Czechoslovakia Rabbis Bring Libel Suit Based on Election Differences

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Mail Service)

The trial began here today in a libel action brought by the Agudist Rabbis, Weber and Hirschner, against Dr. Emil Margulies and Dr. Ludwig Singer, leaders of the Jewish People’s Party in connection with the last Parliamentary elections.

Dr. Margulies, it was alleged had proposed at a meeting of the Jewish National Council, that a proclamation should be issued against those who had prevented the formation of a united Jewish bloc for the elections. He had said that a group of clericals who thought only of their own position had sold themselves to the authorities and had put up a separate list only to prevent the Jews of Czecho-Slovakia from obtaining their proper Parliamentary representation. On the order of the enemies of the Jewish people who sought to destroy the independence of the Jewish people, they had disrupted the unity of the Jews of Czechoslovakia.

Dr. Singer who was accused of having made similar statements at a meeting of the Prague City Council, said that he did not accept responsibility for the report of his speech as it had appeared in the Press and he was acquitted.

Dr. Margulies, on the other hand, accepted full responsibility for his statements and pleaded justification.

Dr. Solomon, who was called as a witness said in the course of his evidence that the Vice-Governor of the Province of Carpatho-Russia had given the candidate of the Jewish Economic Party a sum of 100,000 Kronen for his election expenses. The candidate, however, had gone over to the Jewish bloc and had returned the money to the Vice-Governor, giving Dr. Margulies a facsimile photograph of the receipt. Dr. Solomon added that a further sum of 150,000 Kronen had been given by the Vice-Governor of the Jewish Economic Party in order to run an opposition list of Jewish candidates and to split the Jewish vote.

At this point the proceedings were adjourned.