New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-13
IN THE GERMAN EMPIRE.
Socialists to Share IN Diet Elections
-AngEophobia LesseniHg.
Berlin. October p.

strated strength OF that party Of over three
million votes has been the resolution formed
by the Socialist leaders to participate hence
forth IN the elections for the Prussian Diet. IL
IS a step OF the greatest political significance
for Prussia Never before have the Socialists
and that IL must be remembered, practically
means the laboring nasses-taken any active
shsre sn these elections At the forthcoming
elections. however, they viii so into them as a
party; that Is, in conjunction with the LID
erals Of every stripe. The more radical shades
OF the Liberal party in Prussia have Just e.
fecoed under the advice and leadership Of Dr.
Theodore Bsrth q sort OF mutual alliance ana
have admitted TO their councils, for purposes OF
5oint action at the approaching Diet elections
the Socialists The understanding arrived at is
that In all those districts where either party.
T. e. the liberal the Socialist, alone would
stand no chance Of electing its candidate for the
third or second class. the two are to agree on
3oint candidate ana support him Jointly at the
polls In this way. they hope. considerable in
crease Of members OF the Left viii be achieved
81 she Diet. That body has low an overwhelm-
Ing majority Of reacTionaries-Conseryati
Ag-arians and Cltrsmontanes. This is due TO
zhe peculiar election method which is stu in
force Cunregenerated and unchanged since the
Diet Itself was created, in 1852. ana which d.
vides the whole body Of electors in three classes.
;ts workings the great bulk Of the population
~ Prussia has been all along wholly unrepre-
scented in the Diet say. IS per cent OF the total.
TO gain any representation at all. the laboring
masses mus concentrate their voting strength
On the third class Of voters and in some dis
irfcts, as in Berlin, on the second, with the aid
of the Liberals IL will be interesting to watch
The result of these combined efforts.
or course what both the Liberals and the So
= 49, H.,
abolition Of the present three class electoral sys-
tem and its displacement by an election law as
closely as possible resembling the one under
which the elections for the Relchstag are held, l.
g. one which entities every male citizen OF TWEEN
fy-fve and over, Of good repute and sound mind.
20 vote in secret ballot in one and the same
class. That may be consummation deVoutly to
be wished for by progressive Prussians. but II
s. hardly 10 be expect &c that it VIII be brought
about in the future. inasmuch as both the
Prussian government and the ruling classes Of
the monarchy are heartily in favor Of the con-
tinuance Of the existing system, as. indeed,
Why should they not be? Nobody voluntarily d.
vests himself of the controlling political power.
That Of course. does not hinder the fact that in
private conversation even these benehciaries Of
the present unfair Diet electoral system agree
with Bismarck. who called it the worst cleo
1Oral law in existence"
The forces CT Liberalism have dwindled
steadily in Prussia for several decades past, and
have shifted more and more southwark. TO Ba-
varia, wurtemberg. Baden. and striking
illustration Of that fact may be found in two
new bills Just introduced in the Bavarian cham
hers One OF them greatly lberalizes the cleo
toral system, the other Is more remarkable It
provides that Of the 'unearned increment
that is OF the rise in value Of land, either in
country or town. 10 per cent, shall henceforta
severally go 70 the Golfers of the State and OF
the commune. Both measures stand a fai-
show Of becoming law.
The wagner Week" ended in a complete
dasco This is to be regretted on several &C
counts But the matter had been mismanaged
from the very start wealthy Berlin manu-
~acturer Of face powder and other cosmetics.
" name. Leichner. started the movement for
the erection Of a monument to Richard Wagner
here. and he. too. furnished large part Of the
,eauired funds Thus, Il was never a spon-
fanecus and still less national project. The
7nonuulent itself made by Professor EbeTlein,
outrages both the aesthetic and the artistic
REQUIREMENTS and with its gingerbread decora-
tive features was quite inappropriate for the
genius Of the great composer. Then, too the
ARRANGEMENTS for the unwilling and for the pro-
3ected week Of Wagner performances. outraged
me sensibfities Of the Wagner family and Of
la~t1v. the manner in which the Kaiser stood
-r.onsor 10 the whole affair. The consequence
= all this was that Wagner's widow and sen
md nearly al leading German and foreign
artists even those that had at first accepted in
r-tations. ostentatiously stayed away. and that
the orera "Festspiele," which had been origi-
1allv meant to eclipse the Bayreuth ones in
very way. were not only curtailed anc altered
r. character but proved inferior in every sense
The caustic Berlin wit has already nicknamed
the monument Itself ia a way decidedly not
Gattering.
As fo- the theatrical season, now fairly set in
l. looks rather unp-omising thus far. No SEN
eatior4l novelties are scheduled or even limited
Ct The first fortnight after the opening scarce
" anything but foreign plays were performed
on our leading stages. Tie Schiller Theater and
The ROYAL Schauspiehaus are having a Shakes
peare revival and the former with model
STAGING OF AS You Like It." is making f1nan-
oial success OF IL The Neues Theater usually
given over 10 the production Of the latest Gre
atious Of SuGermann, Hauptmann, Fulda and
other men Of the new drama" has even gone
10 oscar Wilde for its opener, and the Leasing
Theater IS giving a very acceptable performance
Of the Austrian AnzengrubeT's "Doppelselbst-
mora" a bowling farce taking its types from
Austrian peasant life. The three theatres under
royal mana cement here, which had been suffer
sng from the lack OF energy OF their intendant
general. Count Hochberg. for a number Of
years, producing few novelties and then usually
badly chosen ones, have now been put under
she care OF the Kaisers favorite. Herr Won
55aisen, the same who made himself con
spicuous b. his gorgeous performances at the
Royal Theater IN wiesbaden. It IS to he hoped
that things VIII mend in Berlin under his hand:
.. bo,,e All The ROYAL Opera here which has been