Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-11
POLICE CLASH
WI7HGERMAN
SOCIALIS rs.
W0RKINGMEM DEMAND EQUAL
SUFFRAGE
MIGHTY DEMONSTRATION MADE
IN BERLIN
City's Streets Filled with Crowd
Which cIamors for Representation.
Government Refuses to Heed
Popular Cry

Dy AssoCIateu fress
BERLIN, Jan. 1O.-The Socialists today
organized suffrage demonstrations before
the building of the Prussian landtag, in
which a radical resolution demanding
universal suffrage in Prussian elections
was to come up for discussion.
Although the Socialists had held
series Of mass meetings last night, as
demonstration in favor of electoral re-
form, and these meetings had addresser
kilograms to the landtag, the street
demonstration today took the population
of Berlin by surprise.
The police, however, were aware of the
plans of the Socialists and turned out
full force and succeeded in preventing the
demonstration anywhere reaching a
dangerous stage
Charged by Police
The excitement reached the highest
pitch when a detachment of mounted
police wheeled around the corner from
Wilhelm strasse and approached the
landtag at a brisk trot. Their arrival
was greeted by a cry of rage and the
screamed insults in the faces of the po-
lice and brandished extra editions of
the Vorwaerts the leading Socialist or
gan, in which in simple but earnest
language an article said that the hour
had struck for the masses to demand
representation in parliament. The
mounted policemen quietly formed into
line and pressed steadily upon the crowd,
which was dispersed in two minutes.
A large number of the demonstrators
then marched to the office of the Vor-
wearts to procure copies of extra edi-
tions of the newspaper with the intention
to assemble later in front of the Schloss
and resume the demonstrations. Few of
them, however, arrived there, the police
everywhere having blocked the APP
proaches to the imperial residences.
Large crowds had collected in the
square facing 1t, however, and were not
disturbed by the police.
They waited in vain in the cold wealth
er for the demonstrators to come. In
the square were numerous unemployed,
of whom it is estimated there are at
present no less than $4,000 in Berlin.
While the Socialists compose the most
numerous party in the kingdom, their
influence over the government has been
greatly diminished through the election
reverses they sustained a year ago, and
the complete isolation of the party.
Won BueloW Talks
Various speeches were made in the
landtag on the question at issue, but at
the close of the session, Prince Won Bue-
low, the imperial chancellor, declared
that manhood suffrage as it exists for
tn reichstag would not be for the good
of the state, and secret voting would
not be permitted in Prussia.
He admitted that the suffrage system
required reform and that the government
had been studying the question for a
long time. Exactly what direction the
reform would take he did not know, but
as soon as the governments proposition
was ready it would be communicated to
the landtag.
When the debate on the suffrage ques-
tion opened Prince Won Buelow declared
that the conservative party would not
permit the solid foundations of the Prus-
sian elective system to be shaken, and
this statement was subscribed to by Herr
Malkwitz, spokesman of the party.
Herr Porsch, speaker for the Center
party, said he was in favor of reform In
the electoral system but not manhood
suffrage. Herr Fishbeck, leader OF the
Radical Liberals said he would not rest
until manhood suffrage had been grant
ed The motion for manhood suffrage
was rejected without division.
Under the present electortal system In
Prussia there are three classes of cleo
tors.
Up to the present time the laboring
man has been completely deprived of rep
resentation in the Prussian parliament
owing to the fact that he was over
whelmed at the final elections by the 9TH
er two classes,
The categorles of the electors are
formed arbitrarily by dividing the total
amount of taxation received by the state
into three equal parts. A small num-
ber of persons paying the first third OF
the total of taxation. select "A certain
number of men from their ranks to act
as final voters, more extended number
of less wealthy persons who pay the next
third of the full amount of taxation
choose an equal number of final elec-
tors. while the third class of voters, COM
posed of ,the remainder of the population
and including the workmen. whose num-
bres reach into the millions. are allowed
to select a number of final voters equal
to that chosen by each of the other two
classes.
The total number of final electors Sc
lected by the process then proceed to
cast the final vote. at which the repre-
sentatives of the two first noted classes
always vote solidy together thus shut
ting out any possibility of the election Of
a representative of the working classes