The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-12
At A Traitors Grave

I was, while travelling by train from Munich to-
wards Heidelberg that met him. He was a big
stout man of about 40 years, humorous and iovial
smoking one cigar after another; as typical Ger
man as ever would find His official position was
that of town clerk in small Westphalian hamlet
He was now on his vacation enjoying every moment
and place.
$50 you are also going to Heidelberg" he said,
reckoning toward me; well, you'll have to come
with me to the cemetery to visit the grave of
Ebert"
replied, that / hoped to find more interesting
places than graveyard, but l soon realized that
my companion was in earnest, and that his piety
genuine.
II don't know" he reflected "what you people
IL America thought Of Ebert, but here in Germany
you viii hardly find single who has not
good word for his memory"
This, I already had found to be the truth, when
ever / spoke to big business men, who, though
violent in their denunciation against the social
democrats, had yet a word Of praise for the dead
president
The reason for this is obvious, and shows the
true position of the social democratic party Of
Germany. Ebert together with his political bench
men, broke the revolution of 1915 and in doing So
restored order, and perpetuated capitalism private
property and wage slavery. That this restoration
brought the most painful agony to the Germany
economic system, was responsible for the terrible
initiation period, (Which is even today remembered
more dreadfully by the Germans than the years
war; and, as q consequence of this virtual bank
ruptcy, imposed upon the country the Dawes Plan,
which actually reduced Germany to inter allied
colony. all these factors of little concern. The
main thing to the Germany business is that
Ebert proved himself loyal servant of capitalism,
and strangled the workers revolution.
Heidelberg was the birthplace of Ebert, and
nursed his first political aspiration; and Heidelberg
It was that claimed his dead body to place it in its
graveyard; possibly the most beautifully laid out
cemetery which had yet
It may, however, be doubted whether Heidel-
berg's claim for the dead mans body motivated
mainly by piety and if there were not Interior
reasons for this. For it not be denied, not
by native of that fair city, that the dead presi
dents grave is stimulating the tourist trade and
it. per chance the train which is carrying the visitor
TO the famous city the Neckar, is over-crowded
compelling him to stand up while en- route, then
il becomes a matter Of speculation, whether the
acquisition of Ebert's earthly remnant was not
good piece of strategy for Heidelberg's virtuous
citizens. To be sure, Heidelberg's cemetery is
nowned as being feudal and fashionable, and from
the angle of a real estate man such advantages
should be paid for in hard cash; yet on the whole
prospects good, and many piece of money is
made by showing the visitor the place where ''the
first German president is resting"
On the next morning after my arrival in Heidel-
berg my babbit friend from Westphalia tucked me
by my sleeve told me that he was now going sup
there" and beckoned me to follow. After passing
through some Of the most antiquated streets and
viewing some very picturesque scenes, we arrived
at our destination.