St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-03-02
GERMAN ELECTIONS.
Th~y Arc Conducted In . 01Aee way -
Nobody Get Excited

Th~y Are Conducted In 0oAoe way -
Nobody Get Excito4
To German the hurly-buriy Of IN
American election is quite incompre-
hensible. As the s.::t;cct OF . constitu-
tiOnal government, under which tho
right of suffrage is ,,neral. he thinks
he knows q thing or two about tho
tactics Of political campaign before
coming to America He has. however.
every thing to learn about brass bands.
torches an6 oil-cloth uniforms a In
struments Of political warfare When
the German Prime Minister appeals to
the people for . verdict ON his measures
aslight ripple Of excitement passes over
political circles. The newspapers dis
cuss, in an abstract manner. the issues
at stake. Correspondents write vague
generalities concerning Mr.. Schmidt's
or Mr.. Meyers ability to carry his
district. Careful calculations and
thorough canvasscs are unknown. Or
II known. are not communicated to the
newspapers. Campaign committees
arc not constantly appealing for
money. Mutual examinations and re-
ordinations concerning colonization
and bribery are never hearl. Tho
German citizen in politics is the Ger
man still. He remains the phlegmatic.
deliberate, conservative student He
wears no badges or buttons before
election. Were he to wear q broom or
rooster on his hat after election the
police would promptly lug him Otto
Jail.
As election day approaches . few
quiet meetings are held. The officers
lingcr longer over their coffee in the
cafes to tell each other ''Bismarck's
all right" But they don't say II that
way. They say it in sonorOus topsy-
turvy sentences Of classical German
words, eight syllables long. In tho
beer restaurants Radical tells Con-
scrvative Bismarck is all wrong. Tho
Conservative demurs- The difference
of opinions il drowned in clatter OF
mugs and long draughts Of beer. and
the conversation turns. to the latest
opera or a prospective bowling party.
When German gentlemen do discuss
politics with American artlOr they not
infrequen.ly conclude to settle the mat
ter with pistols. Early in January.
1887. Wilhelm Hillenberg. an East
Prussian, heard man speak of Bis
marck as a rascal. in the Loewenbrau
restaurant Berlin. Mr.. Hillenberg
was an admirer of Bismarck. Ho
challenged the stranger who thought
the Chancellor a rascal TO fight with
pistols. The duel was fought In the
Gruncwald. near Berlin Kismarck's
defamer got bullet in the leg. Bis
marck's defender got on scot FREQ.
Such affairs, though exceptional. ar o
of too common 0ccurre nee to excite
much comment.
The general and intense suspense
which prevails In the United States on
election evening has no parallel in
Germany. For instance, early In 1887
tremendous interests were at stake on
the continent Declaration Of war b.
tween France. and Germany Was ex-
pccted daily. In view Of Frances
threatening attitude. Bismarck had ap-
pealed to the country to scturn men to
the Reichstag who would vote TO in
crease the standing army. Yet ON
election evening Berliners were little
excited. A few more men walked
unter den Linden. A few moro
Lieufenants than usual Ogled women
from the windows Of Cafe Bauer. Oc-
casiOnally u man ran down the street
shouting '.Extrar but ~ the extras
were very meagsr and COST four cents
apiecc. hardly any one bought them.
Otherwise Berlin was rs quiet as usual
BY midnight the slight ripple Of ex-
element was entirely past. and the
Liberal as well as the Conservative
citizen had gone home happy in tho
confidence that the good Emperor and
the great Bismarck would allow no
harm to come to the beloved father
lAnd.-N T. Sun