THE REVOLUTION IN GERMANY
CONGRESS AT BERLIN
EXTREMISTS DEFEATED
From Leonard Spray. Rotterdam, Monday Night. Important events to-day and yesterday in Berlin indicate that the more moderate elements are gaining the upper hand. This morning the Congress of the Soldiers’ and Workers’ Councils of the Empire assembled in the Prussian House of Parliament, and the proceedings were characterised by a strong feeling in support of the Majority Socialists, whilst yesterday the extremists suffered another defeat at the Socialist party meeting, at which the policy of the Left was rejected in favour of that of the Right by 485 votes to 195. A significant feature of the Soldiers’ and Workers’ Councils’ Congress was that among the delegates, the majority of whom were in uniform, were several officers, wearing their distinctive marks of rank, and some of them the Iron Cross.
Although the chairman, Herr Fuller, who is also chairman of the Executive Committee of the Berlin Council, belongs to the extremists, the proceedings proved that the Majority Socialists had the support of the overwhelming proportion of delegates. The congress maintained a very cool attitude whilst Herr Fuller was speaking, and there was no applause at the end. Herr Ebert, who followed him, was, on the contrary, loudly cheered. Further evidence was forthcoming when there was proposed as chairman of the congress a Bolshevik, who is president of the Republic of Oldenburg. The congress showed its sentiments by simply roaring with laughter, in which the suggestion was drowned. There was finally chosen Herr Leinert, a Majority Socialist from Hanover. A retired army officer, Herr Leinert proved himself also an experienced Parliamentarian, and from the beginning on taking the chairman’s seat he had the gathering in hand. Herr Ebert, in the course of a speech, very firm in tone, intimated his intention to continue strong measures against the Bolsheviks. Outlining his policy, Herr Ebert showed he has no intention of carrying out anything which could be even remotely described as revolutionary. “Win first,” he said, “a political victory, and only then proceed to an economic victory.” In detail, his programme was a very mild Majority Socialist one, and the congress expressed its approval.
SPARTACUS FAILURE
Whilst the congress was sitting the Spartacus group demonstrated outside the building, but made no impression, either on the delegates inside or on the public in the streets. This failure was all the more marked as elaborate preparations had been made beforehand, even going the length of specially organised strikes in several great factories, in some or which, Vorwärts asserts to-day, armed threats were made. The demonstrators demanded permission for a delegation from the group to attend the congress. Apparently a refusal was anticipated, in which case Liebknecht would have made another declaration of war against Herr Ebert, but all the wind was taken out of his sails by the granting of permission, after which there was nothing for the Bolsheviks to do but to go home. Commenting on the extremist defeats, a special Berlin correspondent says: “It is no longer doubtful what course things are taking, especially now that the Government is showing itself ready to take whatever measures may be necessary.”
Humour, even though unconscious, seems to have dawned in Germany with the revolution. It was manifested in Berlin yesterday in the form of a demonstration of youths organised by the Spartacus group. There took part about a thousand young people of both sexes, mostly from 15 to 17 years of age, and some even younger. These precocious youths and lasses formed a procession and, to the huge amusement of thousands of spectators, marched to the Reichstag building, where they halted whilst a deputation entered in order to present their demands to the Soldiers’ Council. Whilst this was being done a youth mounted a pedestal and informed the laughter-smitten crowd that the demands were as follows: A six-hour working day for all under 18. The fixing of the minimum wage must be high enough to provide means of existence. Limitation of the period of apprenticeship to two years. Franchise at the age of 18. The right of youth to participate in the government of the State. Abolition of conscription. Abolition of all disciplinary punishments.
The Executive Committee treated the matter in all seriousness, and sent out one of its members to address the demonstrators. He told them that, so far as he was concerned, he was in favour of their demands, but he added that the Executive Committee could do nothing, as their power was passing to a new authority to be established by the Soldiers’ Councils’ Congress. The young rebels showed dissatisfaction and the 17-year-old made a fierce speech in which he denounced Ebert and Scheidemann as traitors and the National Assembly as a new form of class government. Amidst a thunderstorm of laughter, he declared in a shrill voice: “The youth of the country have kept going the economic life of Germany during the war. If our demands are not immediately and unconditionally conceded, the youth of Germany will have a general strike.”