CIVIL WAR IN GERMANY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 91, 11 January 1919, Page 7

CIVIL WAR IN GERMANY

REPORTED. DEFEAT OF. THE SPARTACUSIANS CONFLICTING NEWS , BERLIN IN ARMS " By Telegraph—Press-Association—Cop.Vright, " " London, 'January 8. ''Messages from various sources 'outside Berlin,; including Hel'i". Kbert's .-'statements circulated by .-the German Wireless, show- that ..the -following was-, thocourse, of. recent events. The ( Spartacus , League on' Sunday.' joined the Independent Socialists, under the' half-crazy "i!re- : brand Dr. Litbknwht, and -attempted to seize power, i. ...Their; .prinic i'.- object i was-, .to stop-;the general-election. ? Ebert and s Seheidemanir were taken .unawares, and proved, irresolute, "but .threats against their'personal Safety finally ''determined' ' them to' resist by force of arms." 'During,: the 6treet: fighting-on-Monday'and 'l'ues-. •day, soldiers, wearing steel helmets, fired their rifles from,windows, and machineguns and grenades were freely used. .One. report solid that'3oo wi>rokilled,' including. 100 killed in the Wilhelm'Platz and the Brandenburg Strasse'bli-Tuesday ■ morning. \ . - -• -. 1 - . it, is reported that Ilerr ;Ebert . 'and Herr Scheidemann on itpuday addressed an .entlnisiaetic outside. • the | Chancellor's palace..' Herr Scheidemanrt' declares that, the Spartaeusiaris' had' or- ! dered himself and-Ebert to be shot,, and urged'the-crowd to the.! Spartacus party.. Those who. .were ed \vould receive arms.. .Dense, crowds appeared in the streets on Tuesday, and there was intense ''excitement.The streets wore 'a stern! military 'Aaspect... .The Brandenburg ■ Gate and the: S ur-. rounding buildings and all -the.-. Govern;" ment buildings .'bristled, with -. machine-j guns. . The ; Government, 'served out flame-throwers;' Evidently; the nient': cbnsiders'" that-the conciliatory efforts are-doomed.,to failure,.": It.-offered, fo discuss general-disarmament-but-the Spnr.tacusians., did -riot respond.. . • It is reported that the Government',is endeavouring to : seize ,cDr.' Liebkneclit. ; ; ■' . , Germany'SjiWorst Day; r The ; Exchange Telegraph's' Amsterdam correspondent/state's .that 'the. rlatcst. ne-. counts, show-, that Tuesday, was,.;tlie.-.blood-', iest. day ,in : the history of It is reported that hundreds' were killed. 1 - The Spart.acusians were plentifully supplied with arms after the seizure 1 ; the ■ arsenal. -fighting began pri-Monr. day and continued all-night,- and-their. were numerous, encounters at Wertheini's! stores, the War Ministry, the. Leipsigerstrasse, "and the' bai'racks, 'where _the trotfps used riiine-th'rotfers.C '/There 'was a severe fight,for theF.o.od Office, which hpattiicusians captured. - A detachment of Government troops, sent an ultimatum to the Sparfacnsiahs to : quit: the' Wolff troops to the capital , to. assist the Govern-•. Mont troops refused to attack them, nndmarched awi(j.. .(ieneral, Groener offered to take, forty regiments of trustworthy, troops to the capital .to-assist the'Goyern : , ment.' It "is Tjelieved' that'- von' ! Hiiidcn-' burg has. alrSidy arrived.-v■ ' The. J ;S.partacusians- entered the homes ■of many and' seized - their .papers, though was._.a [notable ,ab ; . tence of ordinary pillage.' During the' •ivliolo of Wednesday' the Government and' the -Sp'aftAcusia'ns conducted negotiations, without'result.fto allayvthe tumult,--The leaders of' : l-otlv,-sides ; proved .un 7 able to.'contro). the .mobs .in ,the streets.!. Herr Ebert,stated^tliaf;,'in.,view .pf the. disturbances; the Government has summoned its supporters.- During--Sunday ■night there commenced " a general, strike as a tremendous demonstration against the terrorism • of- a brutal . minority., These demonstrations assunied . gigantic. proportions" on "Moiiiloy.' The Government supporters ' thiotl^hout-' w'fere unharmed. f, .'Meanwhile, ''ownng --to'' !attitudo of tho-Spartaeusiaris, shooting-com-menced -in' thft>'i!Uiiter ''deikS&indtno.iand'' the Potsdamerplatz. i)'.. In tho - midst : of the trouble!.a. deputation. of Spartacus-; inns, with a white' flag, approached the. cordon of Government. troops, and demanded'that the troops' 'should, surren-der.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. EXTREMISTS HOLD THE RAILWAYS; . • $oisterdam,.January; : B. . The Spartaeusiansiocoupied the Central, Railway offices in Berlin, after the Gov-! ernmerit Guards had' surrendered.. The whole of the' German' railfray system "is' now in. the. -tlife extremists.—;' Aus.-N.Z. .Cable-Assn.. LATEST'REPORTS : DEFEAT OF : SPARTACpANt.. ' (Ee'c. J&huairJ > ~iOj li 'p.m.)i ! " " London, : JEUu]ary O. ■ -The' latest-- telegrams irfeport that' the-, Government troops : are • gaining. • thesupremacy jn, Berlin. They have; occu-, pied all the public'!buildings.. Various reports declare' that ""the Sportacusians' have been', beaten', and that thousands ol'! •Government -,troopsrafe - r eenterilig v-the' capi.tal— Aus,.rN.Z...Cable ■ Assn; • HEAYYFIGHfIFcONTINUES : ~ [Rcc!. January -11, 2. a.m.) '.London, January. 10. ... , Herr' Ebert has . declared ,a,'state of! siege'in Beflin;" Heavy- fighting' continues.—Eeuter. -' -'' '• \' —— 1 . CLASS.WAR . .. ' GOVERNMENT BY' AND FOR THE ■ . • WORKERS.- ;' -'-'London, Tanuaiy 8. ..i The Berlin correspondent of ther'" l Daily .Express" sums-up the Spartacus;-policy.! It js to carry iin the .disss, struggle against, the bourgeoisie until government by and for. the working classes is.established. "' The class 'struggle must' be, carried on' ! .iintil-! l "a k - proletariat Govern-' ment • is-established.'.-. The immediate, .aim is to seize •■ .food,- disarm, the police and. all the soldiers, .except..the' proletariats,. .replace tho old administra--tions I>y. supporters .' of the proletariat," and establish !i : tribunal'to try thosewho were guilty'of i.ausing the war, including both the Hohenzollerns, Ludendorff, Hindenburg, Tirpitz. and. also-all. counter-revolutionaries. There must be" absolute socialisation of the .State,"a sixhours' day, unemployment insurance, the cancelling of-all. public l debts.except,; money lent by the poor, and the cation of all real estate and of -,all'.'for-, tunes above a, certain,"low level.

