New-York tribune., 1901-08-18
SOCIALISM IN GERMANY.
THE PROPAGANDA BY WHICH 1T HAS
INCREASED AMAZINGLY IN RE
CENT YEARS
Wiesbaden. July 80.

pie OF the rapid increase Of Socialism in Ger
many OF late years Since the elections OF 1898
the Socialist vote has increased 30 per cent IN
the district OF Memel-Heidekrug; this is only
the latest instance of the growing power or the
Collectivist party in Germany. The Democratic
Socialist party is to-day the strongest political
party in the empire. Its power has continually
increased in the last thirty years, At the gen
eral elections for the Reichstag in 1871 the So
calist candidates poIled 1869 votes; in 1881
Sll 961: in 1890, l.427.29s; in 1893 1.ISI.i3s;
in 1898 2 100000 votes.
About one-fourth OF the total electorate voted
for the Socialist candidates at the last elections
Though this may be partly explained by the
economic evolution which has taken place in
Germany since 1871, by the wonderful industrial
development Of the country and by the concen-
tration of capital, the success of the Socialists
is largely owing to the splendid organization or
their party. The general management OF the
party is placed in the hands of an executive
committee which has full powers over all So
ciaIist organizations throughout the country In
every locality of any Importance. the Socialists
are grouped into political clubs, generally called
''electioneering clubs" because such clubs have
the least 10 fear from the police.
The German Socialists long since understood
that the success of their party depended, TO
great extent upon the financial Independence OF
their leaders The Socialists have succeeded In
making their party a wealthy one. Every mem
Der contributes to the party fCno; portion OF
this money is used to defray the expenses OF the
local organizations. another portion serves for
the Socialist propaganda in the provinces ana
the remainder is sent TO the executive commit
Tee The total amount received by the commit
fee last wear including proceeds from the
partv organ the "Vcrwaerts." was Soo'ooo'
All the party officers ere paid regular salaries
The president OF the executive committee re-
ceives 30 marks month, the treasurer ioo
marks and the secretary. 10 marks AS ire
members Of the Feichstag receive no salary the
Socialist deputies are paid marks a day out o.
the party funds. Those who are not residents
or Rarlin and who go to the capital entirely for
the nur1lose of fulfilling their mandate as rep
rosentatives in the Reiohstag are paid an aodi-
tional sum of ~ marks q month The rnanag-
ing editor of the ''VorWaerts" receives fixed
annual salary Of 300 marks out Of the party
funds the other editors being paid salaries
ranging from 2.400 TO 4.2ae marks The au-
thors of official Socialist political pamphlets
likewise receive payment for their works Be
sides these the party keeps up az great cost
trained CORPS of professional Socialist agitators
whose duty il is to bring over new recruits to
the Socialist ranks. These agitators are sent
forth periodically from the great Industrial cen
tres Thus for instance, they are dispatched
from Hamburg into the provinces of Schleswlg-
IIarstain, Hanover and Mecklenburg. The well
krown orators of the party men like beoel'
Singer and Auer are always in great demand
F,ebel recently stat>N a meeting that TO com
,,. NTH all the REQUESTS he received 10 preside
Al Socialist gatherings 600 days year would
hardly be sufficient.
one Of the greatest dfhculties which the
Socialist leaders have 10 meet is TO secure SUIT
able halls for their gatherings The police exert
great pressure on restaurant keepers TO prevent
them from letting their halls 70 SOCIALISTS III
garrison towns, soldiers are inYarlaoly iofoio-
den to enter any restaurant or puohc mouse
freouented by Socialists. This is known as the
military boycott 10 prevent which certain Inn
lxeepers in Saxony have gone SC far as 10 hang
mn sip-ns above their entrance door with the IN
scription: Militant Socialists forbidden TO en-
ter" On the other hand, the Socialists, likewise
resort 10 boycotting methods They INFORM the
restaurant keepers that If they refuse 10 let
their halls for Socialist meetings every meInoer
OF the party will boycott their restaurants. In
all The large manufacturing centres. the social
lists have been successtul IN theI i poS o1e
Thus formerly in Berlin they mao ohly one
large han in which 10 hold their meeIings acres 10y
q well managed boycott tney nave ho" se0ui'N
as many they require -.
But even after the hall has been secured, the
Socialists are not at the end OF their trounes
Though the laws concerning public political
meetings vary in tie different states OF the ehl
pre they are invariably severe, ana are applle,a ppm,
int that the famous law Of exception no longer
exists the German Socialists are always treated
differently from other citizens by the ponce
To begin with no Socialist meeting can De held
in any State Of the empire without the presence
of two or three police officers, in UNIFORM Ihese
officers sre seated the platform next 10 the
sneaker Of the evening, and are accompanied py
a stenographer TO take down the substance OF
every speech. As a rule, the representatives o!
the law first attempt TO prevent the orator OF
the eN ening from speaking, by informing the
chairman of the meeting that there is an ap-
in he according
man law no apprentice is allowed 70 ee present
al a public political meeting9 The chairman
then puts the question: Are there any dppIeh-
+ices present al this meeting? If so. | request
them TO leave" AS a general rule nobooy leaNes
the room. 4 apprentice" repeats the
official "and consequently dissolve the meet
ing" Nothing then remains for the SOCIALISTS
TO do but leave the hall. But far from at
tanning the desired results. such acts or intoler
ance on the part OF the government simply aoo
fuel 20 the fire OF discomfort among the working
classes and Increase the ranks Of the Socialist
marty In winter time II frequently happens
that the police dissolve Socialist meetings under
the pretext that the meeting hall Is too cold
But the Socialists have other means OF
spreading their doctrines besides public meet
ings. The companions" as they term one an
other, meet at various singing and social clubs.
generally at small restaurants belonging 10 a
member of the party. These party restau-
rants" as they called In Germany, are 10
be found in every city and town Of the empire.
At Munich there are a dozen or more such
restaurants the principal one Of which Is kept
by a former workingman, dismissed by his en-
ployers for his active part as Socialist leader.
Deprived in this manner OF his only means OF
livelihood, he started small restaurant with
money advanced from the party FUNDS To-day
about twenty-five Socialist veterans are habitues
OF this restaurant The noon meal, consisting
of soup meat and two vegetables, costs u
cents beer included. Adjoining the dining room
is library smoking room, where many Of the
hS bitues spend their evenings reading the