Evening star., 1918-02-16
RADICAL SOCIALISM
GAINING IN GERMANY
Grows Decidedly Among PoIit-
icaI Leaders of Social
Democracy.
REFLECTED IN STRIKES

BY The Associated Press.
NEW YORK, February 16.-The radi-
cal socialist movement in Germany the
growing strength of which was SHOWN
by the pcrsistency Of the poi1icai
strike IN January and February, is also
gaining decided ground among the
political leaders of German social democ-
racy. This information was obtained by
the Associated Press from German news
paners received here. The little group OF
radical socialists in the reichstag. under
the leadership of Haase, Ledebour and
Bernstein who split off from the eau
Gus organization of the regular or
Scheidemann socialists on the issue OF
voting funds for the war and formed an
independent organization. has now
grown by continued defections from
the moderate wing to strength en-
titI;ns it to a second member on the
principal reichstag committees
The additional representation is
gained at the expense OF the regular
social organization, which at the begin
ming of the war was the largest party
in the reichstas. but which has now
fallen to second rank behind the Cath
olic center. Four socialist members OF
the reichstag, Brandes, DIR. Erdmann.
Huettmann and .!aeckel. went over to
the radicals at the beginning Of the
year.
Eighteen Radicals Gained Recently.
Recent elections at Leipzig brought
eighteen radical socialists into the city
council. The regular socialists secured
only six places The radical socialists
who thus formed the third strongest
party in the council, demanded the sec
ond vice presidency as their quota of
the presiding officers, but the nom
socialist aldermen, to whom the radical
socialists are anathema, united with
the regular socialists to give this office
to one Of the six moderate social demo-
Gratis, whereupon the radical socialists
refused to participate in the organiza-
tion of the council.
Leipzig is one of the strongho1ds of
the radical socialists. their principal
newspaper organ, the Leipzig volks
Zeitung, being published there
The radicals have been badly off so
far rs press is concerned the yor-
waerts and other important socialist
organs having been retained by the
regular party organization. Editors of
the radical school have been discharg-
ed wholesale from the party organs
Michaelis Regime Caused Boom.
largely responsible for the boom of the
radical socialist organization. The
charges against Haase Dittmann and
Nogtherr of the radical socialist group
in the reichstag of inspiring and abet-
ting the alleged mutiny in the navy
last summer launched in the reichstaE
in the autumn by Chancellor Michae ellis
in an effort to save his administration
did not complete the discredit of the
radical group as expected. They really
heircd the radicals among the non-
socialist parties and the public at large.
since it was known that the govern
rlent had earlier Informed the party
leaders in the reichstag that there
ware no grounds for a prosecution
The transparent attempt of Michaelis
to rally support in the reichstay on a
lingo issue resulted in the downfall of
Mlchaells and in securing for the radi-
cal socialists the standing of a serious
political party, which their methods
had earlier shaken. They are opposed
to all votes of credit for the war, and
for an immediate stoppage of fighting.
and have, unlike the regular socialists.
persisted in the original socialist atti-
tude OF opposition to the monarchical
system.