Part 4

(I-a) Is the Government prepared, if the other belligerents are also ready and prepared, to enter peace negotiations on the basis of the renunciation of annexations? This question I withdraw since on Thursday, Dec. 9, 1915 (Liebknecht refers here to Bethman-Hollweg's speech in the Reichstag on Dec. 9, 1915, in which the Imperial Chancellor answered the majority Socialist's peace interpellation. _S. Z._), the Imperial Chancellor answered this question in the negative. The Government wants a war of conquest, not peace!

(I-b) On what other basis is the Government ready to enter immediately upon peace negotiations?

(Foreign Minister von Jagow by mistake begins to read the answer to another question (laughter).) Then the following answer is given to question I-b:

In view of the debate of the 9th of December I decline to answer this question.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT asks the floor for a supplementary question: What will be the attitude of the Government towards peace proposals from neutral countries as asked now by the Social-Democrats of Switzerland through the Swiss Government.... (Great commotion.)

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This is not a supplementary question. It is ruled out of order.

Dr. K. Liebknecht reads his

SECOND QUESTION

II. Is the Government ready to lay before the nation the official documents and semi-official documents relating to the secret negotiations which preceded the declaration of war, especially

(a) The diplomatic history of the Austrian Ultimatum to Serbia of July 23, 1914, including the official and semi-official negotiations between the German and Austrian Governments after the crime of Sarajevo?

(b) The history of the German entry into Luxemburg and Belgium?

(c) Is the Government ready to create as soon as possible a parliamentary commission for the examination of these documents and reveal the responsible parties?

FOREIGN MINISTER VON JAGOW: The available material about the origin of the war has been published already. The Government intends to publish other important documents relating to diplomatic negotiation, _in so far as they appear to be necessary for the enlightenment of public opinion_ (my italics, _S. Z._), but refuses to set up a parliamentary committee dealing with the examination of these documents. The parties responsible are our enemies.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT asks the floor for a supplementary question (great merriment): Is the Government ready to lay immediately before us the entire official documentary material dealing with the war?

FOREIGN MINISTER VON JAGOW: I have nothing to add to my answer.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: A supplementary question (great merriment). Is it known to the Imperial Chancellor that according to a remark made on Dec. 5, 1914, by the _former neutral Italian Prime Minister Giolitti_, _Austria planned as early as 1913 an attack against Serbia_ (_Italics S. Z._) (Great indignation and shouts.)

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This is a new question. We will proceed to your next question.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: According to paragraph 31 of our order of business I have asked the floor to supplement my former question.

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: You have already asked two supplementary questions.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: The order of business does not limit me to any definite number. Amid great commotion in the House Dr. Liebknecht reads another supplementary question: "Why did the Imperial Chancellor conceal from the Reichstag earlier and at the meeting of August 4, 1914, the Belgium Ultimatum?"

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This also is not a supplementary question, but a new question. Do you have another supplementary question? Now we come to your next question.

THIRD QUESTION

III (a) Is it known to the Government that the mass of German people demand for themselves the right to decide about the external policy of Germany, that they demand _abolition of secret diplomacy in favor of permanent public control of foreign policy and its general democratization_? (_Italics, S. Z._)

(b) Is the Government prepared to bring in the course of the present session of the Reichstag a bill which will fulfill the demand above mentioned and submit the decisions on questions of war and peace to the people's representatives?

MINISTER OF EXTERIOR V. JAGOW: The Government is _not willing_ (_Italics, S. Z._) to correspond with the wishes of Dr. Liebknecht and to propose such a change in the Constitution. With this answer the rest of the question is also answered.

FOURTH QUESTION

Does the Government know in what economic distress the masses of the German people labor on account of the war and on account of the desire in capitalistic circles for profits and the impotence of the Government in dealing with the situation? Is the Government now ready to check this economic distress by improving the general welfare without further delay and by putting aside all special interests, and taking the necessary steps to provide for the population the necessary means of living (food, clothing, shelter, heat and light); especially by regulating production according to the general welfare? And by commandeering products and by the uniform distribution of foodstuffs in such a way that the needy may get sufficient food free or at low cost?

