Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-09-08
A CLEAN VICTORY
WILLIAM LIEBkNECHT ELEC-
TED BY A BIG MAJORITY.
Berlin Socialists Cover themselves
with Hon0r-In Spite of Bis.
marck and his Satraps.
Strategic Skill of the
WOrkingmen.

BERLIN, August 30, lSSS.-In the cleo
ton of the Sixth district of this city to-
day William Liebknecht. Socialist. was
successful receiving 2G,O67 votes out of
a total of Al ,19l.
That's what the cable dispatch
reported few hours after our last
issue went to press. The total vote
was smaller than usual. This
election was held in order to fill the
vacancy made by the retirement of
Hasenclever, who was recently af-
ficted with hopeless insanity.
The following review of the situa-
ton before the result of the election
was known was published in the
New York Hera2d Of the 3lst ult.,
and will be of interest to our read
ers:
In the Sixth Electoral District of Ber-
lin the voters will be called upon to-day
to elect a representative to the ReiChs-
tag in place of the former incumbent,
William Hasenclever, who became in
curably insane, The district is one Of
the most densely populated ones, its in
habitants chiefly consisting of stOrekeep-
ers and workingmen Hasenclever was
a Socialist, and in all probability his con
stituents will return a member of the
same political faith. The socialist candi-
date is William Liebknecht, well known
as one of the most prominent men Of his
party, friend and disciple of the late
Karl Marx.
The authorities in Berlin have made
enormous efforts to prevent Herr Lieb-
knechts election. The minor state of
siege, proclaimed in Berlin since 1878
under the provisions of the anti socialist
law of that year, vests the police praC-
tlcally with dlctatOrial powers as far as
the social is are concerned. The rights
of free press and free meeting are denied
to them; even the collection Of funds for
campaign purposes is prohibited, And
yet, in spite of all this, and of the mum
erous arbitrary arrests Of socialist work
ers, the election of Liebknecht will be a
foregone conclusion.
For in the guerilla warfare carried on
between the German police and the
radical element the latter has developed
great strategic skill and superior gencr-
alship. Secret organizations cover the
capital Of Germany with an impenetrable
network. They consist of small groups,
under tried and trusted leaders, con-
neCted among themselves but loosely. in
order to diminish the dangers of deteC-
ton Each district works under a single
leader, who holds his place of trust by
choice of the minor leaders.
This is not quite correct There are
no leaders, in the sense in which it may
be understood in this country. The
socialists in meeting decide upon their
policy, and the so called leaders simply
act as executives, just as with the
Socialist Labor Party of the United
States. Ed.
His orders are obeyed with the great
est promptress. He sees to it that cam
paign documents are printed secretly
and stributed in a most efficient way,
through the workshops as well as
through the residences of his fellow
workmen. The ballots are distributed in
the same way. The campaign docu-
ments are tersely written, and appeal to
the feeling of the liberty lowing Ger
mans They set forth the outrageous
tyranny of the government, rs well as
the complaints of the muzzled wage
earners. Though the active members
of the secret organizations number prob
ably not more than one thousand in the
district, they have the sympathy and
cooperation of the whole working class.
The wives, sisters and sweethearts of
Berlin socialists are often among the
most energetic political workers, collect