Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-14
The Parties in the German ParlIa-
ment.
London Ne,ne


The new Reichstag is the fifth Parlia.
ment Of the German empire since its
creation ten years ago. The first aud
second were elected in 1871 ard 1874 re-
spectively, and lived out their regular
course Of four years each. The third.
having been elected in 1877, was dis
solved in the following year on account
of its refusal to pass the anti Socialistic
laws. The fourth. of 1878. came to its
natural end last summer. The present
one is the result of the elections of Oc-
tober 27. The three hundred and ninety
seven members of the German Parlia-
ment form no less than thirteen distinct
groups or fractions sVm-
bolical of German unity. As the de-
bates and divisions cause frequent men
tiOn of these party names. which must
prove bewildering to English readers, a
brief ANALYSIS of their composition
and relative strength will be
of interest Notwithstanding the
numerous subdivisions, there may
be distinguished three great parties
the Right, or Conservatives; the
Centre, or Ultramontanes, and the Left,
or Liberals. The Right. which is the
government party par excellence aud at
anv price, consists of two groups since
1877, when split took pace-the Ger
man Conservatives, and the Free Con-
servatives of the German Imperial party g.;
but as the difference between them is
trit1ing they may still be classed as one.
In the last Parliament their combined
strength was 107; at the recent elections
they lost thirty seats, and therefore now
only number seventy-seven members
Although most of their prominent lead
ers were defeated on this occasion, their
ranks still contain the names of Field
Marshal MOltke, Manteuffel, Prince Pless
and the Rev. Mr.. Stoecker. the jew
batter The Centre, the Clerical or
Ultramontane party, comprises all Ro-
man Catholic deputies opposed to the ia
nous Kulturkampf, and who, under the
leadership of the well known DR.. Wind.
thOrst, a former HanOverian minister.
and Herr Reichensperger, are striving for
the repeal of the Falk May laws. This
party has gained five seats since 1878.
and now numbers 80 members This,
however, is not its full strength, for on
ali important questions it will be rein
forced by the following auxiliary frac-
tiOns: The Guelphs, or HanOverian par
ticularists Q0), the Alsace Lorraine
clericals, or prOtesters (14 and the Poles
QS). In this connection must also be
mentioned the two Danish deputies from
Schelswig. and it is a significant fact
that these four nationalist groups thus
form total of fOrty-fOur members in
the present Parliament, who to all in
tents and purposes are avowed enemies
Of and openly hostile to the very ex
istenCe of the German Empire, to which
their countries have been fOrciblY an
nexed TIE Left, or Liberal party, con
sists of six subdivisions, beginning on
the right wing with the National Liber-
ais. For many years they occupied the
position of the ruling government party
under the patronage of Prince Bismarck,
till thrown aside by him. Their great
strength of 100 members in 1874 was re
duced to 81 in 1878, then further dwin.
died down to GO by the desertion of the
entire left wing, and from the recent
elections they emerged only AZ strong.
Their leader is Herr Won Bennigsen,
the HanOverian statesman. The Sc
cessionist party, sO-called from its de
sertiOn from the National Liberals on
free trade questions, was only 10 strong
at the time of the split, but in the pres
ent Reichstag it numbers no less than
forty three members, among whom are
many of the most able former National
Liberals, as FOrckenbeck the Mayor of
Berlin, Won Bunsen, Stauffenberg and
Lasker. This party is also in great sym.
pathy with the third Liberal group, the
Progressists, the Radical or Free Trade
party, which is especially hostile to Prince
Bismarck, who used his great influence
to crush it out of existence at the elec-
tions of October o. Instead of this,
however, they raised their previous
strength of only twenty-seven to sixty
two, thus lnt1icting q severe defeat on
the Chancellor Among their leaders are
to be found the prominent names of
Richter. HaCnel, and Professor VirchOw.
The fourth Liberal group is that of
the Democratic, or South German
peoples party, which represents
the anti-mOnarchial idea. From only
four members in the last Parliament
it has now increased to nine. the best
known Of whom are Carl Mayer, an ar
dent PTussian hater, and Herr Some
mann. the proprietor of the Frankfort
Gazette. Next to them the extreme Left
Is formed by the Social Democrats, who
have also succeeded in raising their mum
bers from ten TO thirteen, including their
old leaders, Hasenclever and Liebknecht.
There still remains a sixth group of un-
classified Liberals called "Wilde" or
"Savages," numbering eight members.
among whom are DR.. Falk, the ex- Minis
ter, and Professor Treitschke, the his
torian. 1t appears from the foregoing
that the Liberals of all shades have an
aggregate strength of III votes, or only
% short of the absolute majority of 1893;
the Centre, with all its allies, about 140,
and the United Conservatives n.