Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-28

soxE or BfsxARcHs Laws.

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SOXE OF BTSMARCES LAWS. |
An Interesting Letter. witch Csrrsets Some
Popular sfisapprehensious-The Dsspssis"
OF the Police.
A Heidelberg special says: tits most
entertaining TO read here in Germany
where Socialism is more highly deyel-
oped than anywhere else in the world,
the lucubrations Of our brothers Of the
press in America upon the subject.
First Of all come the fragmentary tele-
grams, with headings such as " Social
lists Unearthed " and kindred astonish-
ing tidings, which are in so far amusing,
as the one effort Of the Socialists IN
America, England, France, and Swift
zerland-in short, wherever they are not
under police rule--is to make their
principles known by public agitation. so
that such heading is very much as ifone
should read: Temperance Agitators
Discovered in Ohio" or "Woman
SufIragists Come to Light in Massa-
chusetts." The principal difference, OF
course, is that the Socialists, being
mainly Germans, are greatly hindered
in their efforts to gain publicity for
their teachings by the fact Of their diff
ferent language and the deeply-rooted
belief Of the American population that
America is so far removed from all
things European that teachings, true
perhaps in Germany, are no concern
Of ours.
In Germany the case is different.
Here the Socialists are in most extra
ordinary position. The Constitution
of the empire guarantees universal suf-
frage, and being n Socialist does not
deprive a man o: the rights guaranteed
by the Constitution. So Socialists can
vote, and have used their right so
vigorously that 100000 Of them elect
ed twenty-five representatives to the
Reichstag, or Imperial Parliament, last
October to remain three years.
ANTI-soCIALIsT LAWS.
But here their rights come to an
abrupt end. BY the exceptional laws
they are forbidden to agitate for their
principles and their candidates. That
is TO say, they must notify the police
of every meeting which they propose to
hold, and at least one policeman must
be present, who is invested with
power to close the meeting at
discretion, and usually uses this
discretion at the beginning when
the first speaker is being intro
duced. This arouses the wrath of the
audience, which occasionally maltreats
the police and so affords an opportunity
for the arrest of any Socialists whom
the supplementary police, always called
upon under such circumstances, may
think it desirable to remove from ac-
tive life for time, quite irrespective
of the question whether the person ar
rested had anything to do with the dis
turbance or not.
Another fayorite device Of the police
is the Punishment Of persons pre-
sent in Socialist meetings. process
also made possible by the exceptiona
laws. Thus, for instance, Herr Ewald
of Berlin, a member of the Municipal
Council, presided at meeting which
was closed in this way during the au
tumn. The audience was exaspe
rated. and the police in danger o
their lives. Trustworthy witnesSe
affirm that Herr Ewald's personal eli
forts alone saved the highest office
present from being severely beaten
But all the same, Herr Ewald receive
notice the next day to leave Berli
within six hours. This interval wa
afterwards heightened to twenty-fou
hours, at the end Of which time thi
unfortunate member of the Municipt
Council Of the capital city Of the sre'
and united German empire was force
TO say adieu to his wife and five or 81
children. whom he left in very strai
ened circumstances, and shake the du'
of Berlin from his feet. Should b
return without leave he would be in
prisoned for term of years. Near
while Professor Virchow and son
other of Herr Ewald's colleagues (
the Municipal Council have been int
| pellatiDg the Acknowledgement as
whether Herr Ewsld's election is vol
; and his place forfeited, and have r
| ceiyed the extraordinary answer tht
, so long as he cares to leave his famiI
r in Berlin his domicile is there, and h
E merely being banished does not int
= fere with his holding office. Thus
, will be seen that these laws answer
g their name, and are in more sense thu
5 one exceptional"
n POWERS or THE POLICE.
:, Under these same laws the poll
: may search any person or house for )
a cialist literature, and on finding tV
B, copies Of any work OF pamphlet or org
0 may arrest the owner on the presum
+ ton of carrying on secret agitatio
), But q single copy it is necessary
y allow, because it happens tn
# such books al Marks Capital
e and EDgels's Condition OF t
d English Working Class in En-
y land " and Lassalle's Indirect Ia
e alton" are among the classic
p works Of German political econom
: and are recommended to students Al
d deliberately discussed by professors
II social science in all the great Germ
l. universities. and to forbid them e
IS trely would be to follow the Russi
Y system of proclaiming all science ST
a pect, and political economy treaso
j. But no one must have two copies
5, lend his one copy
y Some time ago German )rklT
man went to America, fell In with sol
l. of his own countrymen there, was &C
ut yerted by them to Socialism, and att
Y, wards drifted back to Germany.
IS remained unmolested for q time IN
his Socialist activity attracted the
to tention of the police. But ne was !
in one of the districts which are g
er erned by the exceptional laws (B
d, lin, Leipsic, and Hamburg Alton
to and could therefore be neltl
id banished nor imprisoned wlth'
d, further preteIt. However, the pol
he is fertile in expedients, and promp
q Nrhn