New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-20
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Il was not in the least surprising when all
the Social Democratic Reichstag Deputies,
those of the so-called majority as well as
the followers of Haase and the imprisoned
DR.. Karl Liebknecht, voted against the last
war credit. The Social Democratic rank and
file was utterly opposed to the ihperialistic
policy of August, 1914, from the beginning
The Scheidemanns and Legiens, Suedekums
and Heines were finally forced to bow to the
clearly expressed will Of their constituencies.
They did not break with their ro-Bethmann
policy on account of differences of opinion
regarding the war aims they had indorsed
before. the last time in their manifesto OF
April "a last; but they were only too glad 70
find a suitable pretext TO make concessions
to the Social Democratic principles to wnicn
they had been unfaithful.
Opposed to the War
The German Social Democrats were before
the fateful August. 1914, and, with relatively
few exceptions, still are, opposed to the war,
all statements to the contrary notwithstand-
ing Their number has increased since the
outbreak of the terrible conflict. as may be
seen from the result of the by-elections held
since November last While the former by
elections, since the beginning of the war;
were uncontested, and each district was con-
ceded by the other parties to the party that
rad been in its possession Immediately be-
fore, in Oschatz-Grimma (Saxony) the So
called minority Social Democrats decided to
nominate a candidate of their own when
successor TO the late Reichstag Deputy
Eduard Giese, Conservative. had to be elected.
The Social Democratic National Executive
which is ruled by Scheidemann, had, like the
other parties, conceded the district to the
Conservative candidate, DR.. Wildgrube. But
the minority Social Democrats nominated
Mr.. Lipinski, who had also run at the general
elections of 1912, but was then defeated by
Mr.. Gese.
The Social Democrats, who we're not split,
poled in 1912 11,2l7 out of total of 26,O87,
or 43 per cent of all the votes cast. Last
November, when all other parties, including
the followers of the Social Democratic party
executive. were united against him, Mr.. LIP
inski received 1922 out of a total of $4,000,
/ -
relative increase is the more remarkable be-
cause the Social Democratic recruits come
from the ranks of the young voters. The
average citizen of thirty or more years Of
age does not change his party affiliations.
And the a5le-boded citizens Of less than
forty-fve years serve during the war, as b
rule. with the coors and lose their vote dur
ing the term of their military service. accord
ing TO the German constitution. Neverthe-
less, the Social Democratic vote increased, al
though Lipinski and his followers were ham
pered in their propaganda work by the per-
secution of the authorities, who favored by
every means of the martial law the election
of DR.. Wildgrube.
A Government Victory
On March 10 last, it is true, +. Stahl, a
majority Social Democrat, who had been in
dorsed by all parties except the minority
Social Democrats was elected at by-elec-
ton In the district of Potsdam (Kaser dis
tricD to succeed DR.. ,Liebknecht in the Reichs-
tag. Stahl received 1856, Franz Mehring,
minority Social Democrat, only 1890 votes.
But the defeat of Mehrng does not prove
ANYTHING against the above contention re-
garding the sentiment of the Social Demo
cratic rank and file. The number of Ger
man voters has decreased about 40 per cent
since the beginning of the war on account
Of the mobilization. In the district Of
Oschatz -Grmma, for instance, the total vote
cast in 1912 was 5000. and 1890 in No
vember last In Potsdam the decrease
amounted 10 nearly SO per cent from 45,379
TO 1876 votes. The decrease of the minor
ity Social Democrats as against the vote OF
all the Social Democrats in 1912 was, in Pots
dam, nearly So per cent; that of the other
parties. including the majority Social Demo-
Gratis. about 46 per cent, and is in accordance
with the average decrease in the number or
voters.
This result was brought about by the dis
franchisement of the Social Democratic vot-
ers known as such by the authorities. The
bulk of the vote for DR.. Liebknecht IN 1917
came from the industrial workers in the
state arms and muniton factories in Span
dau. These workers have been formally
called to the colors, while they continue to
work in their old shops, and are thereby de-