SENSATIONAL.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 2887, 6 March 1916, Page 2

SENSATIONAL.

SPEECH BY HDRR LIEBKN&CHT SOME TELLING CRITICISMS. (Received March 6. 9.30 a.m.)

Amsterdam, March 5

Amid frequent interruptions and calls to order, Herr Liebknecht, a prominent member of tho Social Democratic Party" and member for Potsdam, in a sensational speech in the Diet, denounced the censorship. Hs declared that the newspapers were forbidden to announce the impending release of Rosa Luxemherg, fearing popular demonstrations in her favour. 'Lhe newspapers were prohibited from mentioning trials in connection with peace demonstrations and food riots, and as a result the .population wore not aware of the vast increase of such trials. A prominent Lubeek- senator has been imprisoned for placing his Swedish copper mines at Russia's disposal. Capitalists' treachery in selling munitions to the enemy through neutrals had so increased that the Government had been obliged to issue a warning that German soldiers had been killed by guns supplied by Krupps. The situation in Austria, said the speaker, was -worse than in Germany; There the field court-martial had established a regime of terror. One,of his Austrian comrades was sentenceto death for a speech he made in December, 1915, on the ground that his remarks wero hostile to the State. Referring to the atrocities in Belgium, the Socialist leader said the German army contained many criminals. Already there are 500 soldiers in military prisons under Prussian administration, and the prisons under the control of the Ministry of the Interior are largely nopula-ted by solejiers. Tho dearth of foodstuffs is one of. the social causes of crime and ono of the results has.,been tlie degeneration of our whole kultur. After mentioning ,tlie case of a person sentenced to death for-writing a poem and the sentence, being commuted to a quinquennium, Herr Liebknecht denoiinoeel military justice towards civilians. Tho police, he said, have openeel a new elepartment in Berlin to deal with peace propagandist*. He predicted a nevere- class war. an increase of .political precaution anel reaction. Tho cry from the, prisons and penitentiaries, he, contended, would soon liecome more audible and rouse "mankind to tho only holy war which Socialists knew.