The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-01-18
PRUSSIANISn DENOUNCED BY
FORMER LANDTAG MEMBER
KarlsLiebnecht's Book. "Militar-
ism," Suppressed 10 Years
Think of Imperialism.
From the Kansas City Starr

The cry of a mar grown desperate
with watching the Prussian autocracy
drive the people of Germany nearer
and nearer to the slaughter of war
is heard in Karl Liebknecht's book,
"Militarism." Ten years ago this
book was suppressed and its author
was sent to prison for a year and a
half. Now, from a copy saved from
destruction, an American edition has
been published by w. B. Huebsch. The
working people of Berlin elected this
socialist leader, while in prison, to
the Prussian landtag. A district COM
posed largely of workers in the state
munitions factories sent him to the
reichstag in 1912.
There Liebknecht was the only mar
who refused to vote for funds to carry
m the war, As a member of the Ger
man lower house he declared that the
Germans were the aggressors and that
this is an imperialist a More than
once he had protested the violation of
Belgium. and Prussian and Austrian
autocracy.
"This war;" he said, "is an imperial
istic war for the domination of world
markets and for the benefits of bank
ers and manufacturers. 1t also is a
war tending to destroy the growing
labor movement. 1t is not a war of
defense. 1t is, therefore, our plain
duty to vote against the war budget"
At a peace demonstration May day,
1916. he said: "We Germans in Prus-
STA have three cardinal rights: To be
soldiers, to pay taxes and to keep our
mouths shut"
He continued: "Those who profit
from the wal desire war with Amerl-
ca Tomorrow, perhaps, they may
order US to aim our weapons against
new groups Of our brothers, against
our fellow workers in America. Con-
slider we'll the fact; as long as the
German people do not rise and en-
force their will the assassination Of
the people will continue"
For that he was Immediately ar
rested. He is now in prison, making
shoes for soldiers.
An army composed of men who dis
believed in militarism would be use
less, L%iebknecht knew. His purpose
was to prevent the working people
from being poisoned by the spirit of
m~ilitarism. Even the schools and
churches had Joined in the plot to up
hold the existing state of things as
pillars of capitalism and all the reac-
tionary forces.
"All human weaknesses must be APP
pealed to to the system of mill
tary education, exactly as is done in
the church." he writes. "Ambition and
vanity are stimulated, the soldiers
coat is represented as the most dis
~tinguished of all coats, the soldiers
honor is lauded as being of special
excellence and the soldiers status is
trumpeted forth as the most import
ant and distinguished, and is, indeed
endowed with many privileges"
In a footnote he adds that the acme
of this ridiculous conceit vas seen
some years ago in Berlin when the
fire brigade Fastening to a fire, was
stopped by a military parade that
crossed it's route and that felt nc in
clination to have it's beautiful and
majestic order deranged.
German militarism, he believed,
was aimed at home as we'll as abroad.
military authorities everywhere have
been convinced of the truth of the
capitalists saying that the hydra of
revolution is lurking behind every
strike" he says. Hence it was nat
ural that soldiers should be used as
strikebreakers and to shoot down
strikers.
Of the ways in which the spirit of
militarism is spread among the peo-
pie he mentions the veterans assoei.
atoms, the preference given former
soldiers in state appointments, max
SEa