The Future Belongs to the People Part 4

SECRETARY OF STATE V. JAGOW: "I believe I shall meet the wishes of the great majority of the House if I decline to answer the question of the member, Dr. Liebknecht, at the present time as inopportune." (Great applause, especially at the right side of the House.)

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT: "That is concealing the capitalistic policy of conquest (great uproar). The answer of the Secretary of State is a confession of a policy of annexation (repeated great uproar). The people want peace" (continual uproar and laughter).

REICHSTAG MEETING, DEC. 15, 1915

The energy which Liebknecht displayed at this meeting was remarkable considering that he had not completely recovered from the injury which he had received in October, 1915, at the front.

Twenty-third meeting of the Reichstag, Dec. 14, 1915, 2 P. M.

Present at the Federal Council table: Ministers v. Jagow and Helfferich.

The first point on the order of the day--Questions by Dr. K. Liebknecht (Soc.-Dem.).

DR. K. LIEBKNECHT:

FIRST QUESTION

(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 att.i.tude 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 doc.u.ments and semi-official doc.u.ments 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 doc.u.ments 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 doc.u.ments 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 doc.u.ments. 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 doc.u.mentary 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 ma.s.s 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 Const.i.tution. With this answer the rest of the question is also answered.

FOURTH QUESTION

Does the Government know in what economic distress the ma.s.ses 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?