Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-13

OBJECT.
BERLIN, Jan. i2-(special. Tho cleo
toral campaign which is now in full blast
Is OF exceptional interest, but 1t Is stiu
uncertain Just what will be the final line
UP Of ali Of the leaders. The program OF
the social democrats is clear Every Ger
man who votes for them knows that ne Is
expr sing In the most pronounced way In
his power his discomfort with the present
system OF government.
The centre includes a small number of
Roman Catholic mobiles and country gen
tlemen who have no sympathy with the
popular views on these or other matters
s1but It's strength lies in the support Of the
NRoman Catholic workingmen of the great
industrial towns Of Rhenish Prussia, West
phalia and siesia. and in the votes of the
South German peasants These classes are
almost as democratic in their views upon
many subjects as are the more moderate
of the social democrats and the candidates
for their suffrages are often compelled, on
certain questions at any rate, to profess
strong liberal opinions and to support a
const .utional policy In Parliament on pain
OF forfeit. The centre party are con-
strained by the instinct of self-preserva-
tion to be in the main a democratic party
and to figure in the Reichstag as the cham
pions OF many popular rights. The North
German Gazette has laid 1t down that the
German Parliament has no business to
NEEDLE in the conduct of the war, and
that the dissolution necessarily followed
on what It describes as an abuse Of the
budget rights Of that assembly by the
centre and by the social democrats.
A Rivals, Iwt Allies.
The speeches of Dr. SPAIN in the Reich
tas and of Herr Trimborn at Cologne
completely traverse this doctrine of the con-
stitution, The centre, the member for
Cologne declares, are not going to yield
to the supreme command of the army.
Were they to admit that they must vote
whatever supplies 1t demanded they might
just as well shut up the Reichstag and
clear the way for absolutism and Caesar
ism" They 20 to the countr. Jas the de-
tenders of the constitutional privileges of
Parliament, of the power of the purse and
Of universal suffrage.
while the ideal Of the social democrats is
constitutional reform. a means OF main
t3inins and advancing the claims Of the
DJman Catholic church--an ideal which
does not exclude private bargaining, with
the government. Despite the fortuitous
combination of these groups in the divisions
which brought about the dissolution. they
are opposed to each other more funda-
mentally than any other parties In the
state The socialists have signsled out
the centre as their special objects OF at
tack at the polls and the centre Is returning
the compliment, without prejudice. OF
course. TO such subsequent cooperation at
thu second ballots as expediency may die
:, tAis.
~ Position of other Parties.
EAe position Of most OF the other parties
n not so certain. Al effort is being made
10 band together conservatives. national
liberals and radicals against the clerical
''blacks." and the socialist reds" For a
time this sort Of thing appeared to meet
with a considerable measure of success. All
the liberal groups. from the national lib
erals. who have been competing with the
centre for years to earn the favor Of the
government, to the most advanced of the
radicals OF the frelsinnige were to wheel
In line with the reactionary conservatives
In order TO overwhelm the democratic
forces OF the centre and OF the social demo-
Gratis in a common defeat. 1t was admitted
that some of them might feel that they
were strange bedfellOws, but II was pointed
out that II they refused to lie down to-
gether they might find themselves out in
the cold. But little reflection seems 10
have created doubts In many quarters as
20 whether such an alliance is in reality
2Pssible. Both the reactionary "junkers''
iid the advanced radicals are deprecating
arrangement which runs counter TO all
Of the principles which either side profess
The Kreuz zeitung. the orgnn of the
former. is already holding out an olive
branch TO their old friends OF the centre
who It truly observes have held to an
essentially conservative policy. and II Is
DECLARING that real conservatives cannot
have anything TO do with advanced radi-
Gals. who are little better, than social
democrats
The radical newspapers also have awalE-
ened 10 the untqueness OF the proposed
alliance. How, they ask. are they to work
hand in hand with the hereditary advo-
Gates of all OF the abuses which Il Is the
chief business OF radicalism 70 condemn
and reform They would md II almost
as bard TO unite with the national lib
erals who for many years have ngured as
the unninehing supporters OF the Prus-
sian conservatives In their most retro
grade schemes Herr Basserman's proc
lamaiion. that while he and his followers
deEire 10 render to Caesar the things that
are Caesars desire which indeed they
have been rarely slow TO exhiblt-they
also demand for Parliament the rights 10
which Il f. eonstitutionally entitled. win
4 hardly serve TO obliterRte the long record
NOf eompiaisance which constitutes the
annals OF his party. For the moment at
any rate the chancellor appears to hope
Tor nothing more than that the various
AA,roups which are opposed to the center
land 70 the SOCIAL democrats may be IN
duced to keep hands on from each other.
But II that be the limit OF their sacri-
nces for the common cause it is hard 20
see whence the host Is to be recruited
which IL 10 sweep the blacks" and the
reds" from the Reiohstas-unless, OF
course. a comes fnOm the 100000 vot-
ers who did not vote I'm 1908 and who
the North German Gazette thinks are
probably neither social democrats nor
4. clericals.
CIertcals and Socialists Gain.
The social democrats and the centre are
= Undoubtedly by far the largest parties IA
1the electorate and there is no reason 10
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