The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-02
THE GERMAN SOCIALISTS.

Bebel, the leader of the German Social
lists, raised breeze in the Reischstag on
Saturday by his blunt denunciation of the
governments policy, as illustrated by the
rapid increase of the imperial debt and
the army and navy appropriations.
It should be understood that the great,
powerful, increasing party of German So
cialists is not tinctured with anarchism or
communism. The founder of the party
was Lassalle, whose teachings have been
supplemented by those of Karl Marx.
The present agitation of the German So
cialists is not incendiary, but constitu-
tional. Since the repeal of the laws by
which Bismarck sought to stihe their re-
form movement, they have moderated their
demands and are now likely to absorb
the whole shopkeeping and small burgher
class. The present German Socialist party
demands efficient national and inter-
national legislation for the protection of
the working classes" and their proposed
reforms are either such as have already
been carried out in Switzerland, the United
States or England, or would be acceptable
to the Radical party in England and to a
large number of the American people.
Among these reforms are the demand for
free trade. for female suffrage. for the
gratuitous bestowal of legal advice and
medical assistance, and for a legislative
recognition that children attending the
public schools should receive not only free
education and free books, but free dinners.
The German Socialists demand that the
Landtag, should be chosen under the same
conditions of universal suffrage, direct
election by the people through secret bal
lot, on the lone man one vote" principle
as the Reichstag. They ask for biennial
parliaments and favor the election by the
people of all local public officials, including
judicial officers. They demand the repeal
of all laws restricting the free expression
of opinion or the right of association or
of public meeting, and declare that relig-
ion should be matter Of private opinion,
that all payments from public funds for
religious purposes should cease, and that
ali ecclesiastical or religious communities
should be considered private associations,
and as such be left to manage their own
affairs.
The German Socialists also insist upon
the abolition of indirect taxation and Gus
toms duties. and say that public expendi-
ture should be betrayed by a graduated
tax on property and income. and favor a
succession duty fixed on a sliding scale &C.
cording to the amount of the inheritance
and the degree ofrelationship between the
legatee and the testator.
They hold that the national schools
should be secularized, as in France. and
that attendance on them should be made
compulsory for the children Of all classes.
They favor the abolition of capital pun
ishment, and desire to adopt the so-called
Swiss referendum, or the direct participa-
ton of the people in legislation, including
the right of the people to initiate as well
as to reject laws.
The Socialist party affirms that inter
national disputes ought to be decided by
arbitration; and the decision of peace or
war should rest with the elected repre-
sentatives of the people. Finally they con-
tend that the state ought to take over all
workmen's insurance agencies, allowing
the workmen to exercise fair share OF
influence in their administration.
Intelligent English and American OBJ
servers believe that this Socialist party of
constitutional reform is destined to play a
very powerful, if not controlling part, in
the future legislation of Germany.