New-York tribune., 1908-01-12
RFRLIN WE'LL GUARDED.
Police Wcrn SociaTists-Party Lines
Sharply Dra5Cn.

psrlin Ian I1-Order prevails in BerIlh To-
6av and there has been no recurrence Oh the
demonstrations of yesterday for manhooo sur
frae-a IN Prussia The police however. are still
disnosed In force in the neighborhood oI INC
oalaca and public squares, or are being helo
=, rose-,,s eft the station houses. The police do
NOT rernoit the people to form In groups ana
consequently IT has been impossible to start
demonstration Most Of the men arrested yes
terday were released to-day
The chief commissioner Of police announces
that he has ordered his men to suppress WIN
the utmost energy any street demonstrations oh
Sunday. and advises the public not to allow
its curiosity sympathy TO draw IL INTO 'he
crowd as this course might result in injury to
innocent spectators. The Socialists nave aT
ranged for twenty-five mass meetings in Ber-
lin and the suburbs at noon Tomorrow. The
subject discussed will be "The Answer OF the
Rulers"
Herr Rebel Herr Singer and their associates
who cornose the committee Of seven which is
managing the Social Democratic party regard
the terms in which Prince Won Bdlow, the I'M
perial Chancellor, yesterday rejected the de-
rnand for manhood suffrage and a secret ballot
as a declaration Of war The "Vorwarts," the
official organ of the committee, says to-day:
There will be no quiet in Prussia until gen.
oral eoual secret and direct suffrage has been
Won Prince Won Bilow's declaration is quite
clear. The phantom OF liberal era is enoed-
The people are warned and they VIII learn learn.
VIII the government dare ignore and despise
the demand IF the people? We await the cast
ing of the responsibility on the privileged and
governing class Thirty million out of the
thirty-seven million people in Prussia are with
out property and without rights. Social De-
mocracy will organize the thirty millions ana
make their demand irresistible Inc govern
rnent now has the word. but the people will
have the final word
Nravsnapers Of liberal tendencies, such
the "Tageblatt" regard Prince Won Bulow's re-
fusal as "curt, harsh and imbued with the worst
reactionary spirit The "Tageblatt" says: "In
I past times other liberal reforms have over
come the opposition Of greater statesmen than
Prince Won Bulow" The "Vossische Zeitung'
recognizes that reform of the suffrage is neces
sary. and the question will not disappear from
the order of the day until solution has been
found"
The government is supported fully by the
Conservative politicians, and the indications
are that the final stages of the controversy over
the abolition Of the property qualification for
the franchise are at hand. The cleavage be-
tween the supporters of the existing order and
the Socialists is becoming more acute. Finan-
cial and industrial interests, especially in the
Rhine and the Westphalian districts which nat
uraIly are liberal support the Crown in its
refusal to modify the antique electoral system
because this system has been the only barrier
which has prevented the Socialists from obtain
ing influential representation in the Prussian
Legislature.
Independent observers are of the opinion that
the Socialists have been supplied with strong
arguments for granting liberal suffrage through
the efforts Of the government to find new meth
DDS Of taxation at a time when a period of
great prosperity apparently is coming to an end.
The leaders of the National Liberal party are
forced to be silent in the present controversy
from fear of doing anything to help the Social
lists and from the hope that Chancellor Won
Bulow's dependence on the "bloc" of Liberal and
Conservative interests viii ultimately strengthen
the influence of the Liberal party