New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-22
As Obscure Journalist He
Downed Oldest Reigning
Family in Europe; Oppo-
nent of Majority Socialists

With Kurt Eisner. the assassinated
Premier of the Bavarian Republic. dis
appears from the European scene per
maps the most picturesque probably
the most meteorlike, personality of the
new Germany. Almost overnight this
comparatively obscure journalist, hard
y known outside the circles of German
socialism, leaped to worldwide fame
by downing the House of Wittelsbach.
oldest reigning family not only of Ger
many but OF Europe, and by setting up
IN the stead of the collapsed kingdom
the Bavarian Peoples Republic under.
his own virtual dictatorship. The sig
nificance of this event as a personal
feat cannot be gagged fully without re-
calling that Eisner was Jew and that
Bavaria is the most purely Catholic
and ultramontane German state
Kurt Eisner was born in 1867, in
Berlin, according to his friends; in
Gaicia, as his enemies asserted, deny
ing him even the brthright of German
citizenship. He first attracted public
notice in 1892 by publishing a book on
Netzsche.
Kaiser Put Him in Prison
From 1890 to 1895 he was contribute
ing editor of the "Frankfurter lei
tung.' His writings were first of a
literary and aesthetic nature, until one
article, written against the Kaiser,
brought him a prison term of nine
months.
This episode was the turning point
in Eisner's life He left the bourgeois
press, became an ardent Socialist, and
after the death OF Wilhelm Liebknecht.
father of the Spartacist leader, he was
appointed editor in chief of the "Vor-
WARTS" the main organ of German So
cial Democracy. In the domestic quar-
rel of the party Eisner sided with the
so-called revisionists, or moderates,
who, led by men like Eduard Bern
stein, advocated gradual development
through political means, and even CO.
operation with the bourgeois radicals,
as against the inexorabe class warfare
preached by the orthodox Marxians.
The latter, however, were, for the time
at least, in majority and succeeded in
ousting him, together with five other
editors, from the leadership of the
"Vorwarts"
Went to South Germany
Eisncr left Berlin for South Ger
&c, ~,
"Franksche Tagespost" at Nuremberg
and became later free lance writer on
socialism and world politics.
In the latter field he always OBJ
served an extremely radical attitude
and was one of the very few Germans
who dared to expose the Hateful ten
denotes of German imperialism. In his
book "The Sultan of the World War;
published twelve years ago, he at
tackled kecnly the Kaisers policy in
the Near East
Opposed Majority Socialists
From the beginning of the war Els
ner found himself in opposition to the
prowar policy of the Majority Social
lists, and leaned strongly toward the /
few pamphlets denouncing the Pan
Germans. On the retirement from the
Reichstag Of the Majority Socialist,
Won Nolmar Eisner was nominated by
the Independents.
The world outside of Germany, how
ever, learned Esner's name only when
the Bavarian revolution ushered in the
quick collapse of the German mon
arches and the whole empire.
On the night OF November 8, 1918, /
in the presence of 100000 citizens. /
workmen and soldiers, Kurt Esner, at
Munich, proclaimed the Peoples Re-
public of Bavaria. In a proclamation
he declared in favor of an immediate
peace and the league Of nations, an
nounced the formation of Workmen's
and Soldiers Councils, pledged the
maintenance of law and order and the
security of all property, and promised
thorough characterization Of the Ba-
varian State which, he said, was thus
to lead the way for the rest of Ger
many
Pronounced Anti-Prussian
Eisner tackled his enormous lob with
great vigor. From the very day Of his
coming into power he malntancd'~a
very pronounced .anti-prussian stnno.
and on repeated occasions he threat
ened Berlin with the secession Of Ba-
varia.
On the one hand. he accused the
Ebert Scheidemann government Of in
sincerity and reactionarv lnanings on