Bisbee daily review., 1915-08-31
LIGHT SENTENCE FOR
SOCIALIST LEADER
ENCOURAGES PARTY
Taken to Mean That German
Government Has Growing Con
SideratiOn for the Views of
Those Who Agitate.

ZURICH, Switzerland, Aug. go
German Socialists are pointing to the
trial of Heinrich Huneke. one Of their
leaders, as an illustration Of the grow
ing consideration which the authori-
ties have for the Socialist party Hun
exc was arrested on a charge of at
tempting to incite soldiers of the army
to be disobedient and mutinous, and
to induce civilians to disobey the
laws of the land"
Although he was convicted and SEN
fenced TO nine months Imprisonment,
the Socialists point out that the ac-
cused leader Jared far better than
even he himself had expected Hun
exc is president Of the German En-
gineers aAd Firemen's Federation, and
one of the most powerful trade union
men in the country. The fact that
the authorities did not bring Huneke
before. court martial is hailed as
a victory for the Socialists, while his
escape with a sentence of only nine
months from a court which had the
power of sending him to penal servi-
tude for life is also regarded with
satisfaction by Huneke's folloewrs.
The trial took place i'm Bremen and
was heard in camera, but a general
idea of the proceedings can be obtain
ed from the Judgment which was pro
nounced in open court by the senior
judge
The charge OF attempting to induce
soldiers to be disobedient and muffin
Gus cannot be maintained in its en-
/ tirety. the accused can only be CON
WINGED of this onense in so far as
his propaganda happened to reach
: soldiers and sailors of the army and
navy His real offense lies in having
distributed and causing to be distri-
4 buted copies of a pamphlet, entitled,
our Principal Enemy Is at Home
among the workmen of the Weser
Shipbuilding company who are en-
gagged in manufacturing vessels of
war for the Imperial navy.
1T only has been proved that the
accused was directly connected with
the distribution Of about one hundred
copies of this pamphlet and although
it is probable that he was responsible
for the circulation of many more we
i'm this court can only deal with the
number actually proven. This cir
cumstance operates in favor of the
.TaH, Fr,
him. The pamphlet contains pas
ages which constitute an Indictment
to disobedience of the laws of the
land, as well as other passages which
are calculated to disturb the public
peace by stirring up different classes
of the population against one another
The accused has committed a crime
against his Fatherland in endeayor-
ing, by means of circulation of this
pamphlet, to persuade the working
men of Germany to agitate for peace
and in explaining how q movement
in. favor of exercising pressure on the
Imperial Government can be carried
on with the help of the Press and
through meetings and public demon
STATIONS
"All these methods OF public agita-
ton have been declared to be Illegal
by the proclamations issued in con
nection with the introduction of mar
. dal law at the outbreak of hostilities
so that to advocate them constitutes
, the preparation Of a serious crime
Moreover, the efforts made by the ac
cused to create strife between those
one hand and the working classes of
Germany on the other hand unques.
uonably amount to an illegal act in
the sense Of the existing provisions
of military law now i'm force thu )ugh-
out the country 1t is quite clear that
Hmeke circulated the pamphlet with
fuI knowledge of its contents and of
it's probable effect on its readers, so
that he committed his odense deliber-
ately and with set purpose An these
circumstances have led the court TO
the conclusion that a term of impri-
sonment for nine months is the least
penalty which we can inhict on the
accused"