MINISTER DIRECTOR DR. LEWALD: The Imperial Chancellor declines to answer the question.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: A supplementary question (great merriment). Does the Government recognize that according to experiments up to this time general commandeering of products....

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This is not a supplementary question but a new question.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: I ask the floor for another supplementary question (great commotion and merriment). Will the Government put into operation as soon as possible the decisions of the Budget Commission in line with these demands?

MINISTER DIRECTOR LEWALD: In the name of the Imperial Chancellor I refuse to answer this supplementary question.

FIFTH QUESTION

(a) What meaning does the Government ascribe to the expression "new internal political orientation?" (_Neuorientierung der inneren Politik._)

(b) Does the Government have a concrete program concerning this new internal political orientation?

(c) What is this program in detail?

(d) When does the Government intend to effect this program?

(e) Does the Government intend during the present session or later to introduce the reforms necessary to the democratization of the constitution, democratization of the legislative powers and democratization of the administration of the German Empire and the states which compose the Empire? Particularly will the Government reform the franchise laws governing the legislative and administrative bodies and democratization of the constitution of the army?

MINISTER DIRECTOR LEWALD: The Imperial Chancellor refuses to answer this question also.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: A supplementary question. (Great commotion.) What is the stand of the Government on the Prussian Franchise Reform? (Great merriment at the right side of the House.) This is a question which is of importance to the entire German people. That is the way Government and Reichstag treat with the life and death problems of the German people. The people will know now where they stand! (Continued commotion.)

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This is not a supplementary question, but a new question. With that we are finished with the short questions.

Reichstag meeting January 11, 1916, 2 P. M. At the table of the Federal Council are present: Ministers Helfferich and Delbrück.

The first order of business: _Questions_ by Member DR. K. LIEBKNECHT.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT reads his first question:

"Is it known to the Imperial Chancellor that during the present war in the United Turkish Empire the Armenian people were driven from their homes and slaughtered by the hundred thousands? What negotiations has the Imperial Chancellor undertaken with the United Turkish Government in order to bring about the necessary punishment, to alleviate the situation of the rest of the Armenian population in Turkey and to make the repetition of such horrors impossible?

To answer this question the floor is given to:

PRIVY COUNCIL FRHR. V. STUMM: It is known to the Imperial Chancellor that inflammatory demonstrations took place in Armenia on account of which the Turkish Government was forced to deport the Armenian population of certain districts and to assign them new living places. About the reaction on the population taking place on account of these measures an exchange of ideas between us and the Turkish Government is now occurring. More details cannot be communicated.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: A supplementary question. Is it known to the Imperial Chancellor that Professor Lepsius spoke of an absolute extermination of the Armenians and that for these horrors the Christian population of Turkey considers the German Government responsible?

At this point great uproar broke out in the House and made it impossible for Dr. Liebknecht to finish his questions.

Shouts from the House: This is a new question! Finish!

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This is a new question for which I cannot give the floor.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: Mr. President, before you have heard the whole question, you are not in a position to judge (laughter in the House) if it is a new question or not. At any rate I wish to assert that the President reached this conclusion that it is a new question not from his own impulses (shouts in the House: _Oho!_) but because from parts of the House it was called to his attention.

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: I ask you not to criticize the way I preside (applause). We come now to the following question:

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: Will the Government be ready very soon to place before the Reichstag for action data concerning the situation of the population in the territory occupied by Germany? Further data concerning the measures taken for the people in the occupied territory, concerning the means of living, (food, clothing, shelter), concerning their health condition, their rights, their numbers? Then data concerning the kind and reason of the punishments decreed and reprisal measures taken against the people in this territory by the German authorities, the number of people executed, military requisitions of property and methods followed in such operations? And the extent of the contributions levied upon them, especially on the Belgian people?"

To answer these questions the floor is given to:

MINISTER DIRECTOR LEWALD: The Imperial Chancellor declines to put before the Reichstag the material desired by Dr. Liebknecht. But he will give information about the activities of the civil authorities in the occupied territory on the request of the committee of the Reichstag.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: A supplementary question. How many places and buildings were destroyed by the German authorities since the beginning of the war for the purpose of reprisal--how many persons were arrested and killed for the same purpose?

