New-York tribune., 1918-12-21
Germany Will
Hold Election
On January l9
Soldiers and Workmen's
Councils Decide, 200 40
40, to Pick Delegates
Government Money Lost
Poor Bookkeeping May Ex.
plain Missing Sums-Cab.
met Again Reported Out

BERLIN. Dec. 10 BY The Associated
pressl.-The Congress of Soldiers and
Workmen's Councils has decided that
elections to the National Assembly
posed to the summoning of National
Assembly polled only 40 votes out of a
total of 240.
The changing Of the date for the
elections from February Is. originally
agreed upon, to January 10. by this
virtually overwhelming majority, was
greeted by loud applause from the floor
Of the House and Kisses from the gal
leries which were filled with sympa-
thizers of DR.. Karl Liebknecht, leader
of the Spartacus group of Socialists.
There had been nervous tension
throughout the day in the fear that
Liebknecht might attempt coup to
disperse the Congress. Nothing of the
sort happened, however. the only in
cident being the withdrawal of the in
cependent Socialists as protest
against a statement of Hugo Haase
regarding the attitude of the Cabinet
toward the new executive committee
still 10 be chosen.
New Central Committee
Haase contended that the Cabinet
would be entitled to carry its meas
ures, even against the the advice of
The executive committee, whose only
reply could be to remove the Cabinet.
The election of q new Central Execu-
tive Committee has been completed
The Socialist members are largely in
the majority, giving the Cabinet a sup
port it heretofore lacked.
Not only are many of the members
really able men, but radicals, like
George Ledebour. DR.. August Mueller
and other members of the old Execu-
tive Committee, have been eliminated.
The German Finance Ministry is con-
sidering proposition to compel all cor
porations in Germany to increase their
capital stock one-fourth, which will go
to the state. The plan is an attempt to
compromise on the issue of the nation
aization of all industries. The op-
ponents of the plan assert that the
scheme will result in the wholesale
watering of stock.
Revolutionary financing in general,
as it is practised by the executive COM
mittee of the Berlin Council of Sol
diers and Workmen, promises to lead to
interesting revelations when the final
accounting takes place.
Extravaganza Is Charged
Out OF town delegates, who are pres
ent for the congress now in session,
charge the Berlin executive committee
with extravaganza and general ineffi
cheney, and this seems only mildly to
characterize the real conditions.
Much curiosity has been aroused
through the contradicting statements
that have been made by the treasurer
Of the committee, and the "Taeglische
Rundschau" asks, "Whence come the
moneys" 1t calls attention to the fact
that the Soldiers and Workmen's Coun-
Gil attached to the home General Staff
asserts that 100000 marks ($120,000) Of
the official army funds was seized IT
the early days of the revolution
whereas only 100000 marks (S90,000)
was reported.
1T is imperative to establish" adds
the newspaper, whether the full sum
seized was delivered to the executive
committee or whether the persons i'm.
pllcated in the seizure made private
disposition of part Of the money"
Money Can't Be Traced
In the corridors of the House of Dep.
utles yesterday it was asserted that
among other items of receipts and ex
penditures which could not be traced
through bad revolutionary bookkeeping
was the sum of $4,000 marks ($7O,00O)
comprising official funds seized, but the
ultimate disposition of which had no.
yet been established.
LONDON, Dec. 20. "A "people'.
league" has been organized in Ber.
I'm, says Central News dispatch from
copenhagen to-day. The leagues com
alttee includes Prince Macmillan Of
Baden, former German Imperial Chan
cellor; Hugo Haase, Independent So
elallst; Count Won Bernstorff, former
ambassador to the United States; Ma
mas Erzberger, the Centrist leader
Dr. W. S. Solf, former German Foreign
Minister; Prince Won Hohenlohe
Schillingsfuerst, the Austrian Ambas
.adorr, and Cardinal Won Hartmann
Archbishop of Cologne.
Other reports from Copenhagen stat,
mat the German Cabinet, headed b,
friedrich Ebert has resigned, bu
there is no confirmation.
COPENHAGEN, Dec. 2O.-Dr. Gusta'
otresemann, leader of the National Lib
eral party in Germany, has announce,
nat the German Peoples party, il