THE GERMAN PUBLIC.

Bruce Herald, Volume LII, Issue 23, 23 March 1916, Page 3

THE GERMAN PUBLIC.

AND THE WAR. , FREE CRITICISM APPEAL. There was a lively debate in the Reichstag on January 19, mainly on the subject of the censorship. "According to the report of the proceedings in the 'Cologne Gazette,' the Socialist Herr Dittmann- said thai? the authorities in Berlin had telegraphed forbidding an account of the Socialist attacks in ,th e Reichstag being published in a Socialist newspaper at Halle, and had then threatened the newspaper with suppression because the, blank spaces had been too conspicuous. . "Not only has the entire right of assembly been .suppressed," \ said the speaker, "but individual Socialists also are forbidden to take any public action. Many'are. victims of base de--nunciatinon! Other 'suspects' are simply shoved 'into, the' Army, although they had previously been d tela red unfit for* service. Officers regard the annexation of conquered territory as a matter of course. We must destroy this pernicious mania. The people are against wild cries of conquest. ' Its voice must obtain a hearing abroad. Everywhere peaee is desired, but everywhere .the execution of the people's will is prevented." The deputy Herr Fischbeck (Progressive People's Party) condemned the continuous state of siege and demanded modifications. He said "the censor wants to compel-'papers to publish certain articles." The criticism of, bank statements has been prohibited." "THINGS ARE BAD WITH US." Herr Stresemaiyi. (National Liberal) said, referring to the suppression of the 'Deutsche Tageszeitung,' the 'Taegliche Itundschau,' and trie 'Vossiche Zeitung': "The world war is only to be won with public opinion. In this art England lias, been a past master, even if she has partly acted against us in a hypocritical and criminal manner which we'shall not imitate. She fights against us "with cables, telegraph bureaus, films, and kinematographs. A weighty fact, too, is that at home we have been often mislead because from newspaper cuttings which were prepared for us we were allowed to hear only favorable opinions such as were friendly to Germany, so that we were startled as out of a dream when we suddenly saw facing us nothing but hatred, envy, and hostility, even in neutral countries. "Wo underrate the value of home public opinion for the issue of the war. We can bear the fresh breath of criticism. That in many matters things are bad with us-—that Ave have great difficulties, that England's blockade is effective in many respects—is known abroad from our Government's arrangements so exactly that there is no need to hide anything. "The* Government should call hundreds of people to Berlin to send them out as peripatetic speakers to tell people, not in highly-colored words that everything is goinp: well, but that much is going ill, and that therefore it is a duty to assume every burden created by the situation." 'Replying for the Government, Dr Lewald of the Ministry of the Interior, defended the censorship, and the closure of the debate "was moved and adopted.—Reuter.