The correspondent was an eye-witness' of the fighting on Monday' and 'Tues- : day, and motored continually • through the streets with guards- whom Eichorn provided.' The .correspondent .describes: tlireo machine-guns firing point tyank into a mob at the Brandenburg Gate; and there were other bloody' incidents. It is impossible to'estimate;the casual-' ties. The i Government troops .at the ; Brandenburg .Gate, in, ambush' ..behind the bronzo horses which tho Prussians, stole from Prance in 1.870, comnianded four broad highways. After three at---tacks the Sparlacusiahs forced the Government troops to raise- tho "white flag and abandon the -Gate.—Aus.-N'.Z.- Cable Assn. . ... ' , ■ London, January. 9. The "Daily News" describes Berlin a 9' divided into two armed -'camps; : ' One is \hat of the Government, with -the Imperial Chancellery as its centre, and'the palace and the. surrounding buildings filled with soldiers... The.Spartacusiniis have two centres, an office in the Wil- 1 helmstrasse and'the police headquarters on the- Alexanderplalz,' which are both sin-rounded by armed civilians. ■'. . The situation is ; most .dangerous, because (he Sparlncusians have, . taken thousands of guiis ■ from . tho factories, where flamethrowers and tanks ' are at their disposal. ' There aro how at lenst 25,000 armed civilians in tho streets. , HERK EBKRT REViiivS THE CRISIS " POPULAR-ANTI-BOLSHEVIST MOVE- . Ml'l.vr. London,. January. 9Herr Ebsrt stateg-that.ivhile. the. tfoops .were transmitting a- demand to tlie'iJoin-'

'inaudtfr • they. ..wer.o tr'eiicherously Shot from l)6nlnil, arid suffered heavy' casualties:- .The: commander 'thereupon' broiifch't a machine-gun into action and cleared the street.

.The Government has opened a recruiting bureau'in.order to (irm.tho members of tlie Social Democratic Party and the factories against, the- Terrorists'. • Berlin is separated from the rest of Germans., '-.The tail wriy. and telephonic communications - arc .broken. 'l'ho majority of Ihe'coimtry'follc disapprove of tho ISpartacus. agitation. Anger ib {.'rowing at the weakness of the Berlin , Government. „■ The Bavarian Government threatens to'ensure! quiet, by means of hftned' forces, which' yilt -mercilessly „crush ; the' Berlin.'i Bolsho'viki.TrAus:-N.Z. Cable. A,ssn. , .. ... , ■ NSW CAPITAL SUGGESTED ■■■N ■- 1 i- ■ ... % . .Amsterdam January; 9. The' "Jfraiikfufter' '.fteituiig" suggests that: Germany shoilkl-build a new capital as it ..will' cost..more to adapt the existing buildings.. .• A good site, is ol>tainablc in and the. capital might be "' named '/I'reideuStadt (Free-town):—Aus.-N;Z:> Cable -Assil.' ' ::r ■ THE. WAITERS I STRIKE' - t ,» .London,. January; !). Tlie,.! "Daily. Chronicle's" ■ Amsterdam correspondent stales that. the. strike.-and lotkout of ■ the 'waiters in Berlin.!,has : spread .to sttfcli on extend that'tlie "city ■is.. practically without- hotels; restaur:. ants, or., .cafes.. , ; The strikers,: by ..pure terrorism,' -compelled, the - large -.establishments' to "close'., -. The.v broke,. hundreds'of'bottles of wine; and. stole' vast quantities of eatables and cutlery. The police did-, not interfere.) 'Twenty' thousand waiters, are. either ; striking or locked out.-T-A'us.-N.Z, Calalo !