D O C . 2 0 9 A P P E A L O N W I L L O F P E O P L E 2 2 3 209. “Free Rein to the Will of the People. An Appeal!” [Einstein et. al. 1926a] Dated 5 March 1926 Published 5 March 1926 In: Mitteilungen des Ausschusses zur Durchführung des Volksentscheids für entschädigungslose Enteignung der Fürsten 7 (5 March 1926): 1. At a time when broad strata of the people are suffering from worse poverty than during the war, when the most essential cultural tasks must be neglected, when it is impossible to provide the homeless a home, the sick sufficient nourishment, the victims of the war and of inflation the assistance owed, at such a time of economic depression and of general impoverishment, the former princes dare to present asset claims in the amount of at least 3 billion Goldmarks to the state. To this challenge, there is only one response: expropriation without compensation.[1] This measure has become necessary since the courts have proved themselves to be submissive enough to decide for the princes and against the indi- gent masses of the people. It is an act of self-defense for all those who, as a result of war and inflation, have likewise had their worldly goods expropriated, and who are again in danger of succumbing to the economic crisis and the tax burden. It is an act of countervailing justice: If the state dares to compensate the victims of the war and of inflation with a beggar’s pittance, the princes, who are major accom- plices in Germany’s misfortune, must not be preferred and compensated with bil- lions. Millions of Germans of all political camps and all social strata have enthusiasti- cally taken up the demand for uncompensated expropriation of the princes and vig- orously request a quick and clear decision. It is now time for the national wealth to gain billions in monetary value and to allocate it to the strata severely harmed by war and inflation. The undersigned declare that they are enlisting in the mass movement and are affiliating themselves with the plebiscite for uncompensated expropriation of the princes. To date, the following have signed the appeal:[2] [Signatories]