The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-02-16
RADICAL WING
GROWS STRONGER
Political Leaders of German
Social Democracy Being
Won Over by Movement.
REGULARS LOSE GROUND
Boom, of Organization Begun
Under Michaelis' Regime.
Win Many Seats. :.
REGULARS LOSE GROUND

New York, Feb. 16.-The radical so
| ciaiist movement in Germany, th'
growing strength Of which was showr
by the persisteney Of the politica
strike in January and February, |,
also gaining decided ground among ths
political leaders of German social dc.
moeraoy. This information was obs
tanned by the Associated Press from
German newspapers here. The little
group of radical socialists in the
reichstag under the leadership Of
Haase. Ledebour and Bernstein, who
split off from the caucus organization
Of the regular or Seheidsmann social
lists on the issue Of voting funds for
the war and formed an independent
organization, has now grown by con-
tinued defections from tho moderate
wing to a strength emitting it to a
second member on the principa al reichs-
tag committees.
The additional representation is
gained at the expense of the regular
social organization, which at the be-
ginning of the war was the largest
party in the reichstag, but which has
now fallen to second rank behind the
Catholic center. Four socialist mem
bers of the reichstag. Brandes, DR.. Ed
mann, Huettmann and Jaeckel, went
over to the radicals at the beginning
of the year.
Radicals Won Seats.
Recent elections at Leipsig 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
second vice. presidency as their quota
of the presiding officers, but the non
socialist aldermen, to whom the radical
socialists are anathema, united with
the regular socialists to give this of
flee to one of the six moderate social
whereupon the radical So
cialists refused to participate in the
of the council.
Leipsig is one of the strongholds OF
the radical socialists, their principal
newspaper organ, the Leipzig Volks
zeitung. being published there. !.
Editors Discharged.
The radicals have been badly off so
Far as the press is concerned, the Vor- !
waerts and other important socialist |
organs having been retained by the |
'egtlar party organization. Editors Of |
he radical school have been discharged |,
Wholesale from the party organs.
The government of DIR. Michaelis |
vas largely responsible for the boom
II the radical socialist organization.
Che charges against Haase, Dittmann
md Vogtherr. of the radical socialist
,roup in the reichstag, of inspiring and |
betting the alleged mutiny in the
lavy last summer, launched in the
in the autumn by Chancel-
or Michaelis jim an effort to save his
administration. did not complete the
iscredit. of the radical group as ex-
ected. They really helped the rad
Gals among the nonsocialist parties
nd the public at large. since it was
nown that the government had earlier
Informed the party leaders in the
that there were no grounds
or prosecution.
MichaeIis Overthrown.
The transparent attempt of Michaelis
D rally support in the reichstag on a
ngo issue resulted in the downfall of
and In securing for the rad
oltical party, which their methods
ad earlier shaken. They are opposed
, all votes of credit for the war and are
Or an immediate stoppage of fighting,
nd have unlike the regular socialists,
ersisted in the original socialist atti-
lde of opposition to the monarchical
ystem.