The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-01

erty OF choice which our Presidential cleo
tors were originally intended to possess.
BY public procedure we mean hat every
ordinary voter must name the delegate he
wants. and every delegate must with equal
openness declare his choice for member Of
the Landtag. Now as TO the distribution OF
the ordinary or indirect voters. These are
divided into three classes, each OF which
has hitherto paid one-third OF the amount
of direct taxes levied by the State on the
whole body OF electors. 1t Is an obvious
result OF this arrangement that men pos
scssing incomes large enough TO place them
In the highest class. would have an amount
OF political power out OF all proportion to
that allotted to the relatively poor men
in the lowest category. 1t should further he
noted that men paying no income tnx to
the State are utterly DISTINGUISHED.
Demands for n reform OF these inequi-
table and complicated electoral conditions
have bcen earnestly pressed in Prussia
ever since the Rcichstag afforded an ex-
| amplo of q better system. 1t seems likely
that during the present session OF the
Landtag, some considerable concessions
will be made. though these will stop far
| short OF tho wishes OF tho Radical or Frcis-
innige party. which advocates tho intro
| duction OF direct, universal. and secret
| suffrage. Through a coalition OF the Con-
! scrvatives and Contrasts. DR.. MIGUEL. the
Finance Minister. has carried through the
committee stage a Franchise bill. which
lessons the existing inequalities, but which
abolishcs neither the prevailing system of
indirect election nor the publicity Of the
procedure. nor the division OF indirect
electors into three classes.
What tho bill does is to provide that tho
contributions Of the first. second. and third
classes shall henceforward stand in the pro-
portion of five. four. and three. and further.
that not only shall the direct State taxes DO
made the basis Of classification. but tho
communal and provincial taxes shall also
be taken into account. II this were all. the
plutocratic character of the Prussinn cleo
toral system would not DO scnsibly dimin-
ishcd. There are, however. two other
clauses. one excluding SO much OF every in
come as shall exceed five hundred dollars
from being computed in the arrangement
Of tho three ~cntegories: the second, ascrib-
ing a fictitious contribution OF seventy-five
cents to every person who does not pay
any income tax to tho State. The persons.
therefore. who IRE unassessed. and who
nave hitherto been disfranchised, will
form the third class, and it Is computed
that flve-ninths OF tho entire amount Of the
direct taxes will fall on the first class.
leaving but four-ninths on tho second. The
manifest effect OF this arrangement will be
not only to emancipate the very poor. but
to strengthen people Of moderate means as
against the plutocrats.
There is some reason to believe that the
Conservatives in the Landtag may repent
of their bargain. as careful calculations
made in the Rhine provinces indicate that
tho new classification woul greatly in
crease the political power of the Centrists
and Socialists and correspondingly dam
age the Conservatives and National-L iber-
ais. Perhaps. il these two last-named par
ties r%enounce their opposition to DIR.
MIQUEL's taxation reforms. he nay con-
sent to strike out the obnoxious provisions
in the Electoral Amendment bill. 1t seems
strange. however. to see a party calling it
self National-Liberal set itself against the
removal OF political disabilities. which are
discredit to Prussia, as being fifty years be-
hind the times.