On Monday 16 November, the Mayor of Berlin was accused of embezzling the city’s funds. Berlin’s tax revenues were $330,000 in 1914. Rumors suggested that over 25% of the city council’s budget was being wasted needlessly.
Mayor Euler responded to the media by presenting a breakdown of the 1914 budget. Roughly $228,135 was mandatory investments. The rest of the budget went towards controllable outcomes such as salaries. Euler’s response demonstrated that Berlin was running on a tight budget during wartime and the accusations had no basis in fact. This act proved how politics could be a distraction to the war effort.
(“Berlin’s Mayor Misappropriating Funds” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 1914, Photo courtesy of Archeion http://www.archeion.ca/william-daum-euler-fonds)
