Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-16
PRUSSIAN ELECTIONS.
OPERATIONS OF THE LANDTAG
AND REICHSTAG DESCRIBED.
Fraud in Balloting impossible Under
Their System-Infuence Of
Priests on the Election.

America has just been the center of a
great election, occupying the energies of
all loyal American citizens and attracting
the attention of all Europe. But America
has not been alone in giving expression to
the right of suffrage. This has also been
the election season in several of the great
European powers, and of special interest is
the present election to the Landtag in Ger
many. The change of Emperor implying
new political departure, the frightening
of the legislative period of the deputies
from three years to five, the school ques-
ton and other weighty matters render the
election Of vital Importance in Germany.
In all this political rivalry one becomes
interested in noting some of the character
izing features of a German election.
''The Landtag is a kind of House of
Representative" the deputies being
chosen by the different States of the King.
dom, and thus differing from the Reichstag,
which is the representative body of the
empire. The deputies to the Reichstag
are chosen, as the representative namely,
by universal suffrage, by direct and secret
written ballot. For the Landtag, how
ever, it is quite different, there being two
degrees of electors or voters. The electors
OF the first degree, "Urwahler," are all cit
liens "a years of age. These electors
choose those of the second degree, "Wahl-
manner" who in turn elect the deputies.
However, the electors of the first degree
do not all have equal rights, but are d.
vided into three classes, according to the
amount of tax that each person pays.
These classes are formed in such way
that the sum of the taxes paid by the cleo
taxes paid by each of the other classes.
one-third of the "Whalmanner," the result
is that the class restricted to the great
capitalists has, by its VOTE the same infu-
ence as the more numerous well-to-do men,
and also the same influence as the other
class, composed of the immense majority of
common laborers, peasants, ETC., SO that
the rich, forming the first two classes
named, may elect two-thirds of the "Whal-
manner" who appoint the deputies. The
number of electors of the second degree is
based on the population, one for every $50
inhabitants. But this proportion is not
strictly observed, for in the great indus
trial and commercial centers = Berlin,
Hamburg, Chemnitz and Others, the popu-
latIon has doubled and even tripled dur
ing the last twenty years, while thenumber
of deputies remains the same. Berlin, for
example, which should have twenty.one
deputies, has actually only nine The
same holds true also for the Reichstag.
There should be one deputy for every
100000 inhabitants, and at Berlin one
deputy often represents 100000 inhab-
itants.
Fraud in balloting is impossible under
the present system, although this protec-
ton is reached by certain sacrifice of the
independence of the voter. The method
in the elections of the first degree is as
follows: The ward is divided into a num-
Der Of sections and each section has its own
hall or voting-room, open during two or
three hours only. Each voter is notified,
officially, by "Wahlcarte indicating
the class of the voter, the day, hour and
place of election. 1t is necessary to be
present precisely at the appointed hour or
run the risk of being disqualified When
the voters of one class are assembled, the
officer who presides declares the electoral
meeting opened, and reads certain articles
of the Constitution in reference to elections.
He then calls the roll of the voters in
alphabetical order and as his name is
called each voter comes forward to the
desk, repeats his name tells his occupa-
ton and residence, and names the person
for whom he votes, and this name is i'm
IL l.
his own name on the voting list.
1t is easy to conceive the inconvenience
which arise from such system. In the
first place, it is evident that those who
are not independent in worldly goods can
not always vote as they would like. In
the majority of cases the servant must vote
as his master, and the workman as his SD
perintendent. Otherwise one must refrain
from voting, and at Berlin the latter is
especially the case. In provinces the
"landrath" or Project, and the priest exert
great influence on the election, the in
fuence that is at times very embarrassing
to the voter who hardly knows whether it
is more dangerous to displease the priest
who opens to him the doors of heaven, or
the Project who holds in his hands the
power of government. AS to the soldiers
of the militia, they are not allowed to vote.
By the Constitution itself they are author
lied to vote wherever the army is, but by
the military law of May 2, 1874, they are
excluded from this privilege. As a gen.
eral thing the elections in Europe are held
on Sunday, so, as they say, that every one
may be free to VOTE but in Prussia it is not
so, and as the elections of the third class
vote between 8 and IL o'clock in the fore
noon, many of the working class refrain
| from voting rather than lose half-day's
work. Thus, in one way and another, the
number of actual voters is generally quite
restricted, and rarely exceeds one-third of
| the whole number of voters, so that prop
erly speaking the Landtag is hardly the
| representative OF the people.
The elections of the second degree are
| held few days after the voters of the first
! degree have elected the "Whalmapner"
and are something on the same principle as
| the first degree. The deputies are chosen
by absolute majority, and, if the first bal
lot does not give the result, the candidate
who has the smallest number of votes is
excluded, and the balloting is continued
until the absolute majority is obtained. In
| case OF tie vote the successful candidate
is determined by lot. Every Prussian cit
izen who has reached the age of 80 years.
and who has not forfeited his civil rights
is eligible to seat in the Landtag.
| The ''progressists" have long tried in
vain to introduce the system of ballot voting
into the Constitution, thinking that then
only will the Landtag deserve its name
But the Government seems to favor the
present system, and it will probably be
maintained as long as possible.-Sprinqfeld
Republican.
Notes on sorae Electric Railways.