New-York tribune., 1918-12-24
Sanity Emergent

0dlIktN AA4AOA SNAS
The news reaching Paris by way OF
Berne. according to which an election OF
delegates to the Constitutional Conven-
ton of Germany has already been held
in Brunswick, with a crushing defeat OF
the Bolshevist elements, cannot be cor
rect in that form, since the national
election is not to be held till January g.
1t may have been an election for dele
gates to state convention of that little
grand duchy The same dispatch men,
tons elections in Anhalt and Mecklen-
burg, but these had been reported last
week as state elections, having nothing
to do with the national convention.
Nevertheless, it may very we'll be true
that the radical Socialist faction in
Brunswick was badly worsted in an cleo
ton of some sort. Most of the news
now coming out of Germany shows that
this Bolshevik element is losing ground,
while the more sober, practical Socialists
are daily gaining in strength
The final action of the Congress of
Councils at Berlin was a distinct triumph
of that element. 1t voted to abolish
altogether the executive committee of
the Councils of Greater Berlin, which
had hitherto held in its hands the reins
of authority over the government, and
to appoint national executive commit
tee in its stead Moreover, the new eX-
ecutve committee, consisting of twenty
seven workmen and soldiers represent
atives, was captured entire by the Ma
iority Socialists by huge majority.
Still another step taken by the con-
gress clearly indicates swing away
from disorganizing policies. 1t placed
in the hands of the government the full
est authority to manage public affairs, a
decision which was manifestly due to the
meddlesome and obstructive acts of the
old executive committee. The new COM
mttee only has the power, apparently,
to eject from the Cabinet members who
disturb its harmony. That evidently
must be understood as threat to Haase,
Dittmann and Barth, the three Independ-
ents, who were taken into the Board of
Peoples Commissioners when that insti-
tuition was organized November u.
Nothing could more clearly demon
strate how greatly the position in Ger
many has changed in favor of the Ebert
Scheidemanns Socialists When the first
revolutionary government was formed
those men found it expedent to give an
equal number of peoples commissioners
to the Independents, although they knew
that these were not entitled by their
numbers to such generous treatment
Now Ebert and Scheidemann have been
lndorsed by this congress- They feel
themselves firmly in the saddle. And
the congress gives them a national COM
mittee of their own liking, with an i'll
concealed threat to expel from the gov
ernment any Independent who is dis
posed to make trouble.
The decision of the congress to hold
the national election for the constitu-
tional convention on January 8 is also
striking victory for Ebert and Scheide-
mann, since most of the Independents
wanted to postpone the elections to a.
more distant date while the still more
radical elements demanded that there
should be no such convention at all. The
vote of 400 for the elections on January
19, against only 40 negative votes, also
strklngly shows the great preponder-
ance of Majority Socialists in the con-
gress.
In view of this outcome it is not to be
wondered at that Die Freiheit, the Ber-
lin organ of the Independents now ad-
mits that the situation is mot particu-
larly favorable' for that wing The edi-
torial in which that admission was made.
says one dispatch, gives the impression
that the more moderate Independents
are gradually drifting back into the
Majority fold
Ledebour and DR.. Liebknecht, too, con-
tlnue to do all in their power to hasten
such q result. At the funeral on Satur-
day of sixteen victims of the incidents
of December 6 those men turned the
occasion into demonstration against
the government, violently denouncing
Ebert
Nevertheless, the government appears
to have become aware at last of what
dangers may threaten it, even from
faction numerically weak For some
weeks it was criticised for taking no
military measures as precaution
against a counter revolution by the
"Sparticide" elements; but it apparently
thought its best safety lay in ignoring
n IL