The chronicle=news., 1913-09-11
.BEBEL WAS LAST MAN
LEFT OF HIS EPOCH

Berlin. Sept THE last represent
tstive Of \ disappearing epoch has
gone. OF that group Of great parlia-
mcntarians and party leaders who
fought with or against Bismarck
there was left only August Bebel. and
he was borne to his final rest In Zu-
rich. Sunday. There ID now none left
who belonged to the Riechstak when
the German empire was founded only
n little more than q generation a9o.
a. We reckon generations nowadays.
Bismarck himself. Windthorst. Eu.
gone Richter. Bennigsen. Won Miguel.
Rickert. Liebnecht the elder. Auer.
sinker-aii preceded the grim old
fighter whose death closes the his.
tory OF great days.
In the first imperial parliament of
1871. Bebcl was the only Socialist.
The party had been founded but two
yeArs before. He lived to see III
socialists In the Reichstag. making
the party by far the strongest repre-
sented. and . socialist vote Of $780,
900 In the empire. nearly 81 pcr cent
Of all votes cast at the elections Of
1919. He lived through the period
o: tte Bismarckisn anti-socialist
laws. under which the party was out
lawsd and socialist assemblies and
Hss NJ - el~us -Ar> h.mnAA "a. ~e>n~0 -
prohibitive laws. Four years and
eight months he passed In prison. the
first sentence following . prosecution
instituted by Bismarck hins-lf. In
1858 he helped defeat an attempt to
rrncw the anti-soelalist laws. and
Bismarck. his bitter opponent. fell.
The day had passed definitely when
10 be . socialist was to be . criminal.
All socialists are ioyany hated
and fcared-by all other crectls and
parties. The kaiser has termed them
fellows without = country" aud for
a government official even to read q
socialist newspaper means severe dis
ciplinary measures against him. ex-
tending In aggravated cases to los Of
position. A. the head aud forefront
Of the offending party. Bebcl was
perhaps the most bitterly hated and
feared man In the empire. and the
pres comments on his death and ca
recr furnish. ID the circumstances.
~ fine = tribute d was ever paid 10 |
any German. OF all the important
newspapers Of the esnpirc. only Die
Post brays venomousiy' at the dead
lion. Even the steadfast old Nsaus
Zietunx. paper plus 'royaiiste que Ic
roi. and the Deutsehe TaGcs1eitung.
agrarian. Prussian. and anti-sociaiist
beyond words. pay unreserved trib-
ute to B~bel ns an honorable man.
Gin ehrichcr schfarmer. This 10. In
decd. praise from Sir Hubert.
August Rebel came up from the
depths. An irunieai fate dccrccd that
this anti-mIlitant should be- born ~
the son At q Prnasian non-commis-
stoned officer. II II another ironical
who hated Rebel. unwittinRiy made
Il possible for the young socialist
leader to acquire the education which
the struggle for existence had there
toforc denied him. In December.
1870. bismarck caused Bcbci and
Licbnecht to bc arrested for mis-
prision OF high treason" The f.eip-
zig court found them guilty on Mar.
:5. 1879. and sentenced them TO two
years. imprisonment. which they
years imprisonment. they served in
the f0rtressca Of iubertusberE and
konlgStein. Bcbcl had nine months
added for lese maicstc. Bcbel has
left an interesting account Of this
period In his memoirs.
Another good service which the
Bismarckian imprisonment did for
isebci was to permit him to recupcr-
ate his strength. He was suffering
from incipient tuberculosis. having
already n marked cavity in one lung.
and was in extremely weak physical
condition. He collapsed shortly af-
ter his delivery into the fortress. and
was under medical care for some time
The lung cavity healed entirely, and
he soon recovered his strength. Then
he secured permission to have Lieb-
knecht. a scholarly man. spend two
hours day In his cell. and give him
instruction In English and French.
Interesting details OF hi sfortress
days are given In the memoirs. De-