Page:Karl Liebknecht - Militarism (1917).djvu/183

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
SOME CARDINAL SINS
151

More can hardly be expected from a bourgeois republic and a militia.

These things appear in their proper significance in connection with the fact mentioned elsewhere—that the Swiss citizens not in active military service had their ammunition taken out of their custody in 1899. It will be seen that this happened just early enough to facilitate, in view of the intensified form of the class-struggle, the employment of the militia in the interests of the capitalists.

On December 21, 1906, the National Council had adopted, by a majority of 65 against 55, a clause of the law on military re-organization providing that, if conflicts of an economic nature "should endanger or disturb internal peace," the calling-out of troops "necessitated thereby" shall be resorted to solely for the purpose of "maintain-ing public order." The whole law was adopted by 105 votes against 4. Undoubtedly the provision referred to does not mean anything but what was hitherto the rule of conduct followed when the military was called out; it is thus worthless,