Evening star., 1921-08-26
ERzBERGER ISSLA|N
SHOTS RIDDLE BODY
High Official AS
sassinated While Walking
Near 0fenburg, Baden.
by the Associated Press.

UCoi OtCltUub y, OduCti'
by tile Associated Press.
BERLIN. August 2s.-Mathias Erz-
berger. former vice premier and min
lister of finance. was murdered today.
Herr Erzberger was assassinated
near Ofenburg. Baden, where he was
sojourning with his family. His body
contained twelve bullet wounds.
Herr Erzberger had left Bad-Gries-
bach. where he was taking the cure.
in company with the Reichstag
Deputy piez for foot tour Of the
who separated them and then emp
tied revolvers into Herr Erzberger.
who was killed instantly by shots in
the head. Deputy Diez also was
wounded.
Once Before Shot In Berlin.
Matthias Erzberger. once before.
was shot and wounded. January 26,
1920, as he was leaving the criminal
court building in Berlin after attend
brought against DR.. Karl Helfferich,
the former German vice chancellor
His assailant gave his name as Olt-
wig Won Hirschfeld. q former cadet
officer. twenty. years old, a student,
and son of Berlin bank official.
Won Hirschfeld was arrested and was
quoted as saying he considered Erz-
berger dangerous to the empire. The
assaflant fired two shots at Erzberger
as the minister was entering his au-
tomobile: One bullet glanced of the
minister's watch chain and another
entered his shoulder.
Erzberger ronaeds q storm in Ger
many in July. 1917. more than a year
before the armistice. by proposing a
resolution in the German reichstaS in
favor of a peace without annexations
and md for parliamentary reform. Chan
esiior esi betnmann-HollweE declared
Dr. Helferich subsequently blamed
Erzbergers peace PROPOSAL for the
moral COLLAPSE Of the German peopIe.
Peaee Views stirred Nation.
Herr Erxberger was for many years
leader OF the German center party and
one of the leading figures in German
public life. after Germany's defeat in
the war. HIS peace move of 1917 had
OF reactionaries. but when Germany's
military power collapsed he was made
minister without portfolio in the cabi-
net of Prince Maximilian.
AS member of the German ar
mistice delegation he conducted ne
+
later headed the majority socialists in
a movement to form a new ministry
and sign the peace treaty. His atti-
tude throughout the armistice nego-
tiations aroused against him the in
dignation of German military authori-
ties. and in June, 1919, 1t was reported
that his residence had been fired upon
by Berlin mob. A plot said to have
been formed by members of the off,
GERS corps at Potsdam to assassinate
him was revealed in September fol-
lowing.
Outlined League OF Nations.
Born in Buttenhaus. September 20,
1875, ErZberger was the son of poor
tailor. He became a schooimaster. OBJ
international law and political econ
omy. wrote several books on political
and economic subjects and became a
brilliant speaker and politician. He
was elected to the reichstag in 1903
as member of the center (Catholic)
party. as representative Of small
farmers and became one. of the lead
ers of a small liberal wing of that
party. IIe is said to have been a
pan-German during the early part of
the war and TO have engaged actively
in spreading German propaganda.
He was accused of having recon-
mended the use by German troops/of
Germany's U-boat war had failed and
advocated it's abandonment. Some
time. prior to the armistice he pub
lished a book in which he outlined a
plan for a league of nations.
Planned Drive on ProAteers.
= Erzberger was elected member of
the national assembly from Wuert-
ternberg in January, 1919, and in June
became vice premier and minister of
finance. In the latter office he formu-
lated the vast income tax and capital
levy plan, which he declared was
necessary to enable Germany to pay
her indemnities to the entente and to
rehabilitate herself financially. It
was claimed that his levy on German
capital would greatly reduce the huge
fortunes OF German war prof1teevs
and Industrial leaders.