Karl Liebknecht began his tour of the United States with October, 1910 with optimism about possibilities in the ‘Great Republic.’ After two months coast-to-coast travel, his view on the possibilities here had darkened considerably. Arriving in Chicago in the midst of that city’s historic Garment Strike, Liebknecht spoke at the Garrick Theater, 106 E. Randolph, site of innumerable left wing and labor gatherings.

‘Liebknecht Given Ovation at Garrick’ from The Chicago Daily Socialist. Vol. 5 No. 12. November 8, 1910.

VOTE SOCIALIST TICKET

“On Tuesday go to the polls and vote the Socialist ticket. Give the American workers a place with the workers of the rest of the world.”–Karl Liebknecht,

“I am a great admirer of this great republic,” said Karl Liebknecht, speaking to an audience which packed the Garrick theater, Sunday.

Makes Socialist Votes.

“Germany,” said he, “is autocratic. The police are in favor of the kaiser and the autocracy. They beat the working men.

“The police clubs were used on the beads of the Moabit strikers. Each blow of the clubs made more Socialist votes.

“In this free country, where everything is for sale, where, I am even informed, that votes are bought as low as a dollar apiece; where some of the ballots at election are, I am told, seven feet long; where there is a democratic constitution, the striking working men are beaten by democratic policemen, who ride democratic horses and use democratic clubs.”

Applause Great

At many times during his speech, Liebknecht, who is a leading member of the Prussian Landtag, was forced to pause because of the applause.

After declaring that the cities of the United States are more brutal than those of Germany, he christened Pittsburg as the “City of Blood and Iron.” Carnegie armor, he said, is as blood-smeared–by the blood of the steel makers–as was the armor of a medieval baron in battle.

Our King “Teddy”

“We found your king, Theodore Roosevelt, out when he came to Germany. He is the king of humbugs, the greatest humbug which this country ever produced.

“When he spoke at Berlin University delivering a speech that any 10-year-old German boy could have improved, the German professors were so greatly impressed that they fairly rolled around, they laughed so hard.”

Poverty Great

Liebknecht declared that he had never seen such poverty in Europe as that which he has seen in Fall River, Mass., and in Pittsburg.

Toward the close of his speech he spoke of the power which women might have in the Socialist party.

“When I see here,” he said, “the freedom which the women have and the self-reliance which they possess, I realize what a power they could become in the Socialist party.

Women Win World

“With women on to Socialism the world would be won. They would teach the children.

“The women have no votes now, but until they do get votes let them force their male relatives to vote and vote the right ticket.”

Liebknecht left Chicago immediately after the meeting to go to Milwaukee, where he spoke in the evening.

The Chicago Socialist, sometimes daily sometimes weekly, was published from 1902 until 1912 as the paper of the Chicago Socialist Party. The roots of the paper lie with Workers Call, published from 1899 as a Socialist Labor Party publication, becoming a voice of the Springfield Social Democratic Party after splitting with De Leon in July, 1901. It became the Chicago Socialist Party paper with the SDP’s adherence and changed its name to the Chicago Socialist in March, 1902. In 1906 it became a daily and published until 1912 by Local Cook County of the Socialist Party and was edited by A.M. Simons if the International Socialist Review. A cornucopia of historical information on the Chicago workers movements lies within its pages.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/chicago-daily-socialist/1910/101108-chicagodailysocialist-v05n012.pdf