The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-08-20
SOCIALISM AND THE WAR


ed to war and the beginning of the |
great European struggle witnessed |
the assassination of Jean Leon Jaur- |
es, socialist leader in France and one
of the worlds greatest opponents of
armed conflict and bloodshed. This |
occurrence was followed by the pub
LEGATION in a London labor paper, the
Citizen, of a report that DR.. Karl
Liebknecht, the socialist leader in
the German Reichstag, was executed
for refusal to do military duty The
story was based entirely on rumor
circulated by German refugee in
London and has not been confirmed.
All of the stories Of German NAL
treatment of socialists have come
from French and English sources and
have lacked verification.
Jaures, leader of the socialists in
the French Chamber of Deputies was
shot to death by an assassin July 81
before France declared war and
while the socialists there were Wig
orously urging peace.
When the war scare came to a
head with Austria1Hungary' declar-
alton of hostiIities against SerVia,
the socialists in the French Chamber
of Deputies and the German Reich
stag, in both of which the legislative
bodies that political party was con-
siderable representation, were oppos-
s1I.I To
socialist leaders in their respective
Iparliaments, threw all their influence
| IN the balance for peace
In France the socialists held uot
to the end against conflict. In the
Reichstag, the majority of the social
| list deputies finally came over and
voted for the war appropriation de-
manded by the Kaiser.
DR.. Karl Liebknecht, editor of the
| Vorwaertz, the leading socialist pa
iper of Germany has nearly all his
| life been mixed up in some sort of
alteration with the imperial govern
ment. In October 1907 he was tried
and sent to a fortress prison for
eighteen months for the publication
of a pamphlet addressed to the youth
of Germany, in which he advocated
a general military strike as means
of preventing war. For this he was
accused of high treason. The trial
was a highly sensational one.
Last year Lebknecht was again in
the Iime-light, by charging in the
lReichstag that the officials of the war
department were bribed by the
Krupp gun makers to hand over
German military secrets and to get
business for the Krupps. L1ebknecht
lin effect charged both the armament
manufacturers and government Off
Gals with high treason and he made
his charges so specific that he forced
the minister of war TO admit that a
i part of the accusations were true.
Liebknecht's expose created a SEN
) sation. There was a long debate in
the Reichstag, which resulted in sew
/ eral Krupp officials and minor at
/ taches of the war office to be placed
} on trial for treason. They were con
2 victed and sent to fortress prisons
: for short terms.
German companies are selling
arms to Russia, still another firm
4 largely capitalized with French
t money is furnishing armor plate tx
s Germany and all these companies arr
r engineering war scares to get con
Y tracts was one of the stirring
e speeches made by Liebknecht in tht
:, Reichstag, and the present great wa.
Y is pointed to by the socialists as il
; a measure justifying the leader
i remarks.
5 Last June Lieknecht threw anoth
g er bomb into the camp of German
off1cialdom by declaring through hi
newspaper that German titles wer
d bought and sold. He alleged tina
/ there was in Prussia a regular traf
S f1c in titles, on a commission basi
g and that any honorary titles Nigh
) be obtained with money. He state
d alleged facts and named names t
:, prove his assertions and he made hi
II charges so strong that there was a
n official investigation. Rumored pre-
lie secutions though, failed to mater
E. hZe.
lie Throughout MS career Liebknech
1t has been the foe of militarism an
Is imperialism He wants to abolis
Id the monarchy and establish a den