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This is a new question. It is ruled out of order.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT reads the _third question_: Is the Government ready to lay before the Reichstag without delay material concerning

(a) Measures taken by the German military and civic authorities on the basis of the _state of martial law_ for the suppression of the right of assemblage and of personal liberty (prohibiting meetings, dissolving societies, interference in private correspondence, arrests, searching of homes, etc.), particularly the number of those put in military and police (_cachot_) arrest without trial, during the war? Also the reason for and length of these arrests?

(b) The number, extent and causes of punishments inflicted during the war upon members of the army and also the number of convicts in the military prisons since the beginning of the war?

MINISTER DIRECTOR LEWALD: The Imperial Chancellor declines to put before the Reichstag the material asked by Dr. Liebknecht. (Dr. Liebknecht shouts: That also is very characteristic.)

PRESIDENT DR. KAEMPF: This word of Dr. Liebknecht is ruled out of order as not permissible.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: A supplementary question. Does the Imperial Chancellor know that in Germany the Military Authorities and Police Authorities have established nearly everywhere dark chambers (laughter), in which places the correspondence of people who are politically disagreeable, among whom are Deputies of the Reichstag or Assembly, is opened secretly?... (Great uproar. The bell of the President!)

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: I wish to protest against this autocratic suppression of the order of business by the President and Reichstag.

This finishes Liebknecht's questions.

LIEBKNECHT EXPELLED FROM THE SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY

On January 13, 1916, by a vote of sixty to twenty-five, the Socialist Central Committee expelled Dr. Karl Liebknecht from membership in the Socialist Party for continuous "gross infractions of party discipline." The majority Social-Democrats took that measure against Liebknecht for having greatly embarrassed the Government with his questions two days before in the Reichstag.

REICHSTAG DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CENSORSHIP

_January 19, 1916_

LIEBKNECHT was unable to obtain the floor at the general discussion. In a personal remark after the discussion was closed he made the following characteristic remarks:

"Repeatedly members of this House told me that I work in the service of the enemy, that I am a traitor. ("Very true," from the left side of the House.) I wish to answer this by saying that I prefer being insulted by you as a traitor or anything else, to being praised for speaking according to your taste, as some members of the Social-Democratic group of this House have done lately (merriment). Gentlemen, by your attitude you show me that you wish to suppress truth and right."

JUSTICE IN GERMANY IN WAR TIME

Twentieth Meeting of the Assembly, Friday, March 3, 1916, 11 o'clock morning session.

On the Ministerial Bench: Freiherr v. Schorlemer, v. Loebell and Beseler.

The order of the day: Continuation of the discussion on second reading of the budget of the Department of Justice.

Taking part in the discussion: Assemblymen: Delbrück (Conservative), Reinhard (Centrum), Minister of Justice Beseler, Assemblymen Liepmann (National Liberal), Kanzow (Progressive Peoples Party), Nissen (Dane), v. Trampczynski (Pole) and Dr. K. Liebknecht.

