The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-12-15


Torgler now stands in the
shadow of the fascist execu-
tioners' axe, with the only hope
for saving his life left in the
hands Of the masses of all lands,
who must raise an International pro-
test Of unprecedented power, without
q moment of delay!
At the same time acquittal was
proposed for the three other Com
munist defendants, George Dimitrotf,
Blagoi Popoff and Vassil Taneff.
The acquittal proposals for the
three Bulgarian Communists was tan
tamount TO admission of the complete
collapse Of the prosecutions case. III
speaking Of them, the Nazi prosecu-
tor said that there was strong sus-
picion, but no definite proof of their
completely in the Reichstag arson.
Marinus van der Lubbe, Nszi tool,
who set fire to the Reichstag, was
also proposed fer the death penalty.
In demanding the death sentence for
Torgler, the Nazis presented as "eyi-
dence" the flimsy hypothesis that Van
der Lubhe must have had an accom-
plice, especially one who had easy
access" to the building. Such a per-
son, they asserted, was Torgler.
Not once during the entire trial
of almost two months, however, was
there q single bit of evidence pro-
duced by the Nazis to show that
Torgler was in any way involved in
the arson.
The demand Of death for TorgIer
despite the collapse of the Nazi case
against Dimitroff, Popoff and Taneff,
is clearly in accordance with demands
given by the real incendiary, Goering,
This death demand is indicated
the compulsion of the inner political
situation in Germany. BY it the
Nazis intend to attempt to regain the
confidence of large numbers Of fas-
cist adherents, confidence which has
been so completely shaken by the
revelations of the trial.
The terror sentence is hoped by the
Nazis to act as a deterrent against
the increasing influence of the Com
munist Party of Germany.
The public prosecutors demands to-
day concluded q long speech which
had taken up most of yesterdays
session, in which he had asserted
that not the Red Front Fighters, but
the Communist Party leaders had
prepared for an armed uprising by
obtaining arms. The German Com
munist Party. he claimed, had feared
complete annihilation by being driven
underground, and had therefore
"risked this desperate game" The
Reschstag fire was therefore, he
claimed, "a desperation signal" for
uprising
He was followed by vice prosecutor
Parisius, who dealt chiefly with the
case of Van der Lubbe, who sat mo-
tionless throughout his speech, deep
ly bowed. Parisius repeated the UNI
proved assertion that Van der Lubbe
had connections with Central Com
mittee of the Communist Party, al
though the trial proved the contrary.
He repeated the lie that Van der
Lubbe was Communist, although the
trial had completely disproyed this
Nazi fiction. In repeating this charge,
he referred to Van der Lubbes alleged
confessions at previous examinations,
although Van der Lubbe had refused
to repeat these at the trial itself.
All this attention TO Van der
Lubbe, however, was but an elahor-
ate preparation for bigger game
that the Nazis had in mind. They
were trying TO create plausible
case against Torgier, the weakness
of WEB r7vca ed self as Parisius
continued to speak.
Van der Lubbe alone could not have
set fire to the building, he concluded.
He must have had an accomplish, one
who pulled wires in advance" Then
he went on to state that the evidences
proved he had had accomplices. De.
spite Van der Lubbe's denials, he said,
expert opinions proved otherwise.
Incendiaries had easy access to the
he said, especially deputies
like Torgier." He conveniently failed
to mention word Of the documented
Brown Book charges, which showed
that there Yves q direct underground
passage from the home of Goering
to the Reichstag building.
After arguments for the defendants,