The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-19
REGENT GERMAN ELECTION
TWO MILLION TOTES CAST FOR
 SOCIALIST PARTY.

SOCIALIST PARTY. This is an Increase of More Than 3OO,0OO Compared With the Preceding Gem ernI Elootion-Loses of the Conserva- tive and Center Parties-Check to the Emperor's Foreign Aspirations An Interesting Letter on the Situation.
 Berlin, Oct 1, 1898. To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
 A remarkable election has recently taken place in Germany which. in some of its bearings, is of immediate Interest for Americans. It would be remarka- ble for this reason alone if for no other, that the social democrats cast over D. 900, 900 Votes being an increase of more than 300,O0O compared with the last general election of the members of the Reichstag, which took place in 1893. According to the present figures the so- cialists constitute almost third of the entire voting population of the empire. Another almost equally remarkable feature of this election is the loss on the part of the conservative party of over 300,000 votes as compared with 1893, and a gain on the part of the national liberals of over 100000. The center, or Catholic party, has suffered loss also of about 130000 votes.
 The politics of any country are gene rally closed book even to it's nearest neighbors. I have found in the British West Indies and in Canada very gene ral ignorance of the politics of the Uni ted States. Intelligent and educated men in both places have told me that our American politics seemed to them a labyrinth of complications whose windings no one could follow. Party names and party platforms give but hint of what their real character ts The reason of the antagonism of parties usually lies far back in the past and is very generally a matter of ancient prejudice. To understand the present politics of England, it would be neces- sary at least to know it's history back to the time of the Stewards. To under stand American politics one must be certainly familiar with the history of the anti slavery contest, and indeed, to know it thoroughly with the whole his tory of the country.
 German politics, however, are of more recent origin, and really take their rise in the formation of the empire. The only thoroughly national party in Ger many is the national liberals. This party was formed soon after the estab- lishment of the empire. It was made up, it is true, in part of the old Forts- shritt party, or party of progress, which existed in Prussia prior to the empire and which was a moderately liberal party. Singularly enough the Fortschrtt party was Bismarck's prin- cipal enemy, but the national liberal party was the one which he acted dur ing the first few years of the history of the empire. His old enemies in the Prussian landtag became his fast friends in the German reichstag. Bis marck was liberal only from policy and not from conviction. There was nat ural antagonism between his real poli- tics and any liberal party, and the in- combatible union between him and the national liberals resulted in an early ~~~N-o
 divorce.
 There are several other small liberal parties or factions, viz: The F'reisin- nge union, and the Freisinnige peoples party, also the south Germany peoples party All of these factions lost heavi- ly in the last election which shows tendency towards consolidation of the liberal elements. Next to the socialist party the center, or Catholic party. is the strongest in Germany. This party has no history beyond the days of the empire It really grew out of Bis marcks Kulturkampf, or war upon the Catholic church. Most of Bismarck's political admirers confess now that his attack upon the Catholics was the most serious of his life. It created party which ever since has held the balance of power in the reichstag, and more than once has controlled the destiny of the German empire.
 The political principles of the center during the Kulturkampf were simply hostility towards Professionalism in gen. eral and especially towards the German empire as a Protestant power. All this, however. is changed and the center, though it still keeps watch over Cath ollie interest, has become loyal body and is liberal rather than conservative to this extent, that it may be depended upon to insist upon the rights of the citizen and the privileges of the legisla- ture. So far as other questions are concerned, the political predilections of it's members vary decidedly. This is a source of weakness and has in it the seeds of the probable ultimate dissolu- tion of the party. It will be remem- bered that towards the close of Bis narcl1's political career he was forced to seek the friendship of this very par tv that his prosecution had created, and that it twice disappointed him in voting against a bill to increase the army.
 The social democratic party is by far the strongest in the country It has history that goes back of the days of the empire, but it never rose to be a party of any considerable power until after the empire was formed. Its op- ponents have been in the habit of claiming that it is a local rather than a national party, because it's votes have ,,,ai,1,y come from the cities and indus