leaders and Socialist agitators will highly approve of his
proposals to make all vice-royalties and governorships their
"perquisites." Apart from a few not very practical proposals,
Socialists follow not a constructive, but a purely destructive, policy
with regard to the Empire, which in their eyes is merely a capitalist
institution. Pursuing consciously or unconsciously a policy of
revolutionary anarchism, they would break up the Empire and even Great
Britain herself. Therefore many Socialists advocate the legislative
independence of both Ireland and Scotland, although some preach,
"'Home Rule' _per se_ will not rid Ireland of Lord Deliverus and the
gang he represents; the remedy for Ireland's distress, as the early
leaders of Irish discontent perceived, is release from the grip of the
brigands who stole the nation's heritage. In other words, the real
object of the Irish movement is Socialism; their cause is ours, and
our paths lie side by side. But they too have been tricked and led
astray by the old political will-o'-the-wisp, the seeming angel of
'Liberty' translated in their case to 'Home Rule.' For many years now
they have pursued this shifty light through the arid desert of
politics, and unless they can come to a clear understanding of their
own original purpose again, and join with their English Socialist
comrades to find a way out of our common difficulties, they are like
to abide in that dreary desert for ever."[507]

Whilst the vast majority of British Socialists are unpatriotic,
anti-national, and anti-Imperial, and would act as traitors to their
country, the powerful Socialist party of Germany is strongly, one
might almost say passionately, national and Imperial. Many German
Socialists are enthusiastic supporters of the German Navy League, and
they would not hesitate in depriving, if possible, and if need be by
force, Great Britain of those colonies which her Socialists desire to
get rid of.

The attitude of German Socialists towards their Fatherland, Empire,
colonial possessions, and native races, may be gauged from the words
of Herr Bernstein, one of her most prominent Socialist leaders: "The
national quality is developing more and more. Socialism can and must
be national. Even when we sing _Ubi bene, ibi patria_ we still
acknowledge a _patria_, and therefore, in accordance with the motto
'No rights without duties,' also duties towards her. To-day the
Social-Democratic party is, and that unanimously, t