The Irish standard., 1917-09-29
Who Is Erzberyer---
What Of His Party?

UUu1l VI Ills D0Ilys
Chancellor Won 6ethman-Hoilweg Had
to Resign Because the Powerful
Center Party Backed Erzberger.
Matthias Erzberger, prominent
member of the German Center party,
has become an international figure be-
cause of his activities in the Reich
stag. Recently the Boston Transcript
gave an interesting, although not alto
gether, accurate, account of his person
atty and his relations to the Center
party. Concerning the effects of his
great speech in the Reichstag, which
led to. the fall of Won Bethmann-Holl-
veg, the Transcript article says:
"He eclipses, temporarily, Beth
mann's hitherto unparalleled and
world-stirring tight-wire act over the
whirlpool of indecision. He relegates
Scheidemann and his somersault to the
limbo of back numbers, and sends
Zimmerman, the Mexican lariat-
thrower, to his political death. I'M
passioned scenes take place in hidden
chambers. The Kaiser shivers, the
son hurries to Berlin. The world is
agog for news. Has the debacle come?
Have time and the man met at last? Is
Erzberger the saviour of the father
land? All these questions, and more
than one chancellor.
ITO explain what this means need
only say that the present Center Party
in the Reichstag differs greatly from
that Center party which was SO ia
nous in the days of Bismarck and
Windthorst. The Kulturkampf has
disappeared as an issue, the old lead
ers are dead, and the Center party
has, to a great extent, become nation
alist. It's objects are no longer strictly
religious-the protection of Catholic
interests, to modify it a little-but
politically German, in the national
sense of the word"
Erzberger's family was in modest
circumstances, but his surroundings
were not at all mean" He studied at
the preparatory school and teachers
seminary at Saulgau, Wurttemberg,
and after teaching for some time he re-
paired to the University of Frieburg
in Switzerland.
/ A typical Suabian, he was fearless
and aggressive, like Uhland's hero:
Der wackere Schwabe forcht SIGH nit,
Cling seines Weges Schritt fur Schritt.
Editor Of Catholic Daily.
He first gained prominence as edi-
tor of the Deutsches Volksblatt, the
Catholic daily and Centrist organ Of
Stuttgart, Wurttemberg. With the
Rev. Eckhardt he organized the Chris
tian Trades Unions and the Catholic
Workingmen's Societies in that king
DOM
The intimation that he was more Of
a Socialist that Centrist,. is absurd.
The fact that he was delegate to the
International congress at Zurich in
1897, is no evidence to this effect. The
prime mover of that conference was
Gaspard Descurtin, the great Catholic
social leader of Switzerland. 1t was
Descurtin's pet project to assemble
labor representatives irrespective of
religious and political beliefs with a
view to paving the way for uniform in
ternational labor legislation. Erzberg-
er's participation in that conference,
in the light of these facts, can hardly
be construed as evidence of his Social
istic tendencies.
This picture of ministers turning
somersaults and of the Kaiser SILVER
ing in his boots, is, of course, over
drawn. Erzberger's speech caused
CONSERVATION because it reflected the
view of the Center party, which has in
the past caused the downfall of more
than one chancellor. The writer in the
Transcript gives the following sketch
of Erzbergers life:
Erzberger of Humble Origin.
"Erzberger is forty-two, a native of
Buttenhausen in Wurttemberg, and a
man who has made his way up from
very mean. surroundings. He was the
son of a poor tailor who could not af.
ford to send him to college. A we'll.
to-do friend came to- his relief, paid
the boys bills at Freiburg, and gave
him his chance in life. Erzberger
made a speciality of political law and
economy at the Swiss University and
then went back to Wurttemburg as a
teacher. 1t was at this time-the early
nineties-that the Christian labor
union movement was beginning to
make history, and Erzberger took a
very active part in that movement.
'He was really more of a Socialist
during this period of his development
than 'Clerical-so much so, in fact
that in 1897. he was a delegate to the
international congress at Zurich. After
this he became connected with severa
organizations of social-political ma
ture, and began to gain notice as 6
powerful public speaker. He was
| S>A-