Our Daily News Letter

(By Our Hamburg Correspondent)

Theodor Fritsch, notorious editor of the anti-Semitic “Der Hammer” and member of the Anti-Semitic International, whose chief grievance against the Jews is due to his illusion that the Jews are organized into an “international” for the destruction of the Christian world, has suffered his fourth defeat yesterday in the case of the libel suit against him by the Jewish bankers Max Warburg and Dr. Melchior, when the Court of Appeals here upheld the verdict of the lower court sentencing Fritsch to four months’ imprisonment. Whether this case is now definitely closed is not known since Fritsch’s lawyer has intimated that further appeal will be filed from the decision of the Hamburg court.

The picture of Theodor Fritsch in court could be regarded as a symbol of the anti-Semitic movement in Germany. On the eve of his life, he is 74 years old, bigoted and marrow-minded, living mentally in a medieval world, he repeated all the outworn imbecilic charges of the anti-Semites. Far from withdrawing or softening any of his libels in “Der Hammer” against the Jews generally and against Max Warburg in particular, he reiterated all his assertions. He charged the Jews with being the arch-conspirators of the world who caused the World War, brought on the Bolshevik revolution, effected the overthrow of the Kaiser and were planning numerous other such deviltries. To substantiate his statements he “quoted” the Old Testament, the Talmud and the Schulchan Aruch. He also “quoted” a number of modern books of an anti-Semitic nature and declared in the course of his speech before the court that “Bernard” M. Warburg had been at the head of the war industries in the United States during the war at the same time that Rathenau was in charge in Germany and that therefore it was clear that the war was caused by the Jews. His confusion of the names of Warburg and Baruch was significant, indicating his lack of knowledge as to real facts. In conclusion this old anti-Semite made a melodramatic gesture and “quoted” a passage from the Prophets that the Jews “would overcome all kings and rulers.”

Interesting in the same sense was the address of Fritsch’s lawyer. He started out with the assertion that he would give a review of the history of anti-Semitism from a purely “objective” point of view. But in the course of his speech he made so many incongruous, contradictory and abusive statements that the judge was compelled frequently to half his outpour and order him to confine himself to facts pertinent to the case. The lawyer, named Jacobsen, repeated of course all the ancient anti-Semitic hokum. Again: the Jews are Bolsheviks, international financiers and perpetrators of all the world’s evils. As a proof that the Jews were responsible for the overthrow of the Kaiser, Jacobsen cited the fact that Ernesto Nathan, the Italian Jew, was at the head of the Freemasons in Italy, hence it was Nathan who brought Italy into the war, and that contributed to Germany’s defeat. Very “consistent” was the lawyer’s argument regarding the Jewish role in American and Germany. In both countries, he pointed out, the Jews control the finances; in America Wall Street is entirely in the hands of Jews. What would be the eventual outcome of this situation? Germany will suffer Russia’s fate, Jacobsen contented, because of the activities of the Jewish financiers. In America, however, no such disaster was foreseen by him.

Of course, it was easy for Attorney Samson, lawyer for Max Warburg to refute the ridiculous and senseless statements of Fritsch and his attorney. Great tensity prevailed in the court room when Max Warburg himself arose to speak. He made a number of statements relative to the facts in the case, speaking with remarkable consideration and reserve of his libeller, in view of the latter’s age. In conclusion, Mr. Warburg ironically called Fritsch’s attention to the fact that in a recent article he, Fritsch, had made assertions regarding the question of tariffs which learned toward “Jewish” principles, and hence he could be accused of being under Jewish influence.