The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-05
GERMAN LEADER
DEAD IN BERLIN
First President of the Ger
man Republic Dies
This Morning.
ENEMIES ARE BLAMED
Lampooning of His Opponents
Declared to Have fastened
Death of German President.


president of the German republic,
from peritonitis which llowed an
operation for appendicitis five days
ago. The former saddle maker, whose
skill in guiding the infant republic
through the first turbulent years of
its existence, was acknowledged even
by his bitter enemies, made a gallant
fight for life. But his system had
been undermined by an attack of in
fiuenza before the operation and his
heart was not equal to the burden
imposed by the poison which had
spread throughout his system.
Around his bedside when the end
came were his wife, their daughter,
Amalie, and her husband, DR.. Wilhelm
Jaenecke, and their sole son to sur
vive the war, Friedrich, Jr. State Sec
rotary Meissner was the only other
person present aside from the doctors
and nurses.
The political attacks upon the pres
ident which eliminated in the Madge-
burg trial and the efforts to connect
him with the Barmat loans scandal
added greatly to the burdens imposed
upon him as chief executive of a new
republic.
Enemies Are Persistent.
Putsches and threats of putsches
and the jibs of the monarchists who
could not bear the idea Of working
man succeeding the Hohenzollerns
had helped to undermine his once rug
ged constitution. But the firmness
with which he managed the political
crisis arising from the tangled party
system and the simple dignity with
which Frau Ebert met her duties as
first Lady of Germany disarmed many
of their sharpest critics.
There was probably not another
leader in Germany, his enemies admit
ted who could have succeeded where
he did, and his death four months be-
fore the presidential election produc-
es more confusion in political stu
alton already badly muddled.
Started as Saddle Maker.
Herr Ebert started life as a saddle
maker, but years of experience as a
labor organizer and official of unions,
together with his wide training in
practical politics developed him even
as, his admirers pointed out, the late
Samuel Gompers was developed in Am
erica
A meeting of the cabinet was called
for today and the Reichstag will be
convened on Monday, when it will
probably arrange a new election date
in advance of the one scheduled for
June. The choice of a regular sue
cessor to Herr Ebert will relieve
Chancellor Luther of the responsible
ity of carrying on the presidential du-
ties in addition to his own Office.
The presidents death comes on the
eve of the national day of mourning
set aside to commemorate Germany's
losses in the World war. There will
be memorial services in all the
churches of Berlin.
President Ebert lost two sons in
the war.
Herr Ebert was first taken seriously
i'll late Monday night when hurriedly
summoned physicians diagnosed his
case as appendicitis. In the midst of
snow storm he was removed from
his official residence in the Wilhelm
strasse to the tWest Sanitarium where
DR.. August Bier, one Of the most emil
nent Of Garmany's surgeons, perform
ed an operation at 2 o'clock Sunday
morning, assisted by DR.. Richard
Kruger.
The operation disclosed conditions
leading the surgeons to believe that
the president had suffered for years.
The appendix was slightly perforated
and the operation, it was thought at
the time, had been made just in time
to save his life.
After a brief period of apparent
rallying from the operation, portion
tits developed and relapse came
Wednesday night. This was followed,
however, by another rally which was
so pronounced as to create general
optimism that the patient had passed
the crisis successfully.
Concern over the outcome was ex-
pressed by many prior to the opera
tion because it was known that Herr
Eberts nervous system had been bad
ly shaken by the Madgeburg trial af-
fair and personal attacks against him
in connection with the alleged illegal
loans of government funds to the Bar
mat brothers.
In the Madgeburg case the judge
while convicting newspaper editor
of libelling the president, took occa-
sion to criticize President Ebert for
his attitude during the war, virtually
charging him with treason.