Herr Dittmann’s next case was that of Dr. Meyer, one of the editors of Vorwaerts, who was arrested many months ago.  He is suffering from tuberculosis, but is not allowed to go to a sanatorium.  Another Socialist journalist named Regge, father of six children, has been under arrest since August, his only offence being that he has agitated against the militarist majority.  Herr Dittmann then dealt at length with the Socialist journalist named Kluhs, who has been in prison for eight months, also for his activity on behalf of the Socialist minority against the majority, and was prevented from communicating with his dying wife or attending her funeral,

Herr Dittmann gave the details of three cases at Dusseldorf and one at Brunswick, and then explained how the military authorities in many parts of Germany are deliberately offering Socialists the choice between silence and military service.  A well-known trade union official at Elberfeld, named Sauerbrey, who had been declared totally unfit for military service because he had lost several fingers on his left hand, was arrested and charged with treason.  He was acquitted, but instead of obtaining his freedom he was immediately called up and is now in training for the front.  Herr Dittmann said that this case had caused intense bitterness, and added:—­

“The Military Command at Munster is surprised that the feeling in the whole Wupper Valley is becoming more and more discontented, and the military are now hatching new measures of violence in order to be able to master this discontent.  One would think that such things came from the madhouse.  In reality they represent conditions under martial law, and this case is only one of very many.”

Herr Dittmann gave several instances of men declared unfit for service who had been called up for political reasons, and he ended his speech as follows:—­

“In regard to all this persecution of peaceful citizens there is a regular apparatus of agents-provocateurs, provided by officials of all kinds, and the apparatus is growing every day.  If these persecutions were stopped a great number of these agents and officials could be released for military service.  In most cases they are mere shirkers, and that is why they cling to their posts and seek every day to prove themselves indispensable by discovering all sorts of crimes.  Because they do not want to go to the trenches other people must go to prison.  Put an end to the state of martial law, and help us to root up a state of things which disgraces the German name.”

The Alsatian deputy, Herr Haus, said that Alsace-Lorraine is suffering more than any other part of the country, and that more than 1,000 persons have been arrested without any charge being brought against them.  Herr Seyda, for the Poles, said that the Polish population of Germany suffers especially from the system of preventive arrest.

In his contemptuous reply, which, showed that the Government was confident that it had nothing to fear from the majority in the Reichstag, Herr Helfferich said:—­