The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-03

Herr Von Jagow, the chief of police. has been literally laughed out of office because of the sorry spectacle made of him by the socialists during the recent troubles.
 In anticipation of a socialist demon- stration in Treptow park, on the ont skirts of the capital, Herr Von Jagow made the most elaborate preparations. but the demonstration was carried out in the Tiergarten, in the very center of the city.
 At an early hour all the approaches to Treptow park were barred by armed constables mounted and on foot. while the park itself was patrolled by mount ed gendarmerie. The whole of the gar rison, 2S.000 strong. was confined to bar racks all day in readiness for emergen- cies.
 The country for miles around had been secured for spare constables and gen. darmes Every available man was put into the field. The entire system of the city's communications was thrown into disorder. Whole districts were trans formed Into armed camps and no admit tance to them allowed, even on business
 The train and tram services were dis organized. Omnibuses were turned off their accustomed routes. Railway sta tions were barricaded with boards screwed across the doors leading in the direction of the sacred Treptow park Enormous loss or inconvenience was in- fiicted on tens of thousands of persons innocent even of the democratic opin- ions.
 A goodly number of socialists were told to proceed to Treptow park as a feint in order to keep the police there.
 Meanwhile the word had passed round that the real demonstration was to be made in the Tiergarten, which stretches from the western end of Inter den Lin den to Charlottenburg, Berlins most fashionable suburb. The discipline and organization of the socialist party were we'll shown by the promptitude with which the orders of the party leaders were carried out.
 The immediate cause of these demon strations is the widespread dissatisfac- tion felt with the existing franchise laws in the kingdom. The voters In Prussia are divided for electoral purposes into three distinct classes, graduated as to taxes assessed Each class possesses equal electoral power. But the first class comprises only 3.36 per cent of the total electorate; the second class contains IF. .02, and the vast bulk of the voters who com pose the third class have only just as much voting power as each of the others who are in so small a minority. In this way, 1T lHe nTSl ana SecOHu cldSSeS choose to combine. 151a per cent of the electors of the country can outvote the remaining S41a per cent. This Is, as a matter of fact what actually happens, and one of the results is that the social ist party, with 59S,522 individual support CTS, number only seven members in the reichstag. while the so-called liberal conservatives with 63,612 supporters, se- cure 50 seats It was expected that the ,ort int to amend this anomalous system in a radical manner; but. to the chagrin of the less privileged voters. the alterations officially proposed do little more than touch the fringe of the question. It pro- poses to perpetuate all the most objec- tionable features of what has been called the "wretchedest of all electoral sys- tems.'
 The Kaiser has decorated First Lieut.. Von Stephani, commander of the German escort to the Yola River Boundary Com mission. in recognition of gallant assist ance rendered to the British escort under Captain Heathcote which was hard pressed in a brush in southern Nigeria.
 Prince Joachim. the youngest son of the Kaiser, following the example of his brother Adelbert. will enter the navy as soon as his studies are completed.
 The hobby of the Princess du Wied only child of the King of Wurtemburg and niece of the Duchess of Albany. is to buy worn-out horses. To these she then gives a long rest and plenty of food.
 Harry Thaw should be in Bohemia The Bohemian diet has decided. in view of the critical financial situation, to re- lease from the asylums 2so inmates whose minds are but slightly unhinged. Wilhelm Vogt, author of the celebrated hoax on the municipality of Koepenick near Berlin, is about to sail for the United States.
 Circumstances of tragic horror marked a murder at village in Galicia. Poland Prenikowski. the son of a peasant. after long absence in America, returned tt his fathers house. He was not recog nized by his parents. and so he decide; | not to tell them who he was in orde that he might see whether his parents still bore him any grudge. as he had lef home after a quarrel
 | During the evening he mentioned tha he had saved e25OO while in America and that he intended investing the none' l in farm. On hearing this the peasan and his wife. who were in poor eircum stances. decided to kill the stranger an' | seize his money. They throttled him Il
 bed, and on searching his bag found tn
 e2500 and papers revealing his identity | Aghast at having murdered their so l the couple wrote a letter to marrie' | daughter confessing the crime and thel Il horrible mistake. Then they hange | themselves the same night.
 Why sho111d .Iudre Fort b(