New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-30
THE GERMAN ELECTIONS.

---------
THE GERMAN ELECTIONS.
The social, political and religious conditions
of Germany are 50 complex that it is hazardous
to predict the results of the elections which
are to take place to-day. In our news columns
will be found summary Of'the election stalls
ties of recent years, showing the rapid growth
of the Socialist party, the strength of the
factions in the last Reichstag and OF the
constituencies which they represented. The
London prophets announce that the National
Liberals will lose thirty members and the Con-
servatives gain as many, while the remaining
political groups will hold their ground, so
that the Government will have good work.
! ing majority. This is matter Of minor i'm
portance for Prince Bismarck has the
happy faculty of limping along at his
own pleasure even when there Is
a minority behind him. There are vital is
sues at stake in these elections. Universal
suffrage Is on trial and Imperial legislation Is
in transition stage.
German Socialism, with its atheistic and
revolutionary tendencies, is the product Of
universal suffrage. 1t is now barely twenty
five years since Lassalle organized the Cen
eral Workmen's Association, and for thir-
teen years the movement made such slight
progress that he never wrote brochure
without complaining of the lukewarmness of
the masses. 1t was not until 1865 that
Socialism took root on German soil. 1t was
! then that Prince Bismarck armed the Fourth
Estate with the ballot. 1t was then that one
of his allies threatened Liberalism-the same
bourgeois Liberalism which he had attacked
in 1S49-with the tramp OF the wOrkingmen's
battalions. Lassalle urged his followers to
resist the Liberals and to support the
Government, on the ground that with
universal suffrage all things were possible.
From that year Socialism advanced with
rand stride. until in 1877 il had 1875 candi-
,aturcs and pollcd one out of ten votes
in the Empire. The Chancellor sought,
at first, to change the complexion
of the new political party. He under
took to transform Radical Socialism into
Conservative Socialism. Chairs of political
economy were set up Mt the universities, and
benevolent professors and court cbaplans gave
10 the new doctrines the sanction of scholastic
culture and Protestant orthodoxy. 1t became
fashionable TO daily with the new theories rs
an interesting species of speculative philosophy.
Meanwhile the Socialists were Quarreling
among themselves, and at the same time re-
sistmg outside pressure. The ideas of Lassalle,
the Prussian, were rejected az behind the
times, and the principles of Marx and
Liebknecht of the International pre-
vailed. As the movement passed to ex-
tremes ITS political power increased. Bismarck
demanded in 1875 exceptional laws against
the Social Democrats; but the Reichstag re-
fused to pass them; and it was not
until the elections OF 1877 that the Ma
tional Liberals manifested alarm. The
lower strata of society seemed to
be sinking into an oOze of anarchy aud athe-
ism. Ii was at this moment, when thousands
had come to believe that there was no equity
| in private property, no sancity in religion, no
purity in marriage, that two assassins I'M
dertook to prove that there was no
patriotism in loyalty. Were those pistol-shots
the signal for reaction against "A National
crazel We shall know by the increase or de-
crease of the Socialist vote. The gains and
losses of the Conservatives and National LIB
erals are of small account beside tins mo
ment0us issue. If German Democracy is
to become German Socialism, universal
suffrage will be the curse of the
Fatherland For democracy that is
not veined with moral ideas, democracy
without conscience or higher standards, a
democracy that is the slave of its own pas
sions, Is the worst government on earth.
The second vital issue to which we have re-
ferTed is the effect of the present elections
upon the course of Imperial legislation. If
the triumph of the reactionary factions is de-
cisive, the Government will undoubtedly en-
deayor to stamp out Socialism by represslve
suppress political party of half million
voters, but military imperialism has no patience
with halfway measures. But the reaction
airy impulse will not end there. The
penal code, which was conceived in
spirit of go0dy- good humanity,
and the ecclesiastical laws, which were exc
cuted in spirit of intolerance. will be re-
vsed. It is true that the negotiations between
the Emperor and the Pope have recently come
to deadlock, but compromise is evidently de-
sired in Berlin. That batch of crude legislation
certainly needs revision, but we trust that the
| work will be undertaken under the leadership
of the National Liberals. IL the results of
to-day's elections shall be dminution OF the
Socialist vote and the return of suf-
fcient number of National Liberals to render
| it impossible for the Chancellor to dispense
with their support, every sincere friend of the
| Fatherland will take courage.