The Wahpeton times., 1917-12-06
DR.. liebknecht Makes CHARGES
Against Government.
IS A SCATHING INDICTMENT
War 'ncited Through Suppression Of
Belgian UItimatum and Messages Of
czar--Submarine Warfare and Sink.
ing OF misunderstanding Of Host.
ages and Levy Of Contributions.

nASSAls lAe 0OClullSL leUuer. 1neS0
are some of the things with which he
charges the kaiser's government:
The incitemcnt Of the war through
the suppression of the Belgian ulti-
matum and the messages of the czar.
The rape of Belgium and Luxem.
burg.
Introduction of poison gas.
The Zeppelin bombings, "aimed," he
says, ito annihilate every living per.
son, combatant and noncombatant."
Submarine warfare on commerce and
the sinking of the Lusitania.
The taking of hostages and levy
of contributions in occupied territory.
Systematic exaction of service trea-
sonable to their own countries from
Ullrainian, Georgian, Courland, Polish,
Irish, Mohanlmedan and other prison.
ers of war. and frcm enemy aliens in
Germany under threat of internment.
This service involved forced espion.
age for the central powers.
Fostering political lawlessness and
exploitation Of the people through
martial law.
Failure to provide for the people
through the war through the influ.
ence Of the capitalistic and agrarian
classes.
Maintenance of it's aims of conquest
blocking the way to peace.
All of this Doctor Liebknecht sums
up as "the most extreme concentration
and extension Of political oppression,
of economic exploitation, of militaris.
tic slaughtering Of the working
classes, body and soul, for the advan.
tage Of capitalism and despotism."
Paved Way for Revolution.
"The German government" he says,
''has prepared the way for revolu.
tionary uprising Of the people and for
general distress"
Doctor Liebknecht's statement was
made to the imperial military tri.
bunal, Berlin, in explanation of his
deposition in the proceedings follow.
Ing his arrest. He says:
"The German government contrivec
the war jointly in concert with the
Austrian government, and SO burdeneC
itself with the greatest responsibility
for the immediate outbreak of the
war.
"The German government brought
on the war under cover of deception
practfced upon the common peoI:.e an(
even upon the reichstag (nOte the sup.
preston of the ultimatum to Belgium
the PRONUNCIATION of TIE German White
book, the elimination of the cars dis.
patch Of July %. 1914, etc.), and II
sought by wicked means to keep ur
the war spirit among the people.
"The German government wages the
war methods which, Judged even by
standards till now conventional, are
monstrous. (Note, for example, the
sudden attack upon Belgium and
Luxembourg; poison gas-since adopt.
ed by all the belligerents-but most
outrageous Of all the Zeppelin bomb
ings, inspired with the purpose of
annihilating every living person, COM
batant or noncombatant, over large
areas; the submarine war on COM
merce, the torpedoing Of the Lusitania,
and levying contributions, especially
at the outset in Belgium; the system
attic exactions from Ukrainian, Geor-
gian, Courland, Polish, Irish, Moham-
medan and other prisoners of war in
the German prison camps; of treason
able espionage for the central powers;
the contract between Under Secretary
Of State Zimmerman and Sir Roger
Easement in December, 1914, for the
organization, equipment and training
| Of the Irish brigade made up of i'm
prisoned British soldiers in the Ger
man prison camps; the attempts un-
der threats by forced internment to
compel enemy alien civilians found in
Germany to perform reasonable war
service against their own country, etc.)
Necessity knows no law
Refuses All Reforms.
"The German government has,
through the establishment of martial
law, greatly increased the political
lawlessness and economic exploitation
Of the people; it refuses all serious
political and social reforms. while it
seeks to hold the people docile for the
imperialistic war policy, through rhe-
torical phrases about equal rights Of
all parties, about alleged discontinue
tion Of political and social class dis
ordinations. about an alleged new Or
der and direction of affairs, and the
like.
"The German government has failed,
out of Difference to agrarian and cap
italistic interests, to care for the eco
nomic welfare Of the population dur
inS the war, and so has prepared the
way for a revolutionary uprising Of
the people and for general distress.
"The German government holds
fast even yet to its war aims Of con-
quest. and thereby constitutes the