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: It must be regretted that we have no statistics concerning certain social phenomena which mirror justice under war conditions of to-day. Thus there are lacking statistics of the number of bankrupts, whose places of business could not be opened on account of lack of actual supplies; statistics concerning evictions; concerning suits against stores which sell on credit; statistics concerning firms which have gone out of business and statistics concerning business events and corporations registrations, from which it might have been possible to see to what colossal degree small concerns have been ruined by the war. There is no information concerning the shiftings on the real-estate market; concerning new societies formed specially for the purpose of exacting high interest from the people. Again, we have no accurate information as to what proportion of existing societies increased their capital,--some of whose increases went high into the millions. ("Hear, hear!" from the Soc.-Dem.) Statistics of the war measures would show that they are nothing but patchwork, and that economic war-damages can be prevented only when we strike at the root of capitalism. The war-necessity measures are sufficient only to prevent the population from resorting, as best they can, against frightful economic injuries. ("Very true!" from the Soc.-Dem.) Such statistics would give us an X-ray of the terrific injury and destruction which the war has caused and continually causes the economic body of capitalism; an X-ray picture of the capitalistic elephantiasis which the war has brought into being (laughter from the right side of the House) in most branches of big business, and a picture of the tearing apart of the middle class and the accelerated proletarization of the masses. ("Very true!" from the Soc.-Dem.) Such a picture would show us the truth of the well-known phrase: "Socialism whither we are tending." The extent of crime is not indicated, only by cases brought to court. There exists to-day surely a greater divergence than ever before between real criminality and that brought before justice. With reference to the crimes which come to justice statistics are lacking, and apart from that, the accused is kept secretly hidden from the population, first by the tendency, increasing more and more, to exclude the public from trials and then by the censor,--which makes it impossible for the public to get a clear picture of criminal justice. Thus the _Vorwärts_ is forbidden to report without permission of the censor anything concerning arrests made ("Hear, hear!" by the Soc.-Dem.). To report political matters which could cause excitement is absolutely forbidden to the _Vorwärts_. Thus a while ago the _Vorwärts_ could not write a syllable of the imminent discharge from prison of Madame Dr. Rosa Luxemburg ("Hear, hear!" from the Soc.-Dem.), and could only, later on, report the resulting discharge. It seems that the authorities were conscious of the fact that the announcement of her imminent discharge would bring out a great mass of the population to express their sympathies for Madame Dr. Luxemburg. In spite of the prohibiting order of the censor there were, as is known, a great number of men and women who received and welcomed Madame Luxemburg. Further it was reported that March 22nd was the date fixed for the trial against the _Internationale_ magazine (Rosa Luxemburg and Franz Mehring endeavored to publish in Germany a Socialist monthly under the title of _The International_, to voice the views of the Anti-War section of the German Social-Democratic Party. The magazine was suppressed and the editors jailed. _S. Z._), in which Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin and Franz Mehring were accused. Of that also the _Vorwärts_ could not mention a single syllable. ("Hear, hear!" from the Soc.-Dem.)

Furthermore, it has become a rule of the censor that no report is permitted of trials which refer in any way to peace demonstrations and to riots on account of lack of food, so that the population shall not get an idea in what numbers such trials are taking place. Statistics in regard to sentences imposed on account of frauds involving military supplies would be important,--which are happening very often; statistics in regard to sentences on account of bribery in order to obtain contracts for military supplies, offenses which flourished especially at the beginning of the war. Of great value would be statistics in regard to cases in which the state interfered on account of furnishing war material to enemy states. As you know, in the period of the war, a semi-official warning was issued against the inclination in big business circles even during the war to furnish the enemy war material in a roundabout way through the neutral states. ("Hear, hear!" from the Soc.-Dem.) The official notification accentuated the fact that this roundabout subterfuge through neutral countries is so plain that there cannot be any doubt that the capitalistic circles concerned were entirely conscious of the far-reaching effect of their action. ("Hear, hear!" from the Soc.-Dem.) A very noted senator in Lübeck (Lübeck is one of three German Republics, _S. Z._), for instance, has been for a long time under arrest for treason, because he put his Swedish copper mines at the disposition of the Russians. ("Hear, hear!" from the Soc.-Dem.) These cases must have increased, otherwise the official warning would be unexplainable. You know how international business is related, especially Big Business. The kinship exists, even if in changed form, and naturally continues even now. You know that this kinship, especially in the field of the armament industry,--(bell of the President).

ASSEMBLYMAN ADOLF HOFFMAN: "Now comes the holy of holies!"

VICE-PRESIDENT DR. KRAUSE: "I cannot see what that has to do with the administration of justice and its responsibilities. We cannot now go into a discussion of the censor and the capitalistic mischief, as you call it."

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: I demand statistics which will show in how many cases indictments were brought on account of such offenses. When in this connection I point out the international kinship of capitalism, in war contracts supplying German cannons to foreign countries, I believe I am speaking to the point which is now open for discussion. In reality German soldiers were shot by Krupp cannon which were furnished to foreign countries. (Most of the Belgium cannons were Krupp cannons. _S. Z._) (Lively "Hear, hear!" from the Soc.-Dem.)

VICE-PRESIDENT DR. KRAUSE: "The connection of this with the Department of Justice is difficult for any logically-thinking man to find. I call you to the question." ("Bravo!" at the right side of the House.)