germany
form the rampart of European reaction, even more than Russia, which is
shaken by democratic and Socialist forces, which have shown that they
know how to attempt a heroic effort of liberation; since if the German
and Austrian Empires emerge victorious from the war it will mean the
triumph of military absolutism in its most brutal expression, of a
barbarian horde massacring, devastating, destroying, and conquering in
violation of every treaty and right and law.

Nor do the German Socialists give us any confidence of knowing how to
restrain this; in the past they have only been able to realize
advantageous contrasts of labor and to attain gigantic election results
without exercising any influence in the policy of their own country.

The defeat of the German Empire may instead offer German socialism the
opportunity of emerging from its voluntary impotence and redeem itself
by breaking down the feudal political regime of the empire, taking away
from Russian absolutism the assistance it has hitherto enjoyed, and
contributing to alter decisively the aims of all European policy.

Since, finally, the victory of the French Republic, now imbued with
genuine socialism, and that of England, where the truest democracy
flourishes, signifies the victory of a European political regime open to
all social conquests and desiring peace, it signifies the agreement
between States at last free and nationally reinforced by the limitation
of armaments and the substitution of a system of national militia for
defense in the place of hordes professionally organized for aggression,
which would