New-York tribune., 1918-12-05
Group
In erm anv
Fought Kaiser
Small Number With Boil
shevik Leanings See Lead
ers Sent to Prison, but
Oppose Wilheln's War

T1'ibune Foreign Press Bureau
The Spartacus or Bolshevik group
up to last year represented a small
branch Of the Independent Social Dem
ocratic party Of Germany, but subse-
ouently seeded in order to take its
stand unhampered by any opportunist
considerations. Apparently this group
is rapidly growing more powerful.
The relatively few members Of thai
Spartacus group, known also as the
New Internationale, We're hardly able
to voice publicly their opinions. At
every step they were watched by the
ninions Of the Kaiser's secret service,
placed under so-called preventive ar
prison.
Of the three most prominent leaders
Karl Liebknecht was sentenced to hard
labor, Rosa Luxembourg was sent to
prison, and Franz Mehring, Germany $
most brilliant journalist, has been
outside the Kaiser's realm nearly all
of the time since 1914.
1t was the small circle of the mem
bers of what is now known as the
Spartacus group who in August 1914,
In the face of dumfounded Socialist
proletariat and an all powerful bourge-
oisle drunk with victory and lust for
conquest, dared openly to condemn and
denounce the acknowledgements war.
the outset, although they cast negative
While Haase and Brandes, Huett-
m Eol 4
Simon and other Social Democratic
Reichstag Deputies did not vote for
the first war credit, but absented them
selves In an inconspicuous manner
during the final vote, they didn't
dare openly to oppose the war from
votes in the matter of subsequent war
credits.
The Spartacus group has favored an
active opposition to the Kaiser's poll
cies. They judged the whole of the
German Socialists from themselves
and believed that the social revolu-
tionery proletariat was in position
right, provided the 4,250,00O "Red'
voters in the fatherland were all OF
the same kind as Liebknecht But they
were not
Like the Independent Social Demo
Gratis, the Spartacus group most sc.
verely criticised and condemned the
treason against vital Socialist princi-
pies committed by Scheidemann and
his followers in the Reichstag
On the other hand, there is a wide
difference as regards the stand taken
by the Independents and the Sparta
Gus group toward the Bolshevik revo-
luton in Russia. Both factions know
and admit that they will not be en-
abled to establish a Socialist common
wealth by the mere conquest of Doliti-
cal power They declare that the ma
tionalization of the means Of produc-
ton, and thereby of production itself
can be but the result of economic
development which may be only hast.
ened to certain degree, but nevel
suddenly accomplished, by measures OF
political nature.
Whlle the German Independents dis
approve the Bolshevik experiment and
denounce the inetfciencv and short
comlngs and mistakes Of the success
sors to Kerensky, the Spartacus grouu
has praise, and nothing but praise. for
the powers that be at Petrorrad
The fatherland Of the proletariat
tho defence of which is more important
than anything else, is the Information,
ale." according to one Of the principle
laid down in a manifesto by the Spar
tacus group, as quoted By Franz Meh-
ring in letter under date of June 3
last, and published in the "Pravda" OF
June 13. And that theorcm is to the
Spartacus group what the gospel is tc
the monk