Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-17
THE GERMAN SITUATION.


-
THE GERMAN SITUATION.
Ex-Minister w. w. Phelps Describes Parties
and Their Aims.
William Walter Phelps. ex-minister to Ger
many, who returned to his home last Thursday,
is following the German elections with keen
interest. On the day Of the elsction he pre-
dicted the success of the opponents Of the
army bill.
1.-The social democrats" said Mr.. Phelps yes
terday TO New York Tribune reporter, in COM
menting upon the election, ''seem 10 have
elected number Of candidates in Berlin. This
is not surprising, as Berlin is the stronghold Of
the social democrats. 1t would seem that in
the election yesterday very few Of the liberal
candidates have been successful On account
OF the rather foolish rule which denies the
validity Of any election unless the candidate has
received the majority Of all the votes cast, am
inclined to think there are not so many social
democrats reelected is reported, but that,
because in the first election they havo received
a much larger vote than any other candidate,
careless reporters have announced their cleo
ton.
SIN nearly all the districts with which am
familiar there were at least three candidates. q
social democrat liberal and a conservative.
Even in the Berlin districts the chances that
the conservative candidate, while he got few
votes, would get enough votes TO keep the ma
jority from the social democrats and to require
a second election. In this second election il
would often happen that the conservative would
withdraw, directing his friends to throw their
votes 10 the liberal candidate, and in this way
insure the election of a liberal the lesser of
two evils.
CONFUSION IN COUNTRY DISTRICTS.
"If in Berlin, where there is rarely any
chance for anybody except a social democrat or
liberal being elected, conservative candidates
run for such purposes, you may imagine that in
the country and in districts where no party has
an overwh Ginning strength there is great con-
| fusion when four, five or six candidates repre-
senting as many different parties are in the
| field One must always remember. in getting
! fret news Of Q German election, that outside of
| the great cities, where the laboring
| population makes certain of the districts
1 almost certainly democratic. there sure to
| be many candidates. Consequently there 10
| often no election and q second election is nee.
essary. Remember. also, that the German
| parliament is made up Of no two or three par
| ties. but of nine or more. Only one party, that
called the center, has over 100 members In the
reichstag. A membership of forty in a reich
stag of 400 members gives to a party such inn
portance as to enable il to make not only much
noise in the newspapers, but gives TO il much
"elRut AZ VIC proSeeuinbs VI VIC reASuriAS
itself.
STRENGTH OF THE VARIOUS PARrrxa
| .I ,h,,l .b.t in ,b,s las. raichstao the M.
r., - .....,--. -
uoHai Pst'' NM nv '"0ie SD ' o'' '
mad me liberal party more tnAn forty, nor ths
social democrats as many as that There are
| no social democrats or socialists except in the
| large cities. Because Of the peculiar nature OF
their doctrines they are spoken Of oftener than
they deserve. Ii will be found, 1 dare
say, when the final elections are held, that
there will not be more than forty-fve Of them
even under the extraordinary advantages Of the
present contest The especial advantage they
had in this election was in being opposed TO
the army bill just now the liberal party,
which is the great competitor against socisl
democracy for votes labors under q oisadvan-
| tage- ncn,eI, ouv Va .uc e'Ses .oaoeis .. nv
while Barth, has ola colleague and the leader, is
for the army bill and carries with him large
section OF the party
n, ou may DC sul piee u. Inus IN IN s s
inteliigent American would feel Ike giving h,s
| vote 10 40 offensive TO panv of the German
| voters The reason of that is that the socialist
| in German politics does not mean an anarchist
| or a man hostile 70 soc,ety and Indifferent n
| the claims of the country,
|
WHAT sooALisr hHALLf rs
ssIt simply means that the man is an advanced
liberal with svmpstbies with the masses r~ther
| - -;.h a. ,,u.os g.. =, e.. ,..s
'nan ".'- 'A
tax ehtrasaganuy ano desperate characters
JOIN tnem oeoAuse o'ner sse, ~ uei tney