KARL LIEBKNECHt

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2824, 15 July 1916, Page 10

KARL LIEBKNECHt

GERMANY'S SOCIALIST MARTYR SIS PROTEST ON THE WAR. (By David G. Stead, in the Sydney "Sun.") In recent years -few more remarkable figures have looriied up on the international horizon than that of the great Socialist Karl Liebknecht. In his native land he has been. a Constant storm centre, or—better stili—a kind of stormy petrel, and a perpetual source uf botli to the "good" Prussians who, indeed, would fain have removed him altogether from this earthly sphere had tho troublesome individual not possessed hitch a great following among the educated clilsies and - workers, of Gefmally. h'roin the standpoint <f. personal bravery it would l>e hard indeed to find anyone more deserving of the Iron Cross, or whatever else is considered in Germany meet recognition for such conduct. For many years his picturesque figure bns been seen wherever the light for the emancipation of the ■ people- from the Prussian military yoke was thickest. A great leader and a great man every sense of the word—tlio fact of his'being a German should not blind Us to that. Dr. Liebknecht was the friend of peace, and therefore the friend- of Britain. He stove for peace unceasingly, and was hated by-the Prussian junkers accordingly. He was a constant thorn Hi the side of the nlilitary autocracy, "n j?' those the house of Krupp, at all times. He- exposed the evil influence of Ivrupps on many occasions iu the Reichstag, denouncing the great armament firm, and pointing out those who.wore their agents, both' 'in the Keicustag and among those who surrounded tlio Court of Prussia.. He even I? temerity to suggest a business connection, for ulterior motive's, between , Goliath among armament builders . Jys .Ivniser. Many a has he ntn.ul 0 !• iV strain in ; a Chamber full of hostile Representatives, v. lloni lie has castigated with his tongue to.such an .extent as to turn them.into his gore B wolves" thirsting, lor

Bearing all this, and much more 'in uunu, it tloe« eeem surprising that means fbt: lus .disposal were not fouiid long sinae by those who had good cause to hate him so ardently, and who were in such constant fear of the changes in public opinion that lie-by his Socialistic, .'peaceful, and generally democratic teachings—was helping so much to bring about. That he was rS e if« ny 'J? 6 bet dorfn solel r io of tlle lJovn:imi«nt of what might ev fj- !Unon ß theil ' own coil1 C d 1 , soldl ?. rs lf lt leilkc(l out thai; ue had been removed." ■ nwriTn flfter t tho Gl 'l at Wnr has run iK Krr L m® 1' nonri ' V t,vo 'years, a mill- ! • f • been "courageous" enough , S i", jk'cbknecht to prison, when ! } ili haTB to ptft him out of the wayand settle him onco and tor all. lhe effect of this decision upon the populace has also keen conveyed to T ftl lV, we may expect to Hear vet agaiu of Liebknecht the Bold. In this connection it.is of great interest to quote from Karl Liebknecht'a against- the vote of credit by tho Reichstag on December 2, 1914. The protest was not reiki, tho President of the Reichstag having. vetced it. It was communicated to the German Press, but not one published it. The "Berner Tagwaclir published it iii full; and from Smi extrncts tv6re taken:— lhis War, -desired by n'oiib of the peoples concerned, has not broken out in behalf of the welfare of the. German people or any other. It is an Imperialist A ™r, *i war for the capitalist domination of the world's markets and for the political clomuiation of important. regions fur the_ placing of industrial and baulcing capitol. From the point..of ribw of rivalry in armameiit?, it is a preventive war provoked by the German and Austrian Avar parties together, in. tho obscurity of semi-absolutism and of becrer. diplomacy. - ; ~ . A ; ,rapi'tl peace, one which, does not humiliate, anybody,' ii peace without conquests—this is ivhat we miist deinandi l!Very effort in this, direction must bo favourably received. The continuous and simultaneous aGirmntion of this, desire, iii/all tho belligerent .countries, cah alono put a stop to the bloody massacre limforo the complete exhaustion of all tho people concerncd. A peace' based upon the international solidarity of tho working clai'S and on the liberty of all peopl«s dill lilone bo u lasting peiice. It is in this sense that the proletariats of all countries' must furnish, feven in tho course of this war,, a Socialist effort for peace.

But my protest is 'against the war, against those who lire responsible for it, .'against those who direct it; it is'against the capitalist policy which gave it l>irth; it is directed agithist the capitalist objects pursued by it, against the plans of annexation, Against ttie violation of the neutrality of Belgium and, Luxemburg, against military .dictatorship, against tha total oblivion of social and political duties of which the Government and ruling classes are still to-day guilty. Tor this reason I reject the military credits asked for.