The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-30
Burck

Like vultures the Nazis have
seized upon the speech delivered by
Thaelmann on October 81, 1882, to
the workers of Paris against COM
petition in ornaments and in de-
Tense of peace.
Selling on his demands that the
huge sums expended on the upkeep
and arning of the German Reichs-
wehr and the French army should
be used to ameliorate the suffering
and misery of the war victims, the
unemployed, the pensioners, small
peasants, small holders, fishermen
and the middle class-demands
which are raised in all countries by
all opponents of war-the Nazis
want to charge him under the sedi-
ton laws: with spreading disaffec-
ton in the army destroying the
defensive power of Germany. Thael-
manns fight for peace does not fit
in with the plans of the interna-
tional war-mongers.
Here we have an obvious and
shameless twisting of the law. The
speech delivered by Ernst Thael-
mann in Paris, fopr4 million copies
of which we're distributed in Ger
many, did not offer even Won Papen
or General Schleicher any grounds
for prosecuting Thaelmann. Hitler,
Goering, Goebbels, however, want
to attempt this two years later.
Against this outrageous intention
We cite man known to the whole
world, Karl Liebknecht:
Gentlemen, if that is treason,
if to champion the idea of peace
is treason, if the proclamation of
the international proletarian class
struggle is treason, yes, gentle
men, then / repeat: it has become
an honor to be branded as an in
ternational traitor, (Hear, hear
from the Socialists, laughter from
the Right.)
But do not the judicial author
tiles realize that it is the height
of selfmockery by present-day
society when work for peace
against the murder of the people
is described as high treason? Is
there equal rights for all? For
peace demonstrations and peace
propaganda one is prosecuted with
fire and sword. On the other hand,
war propaganda and Indictment
to mass murder is regarded as the
duty of every patriotic man."
Liebknecht's Reichstag speech,
March 1861.
The murdered Karl Liebknecht
rises up as witness on behalf of
Thaelmann.
To all those who have still any
illusions regarding fascist admin
istration of justice" regarding Gus
tice' as Hitler, Goering and Goeb-
bells understand it, we must say:
T'haelmann is to be brought be-
fore the second senate of the So
called Peoples Court of Justice.
What is the composition of this
court? In addition to reliable S. A.
leaders, there sit on the judges
bench flight commanders, majors,
captains and naval off1cers-people
to whom war is profession, repre-
sentatives of the War Ministry, rep
resentatives of the aircraft industry,
those groups of capitalists who
make millions of profits out of arma-
ments, who are driving headlong to
war. The so-called Peoples Court
is a court of militarists and war
contractors. 1t is in double sense
of the world military court against
the defenders of peace.
Does the world now realize the
great danger threatening Thael-
mann in the shape OF the People S
Court? Herr Jorns, the Public
Prosecutor, who acquitted the muir
derers of Karl Liebknecht, has been
selected by Hitler and Goering to
appear for the Prosecution.
We, however, must not only pro-
tect Ernst Thaelmann against the
military court, but wrest him from
the clutches of the fascist betray-
ers of their country. For if the sem
tence does not satisfy the war in
citers, Thaelmann will be in danger
of being foully murdered by fascist
assassin