Norwich bulletin., 1919-02-19
FACTS AND COMMENT

IRON LIE i6SQerSnlD OF the SOcIaIISL
majority of the reichstag to the chief
magistracy of the new government, yet
the contrast between the ancient fam
lily Of the Hohenzollrnse and this nov
us home from the provinces cannot
fail to give a severe shock to the
great ones OF once imperial Prussia.
Until he was fifteen years OF age
Ebert attended the volksschule of his
native town, the curriculum OF watch
was deliberately planned to fit the sons
, of workrgrnen to continue in the plane
of society to which they were born.
There followed an apprenticeship to a
saddler, after which the young man
could make about seven dollars q
week as a journeTnnan, a condition in
which the authorities assumed that
such young men as he would remain.
Ebert however had picked up good
deal of knowledge from student-cus-
toners of his father as well as from
attendance at university lectures, he
joined a group of young socialists and
became well Informed on life labor
! and politics. Soon he moved to Brenl-
en- and in that great industrial city
he gained experience as an agitator,
street orator and writer. Later he
| became editor of a paper preaching the
! socialist doctrines of Karl Marx, and
though not as brilliant as Bebel and
| Iiebknecht, he was a faithful interp-
| refer of their views and as such of
great value to his party and of con-
siderable influence throughout Ger
many.
Ebert was elected to the reichstag in
| 1912 and soon rose to prominence in
| the socialist delegation. When the
war broke out in 1914 and all the
world waited to see whether theoretic-
al international socialism would out
| weigh natural national patriotism,
| Ebert was found with the great ma
| jority of the socialist party that sided
| with the militaristS and voted funds
| for carrying on the the war. 1t was
at this crisis that Liebknecht dared to
denounce the war as deliberate and
unprovoked, winning for himself there
| by well-deserved admiration for his
bravery and carrying with him a
fragment Of the socialist party that
has since became known as the minor
ity socialists. Ebert however in his
position as vice chairman of the So
cialist majority had many a confer
ence with the kaiser and continued to
| keep his party in line with the mill
tarists. So when the kaiser was
down and out and it was necessary TO
hand on the reins of power to anoth-
er leader, Ebert was the natural one
to be selected. The minority social
lists quite naturally regard him as one
who toadied to the autocracy and be-
trayed his own party principles. 1t
was this knowledge that Ebert lacked
real courage that prompted them to
venture upon the riots of December
and January that only just failed to
bring about his downfall. For days
Ebert hesitated whether to compro-
mise or crush, nor did he dare to use
ba hod bipacpIf Of
: the backing of the Berlin soviets
The subsequent murder of Lebknecht
and Rosa Gutenberg BY the infuriat-
ed and outraged populace of Berlin
showed the existence of a strong SEN
timent for law and order together with
unbridled fury against those who
would disturb the peace.
= Though the government triumphed
. Ebert won little glory thereby. The
! real statesman would have recognized
E how public sentiment lay and the
strong leader would have done what
was right without waiting to see whar
was expedient. In spite of his weak
L ness, however, Ebert was easily thu
r most conspicuous candidate for tht
f presidency and his election by tn,
i Constituent assembly at Weimar fol
o lowed as a matter of course. In stat
= ure the new president rs short ant
- stout; he walks with a heavy treal
and shows himself the steady plodde
e and not at all the magnetic leader
= His dress is plain and he wears {
= SLOUGH hat pulled we'll down over hi
h | eyes. His stubby moustache anC
! goatee and the scowl characteristic o
- the neorsighted person give him tn,
, | appearance of thousands Of othe
Il Germans of the same plane in societ,
a of
2 is hardly possible that Ebert vii
o ever be brilliant but he may prov
t Just the man TO keep the peace be
. tween reactionary and radical.
: p,a.;de,,4 vg;t.or -.;IsL F,,,,, e,.a,
= ,os4 s,.4T'r-7e'5 IN his ,,9+,'rr1 49,
y TO- The IJn{IeJ Staras M states,n4,
AZ Tho ne C.1r7rs,arca 49, e'l
n e[arfod Ifaif as 1907 a., iofjI1nrca -
t h. end M I1..,ac5 nj rraanGent i
o leaving America during his term o
= office seems to have amply ius{ife
n itself by The results obtained. Iresi
G dent Wilson'S iasf act l,afara s9iIin
:, was 10 read 10 The assembled dele
a ga+e; the proposed constitution f2
n The League ~ nations. The league ha
e iaIready been acce,,ieG in Drincsria am
5. MIR. Wilson mad 5c5ed as chairman c
# 1be committees aDrorntnd tn vy7rI, on
g t,e EA+.ifs Tie nur}a1js oe tn
~ 5a,e4,a T. If co,I,-e fI,a pro,,,7 NJ ii
. ifaS --afil,7s tbat baEa 6afa9fa5 Gov
r1a,,y Ofi,a, T,atfoys NAV he gdrni+
= "a fror1 tiy,n ~ tf-oa Inv = tr,n
o tnird Zra+a b+I+ 10 he ad.,7iffa
e nation .n,,gf la shla Ia e,iy
Il effanfiTe ,,,ial,5r l+oo of Intention +
confnrro Ia irrorrat;on oi,Iigs
lions 1raecI,i,,ii04e Is to ar1?7a
merf l. ia rscoz,7 Ted FIAT +l,a Ne
a,o+io- - -, rI,(,,f- ir- aeso,,+io1 7
= - ,I.,o,o,,,,9t 49,, re ,,o.,e 81 ,
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