The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-05-29
VOTE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC ~ ~. **==. : =. .
r.. >PARTYM FAVOR OF WAR BUDGET


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lied it as a principe, is yet nainima1
one: composed to the fact that the
war may decide the fate Of the ma
ton, It would havcatnkeira UP the bur-
den Of "a tremendous: Responsibility,
as far as the people and ESPECIALLY
the working classes are concerned.
The hostile = countries wv Guild have
hailed: thisthewE With great joy, con-
vinced that now the German Social
Democracy would leave the mother
land I'm the lurch.H sThey would not
have believer sth7srt6 be*dae to our
adherence to party resolutions, not
SO much the peopleebelonEing to our
party although they received the
news Of, Liebkf1echt's dissenting atti-
tude with hope and 'joy,ubut the gov
ernments and the "bourgeoisie. For
the :unspeakablN, foolish idea, based
on an entire misconception, OF Ger
many's economic, military and inner
resources still. strongly; prevails
abroad that: Germany ;is3 ma king it's
last desperate efforts and will in the
end be compelled by; hunger to sur
render Internationally to- the enemy.
A large party which under such cir
cumstanccs had; for mere reasons of
form, refused it's aid to its own coun-
try could do the most portentous
harm to this country and history sit
ting~in Judgment upon it, would have
been sure to pronounce scathing
sentence.
1t is true that the party was as
little unanimous in it's decision re-
garding the budget as in the resolu-
tions in respect to the war .oan. 1t
might be Of interest here to describe
their motives and strength a little
more closely.
1t is known that the party carried
! the sanction Of the war loan against
minority Of IA votes. The voting
in the house was unanimous. Two
members of the Social Democratic
faction refrained from recording their
votes by leaving the house.
The sanction of the war loan on
December the End was carried by
| the party against a minority of II
votes which only appears to be an
increase of the opposition. One men,
Der of the minority of August the
4th had, IN the meantime, changed
his mind, another member went from
the majority to the minority. Three
members who on August the 4th
could not be present in the house and
at the sittings of the party strength
ened the opposition on December the
End; according to their own confess
sion, however, they would on August
the 4th have voted with the opposi-
ton as we'll. Liebknecht at the sit
ting OF the house then voted against
the loan. e."
In regard to the sums for .condu
ing the war demanded in March, a.
minority was for trying to separate
the loan from the budget. This
method was discarded as Impractical
BILE. A minority, differently composed
numerically, recommended that par
Lament grant five billion marks for
the present and the remaining five
later on. accordink toss. reqquire
! This motion vas dismissed by 81
votes against 81. The sanctioninE of
the war loan carried by II votes
against %, the supporting of. the
budget by So against 80 votes. A
motion to the effect; the Sociai-Demo-
cratic members should declare in the
house that the vote in favor Of tho
budget neithef constituted a vote Of
confidence in the. government nor a.
precedent for the, future was dis
missed by so votes against "a. In
/ this connection it has to- be stated
that it has been agreed upon within
the party itself that the present sane
tioning Of the budget cannot be
quoted as a precedent for future &C.
/ casions. A motion, suggesting a
+ statement in the house to the effect
that only the majority had agreed to
the budget and the war loan, was
! dismissed against a minority of %;
! another motion, proposing that men,
oers be free to vote, independent Of
the party, in the house was negatived
by II against rs votes. Lastly, a
resolution regarding the wording Of
the statement to be made in the
! house in connection with the ap-
! prevail of the loan. and the budget
was carried by.7o Votes against o.,
six members withholding their votes.
1t follows therefrom that the minor
| Az ~ AO .AASoNo
united in it's motives: The figures of
the majority, of course, also show
small fluctuations, if, however, all the
social-democratic members of parlia-
ment could have been present, the
majority would have been four, a
fact which has been gathered from
statements made Fin letters. But
whosoever suspects the minority of
not acknowledging the duty towards
the defencee of the motherland ii,
this war, would do it wrong, for
within the party THIS DUTY OF
THE SOC1AL-DEMOCRACY TO DO
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE FOR<THE
DEFENCE OF THE: NATIVE LAND
HAS BEEN REC OGN1zED BY A
MAJORITY, OF,l'94 AGAINST THREE
VOTES. If nevertheless 50 members
Of the: faction <a:refrailned from: voting
IN the house by leaving the house
before it came to the vote, they did
It only because they believe that the
vote in =favort 81 sthe budgetexas con-