Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-04-05
SOCIALIS M.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF IT'S ORIGIN
AND
PROGRESS IN GERMANY.
BY HUGO VoGT.
(Continued.)

eminent extraordinary powers Of coer-
cion against every form of socialist,
social.democratic or communistic agita-
ton directed (as the National Liberals
with an air of great importance had it
circumscribed) to the overthrow of the
existing State or social order" OF these
powers we will briefly state the principal
ones:
/. To suppress Socialist societies or
organizations of any kind.
2. To place benefit fund societies
under State control and take charge of
their funds; to order their dissolution
and in that case confiscate their funds
and property.
3. To prohibit and dissolve Socialist
meetings.
4. To forbid the publication and circu-
lation of Socialist books, newspapers Or
other literature; to contiscate and de-
stroy plates, forms or copies thereof
s. To expel Socialist agitators from
certain districts other than their home
districts.
6. To place certain districts under the
minor state of siege. In such districts
the permission of the police is required
for all meetings, the distribution of
printed matter in public places is for
Didden, and last-but not least-persons
"from whom the endangering of public
safety and order is apprehended" may
be expelled. This provision shall not be
applied without the consent of the
Bundesrath (the upper house of the Ger
man federal legislature, composed of
representatives appointed by the gov
ernments of the several States).
The anti-Socialist law was originally
adopted for the term Of 81 years, expir-
ing on March 81, 1881; in May LIST 1880,
it was extended to September 80, 1884,
and has since been three times extended
for two years, its present term expiring
on September 80, 1890.
The passage of the law naturally
caused great excitement among the
German Socialists. They knew that the
assurances of Bismarck and Minister
Won Eulenburg in the Reichstag to OBJ.
serve loyal and considerate practice in
the enforcement of the law were not to
be taken seriously and that most rigid
enforcement was to be expected. This
opinion was confirmed by an utterance
of an official in high position, which be-
came known at the time, that "the So
cialists should be chicaned, annoyed and
maltreated until they were provoked
to an outbreak, SO that they might then
be radically exterminated." Other cir
cumstances, such as riot-drills of the
troops in Berlin and Hamburg, pointed
to the same plan. The Socialists did not
90 into the trap. The leaders OF the
party warned the men not to allow
themselves to be provoked to acts of
violence; and the warning was needed;
the government was not given an oppor-
tunity of opening its antiSocialist cam
paign with massacre.
Within few days of the promulga-
ton of the law most of the newspapers
of the party were prohibited. These
papers were generally published by CO.
operative companies, employing in their
business several hundreds of persons.
These were deprived of their living;
the considerable property belonging to
the publishing companies was practically
destroyed to the loss of numerous stock
Ll xv,lo Nod
contributed their small savings to build
up these papers. The extent of the loss
may be judged from the fact that the
Vorl1drts in Leipzig, the Berlin Free
Press and the Hamburg Altoona Volksblatt
aggregated circulation of $4,000. Still
more enormous were the losses caused
by the dissolution of trades unions
which was also proceeded with forth
with. After a number of these socie.
ties had been dissolved by the police and
their property confscated, many others,
which were controlled by or largely
composed of Socialists, disbanded vol
unfairly and thus saved the funds.
Within few months all trades unions
with the single exception of the com.
positors' union (which has since placed
itself under police control were wiped
out in Germany.
The policy of the government appar-
emily was to inflict as much as possible
personal loss and suffering on the So
cialist leaders and thus either drive them
out of the country or force them to re-
frain from the agitation. The cruelest
measures tending to that purpose were
the explosions ordered under the minor
state of siege, which was first proclaimed
for Berlin on November %. 1878. The
police proceeded most barbarously in
the execution of this measure. Sixty
seven Socialists were on one day served
81 q, l1rxr Rnxli.a