Omaha daily bee., 1908-01-12
BERLIN IS GENERALLY QUIET
Police Posted at strateEic Points Keep
People Moving and There IL No
Opportunity to start
Demonstration.

BERLIN, Jan. l1.-Order prevails through
out Berlin today and there has been no re-
cufrence of the demonstrations of yesteT-
day for manhood suffrage in Prussia The
police, however, are stiIl disposed in force
at the strategic points OF the city-the
neighborhood of the palace and various
public suuares-or they are being held in
reserve at the station houses. The police
do not permit the people to form in groups
and consequently IL has been impossible
TO assemble and start a demonstration.
Most of the men arrested yesterday we're
released today
Herr Bebel, Herr Singer and their as
sistants, who compose the committee of
seven which is managing the social demo-
cratic party. regard the terms in which
Prince Won Buelow. the imperial chancellor,
yesterday rejected the demand for manhood
suffrage and a secret ballot instead of
the existing property qualification for
voters. as a declaration Of war The Vor-
warts, the official organ OF the committee,
says today:
There will be no quiet in Prussia until
universal, equal secret and direct suffrage
ended. The people are warned and they
win learn"
People Being Ignored.
The paper then asks:
win the government dare ignore and
despise the demand of the people? We
await the casting OF the responsibility
upon the privileged and governing classes.
Thirty million out Of the 81. 100000 people
in Prussia are without property and with
out rights. Social democracy will organize
the 100000 and make their demand irre-
sistible. The government now has the word
but the people will have the final word
Newspapers OF liberal tendencies. snuch
as the Tageblatt. regard Prince Won Bue-
lows refusal as "curt. harsh and imbued
with the worst reactionary spirit
I'm past time" the Tageblatt adds, other
liberal reforms have overcome the opposi-
ton OF greater statesmen than Prince Won
Buelow."
The Vossische Zeitung recognizes that
reform of the suffrage ls Necessary, and
the question will not disappear from the
order of the day until solution has been
found"
The government il supported fully by tho
conservative politicians and the indications
are that the final stage-,of the contro-
versy over the abolition OF property quail
fication for the franchIIe are at hand
The Cleavage between the supporters OF the
existing order and the socialists is becom-
ing more acute. Financial and Industrial
interests. especially in the Rhine and West
phalen country. which naturally are lib
eral. support the crown in its refusal to
modify the electoral system because this
system has been the only barrier which
has prevented the socialists from obtain
ing influential representation in the Prus-
sian legislature.
Need of High Taxation.
Independent observers are of the opinion
that the socialists have been supplied with
strong arguments for the liberalizing OF
the suffrage by reason of the present H.
nancial embarrassment of the kingdom
through the efforts Of the government to
find new methods of taxation at a time
when a period OF great prosperity appar-
emily is coming TO an end.
The leaders of the national liberal party
are forced TO silence in the present con-
troversy by fear OF doing anything to help
the socialists and by the hope that Chan
cellor Won Beulows dependence on the So
called bloc combination of liberal and
commercial interests will ultimately
strengthen the influence of the liberal
party.
The chief commissioner Of police has or
dered his men TO suppress with the utmost
energy any street demonstrations which
are likely to take place on Sunday as
result OF the social mass meeting sched-
uled for tomorrow. The socialists have
arranged for twenty-five mass meetings
in Berlin and the suburbs at noon tomor-
row. The subject TO be discussed will be
The Answer Of the Rulers"