The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-25
C { R Man SOCIAL
DEMOCRACY TORN
BY INTERNAL WAR
Has Betrayed Workers,
Says Reichstag Member
Bv LOUIS P. LocHNER

4
party Of Germany is convulsed by a
struggle within its ranks which may
be of consequence to the whole fu-
ture of Germany. An analysis of
this conflict from the viewpoint of
the party insurgents has been made
| by Toni Sender, member of the reich
stag and editor of the Betriebsraete-
zeitung, Works Councils News.)
'The Soical-Democratic party is at
the parting Of the ways" says Toni
Sender. at is time openly to assert
that a fundamentally wrong policy
has led to series of grevious mis-
takes and finally to a catastrophe of
the movement Let it be recalled
that the German republic was created
by the working class. There was no
active republican bourgeoisie. To
etablish this republic firmly, the fol-
/ lowing props were necessary: a re-
liable proletarian army, bureau
crazy that was entirely made over,
and carefully planned Specialization,
beginning with the key industries, as
a means Of affording an economic
basis for the whole structure.
Army to Monarehists.
Instead of that, an army was
created under the leadership of mon
archistic generals who saw their chief
task as that of fighting the revolu-
tionary workers; the bureaucracy
maintained the established rights
won under William II; and the de-
mand for specialization was treated
with the contemptuous rejoinder,
what do you want to socialize-our
debts?'
Instead Of using our strategic
position and insuring our rights, and
then later perpetuating them in the
form of a constitution, we insisted at
once upon the converting Of the Ma
tional Assembly, discussed the form
to be given the state for months, and
let the few concrete advantages
gained by the revolution go by the
board. Every sacrific was made for
preserving the outward form Of the
state, even to the extent of trying to
save this bourgeois-democratic re-
public by a coalition with the mon
archial German Peoples party, the
party of our sharpest opponents in
the field of industry and finance.
Even this positive aim of safeguard
ing the republic was transferred into
the negative one of averting civil
war.
Joined With Enemy.
"Neither aim was accomplished.
Two warning signals remained I'M
needed: the Kapp rebellion and the
murder of Rathenau. The coalition
with capitalist parties was continued
The German Peoples party rewarded
this action by tolerating the mon
archist reaction in Bavaria and send
ing the army into the workers state
Of Saxony.
"Thus civil war was actually
started, as the corpses of workers
killed by the invading reichswehr
eloquently testify; and the republic
has been seriously endangered by the
declaration Of a state-of-emergency.
"Those of US who realize this total
ly wrong policy of our party demand
that the party go back to its histori-
cal mission--that of waging the class
war. We must not rely upon parlia-
mentary action alone, but engage in
extra-p parliamentary action as well. !"
Frau Sender then went into some
detail to outline the demands Of the
radical wing of her party. These in
clude: compelling the propertied
classes of Germany to pay repara-
tions to the allies; entering into close
economic cooperation with Russia;
removing all reactionary officials and
officers; re-establishment of freedom
Of speech, press and assembly; heavy
taxation Of wealth and the participa-
ton of the nation in the profits of in
dustry and Of agriculture; socializa-
ton Of the key industries; opposition
to the abrogation of the eight hour
day, and the further extension and
development of the works councils
law.