The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-31
Discomfort IN GERMANY
CtTSES 90 THE INCRE tSE OF
THE SOCIaL DEMOrRaTS.

me Nmpere N99 9peeuIottn8 - 70
Nhssaev Thsy MN csaaroi Gasiia-
as~as Arev tss Nexs a~aNwai guisesi~a
Cssap'usn's - Isssvy Tss nasdsa.
BsRLiS. July ~ OId EmpsEor william.
sccoruinG ~ . story cuFrons Among tn
Inhabitants ~ Berlin. go ssroIling one
day in Inter den Linden according tn
his custom and met an oad woman who
offered to tell him his fortune. Tn"
good nAtured Empsror oonssnted and tho
fortune teller told him many things which
the future afterward say realiaed. Among
them vas the Franco Prunaian war and
the date % his own death; buf the stranEest
~ all he did not live 10 80. II was 20
the effect that in 1913 the Kingdom ~
Prussia would bs q republic.
No Bsrliner, and no German. would
laugh at the odd woman's proph0oy
to-day. No Bsrliner. and no German.
would admit that II n likely Co bs fulfilled,
but few Germans would entirely Scon NJ
the notion that u might he fulfilled some
day One prominent German, n Bsriiner.
only n few days ago prophesied revo-
luton Writing in his weekly the ~
kunH Herr Ma ximilan Harden says:
We are in the beginnings 81 revolution.
The majority do not notice IL ~ yet. but
Il a, perceptible from the change in th"
tone and temper % partisan speeches.
He goes on TO observe that the ma
jority never have remarked the be-
siunings ~ revolution and that hardly
ever has a historian correctly assigned
the time they occurred. what history
calls revolution he Gays. has 6Nen In
II. Ill -. ~. NJ %
CONFUSION. The decomposition % former
power. the construction Of n new theory
Of property had silently been accomplished
and were now confirmed not by the strong
management % a capable people but by
Wild gestures and murdero,s attack.
Harden is dealing with the present in
ternal situation Of Germany. He IL
bold and influential panphleteer and has
had no doub. still has. relations With
some of the leading politicians both in
and out 81 ONCE: but. a. with other
men. his capacity for and delight In
strong expression often runs away With
him. and while presenting the truth he
DISCUSSES il almost beyond recognition
by the rhetoric he lets play around il
what all men in Germany are thinking
about and talking ~ at the present time
is the probable result 81 the general cleo
tions 20 take place at tie close 81 next
year. and particularly tho strength and
influence OF the Social Democrats In the
new parliament. II IL generally believed
that the party % revolution will re-
turn in numbers greatly superior even
20 the eighty-tw high water mark OF the
last ReichrtAg: they disagree about ths
exact number The we'll known writer
q! contemporary annals. Prof. Hans
Delbr uck puts II in his recent PrsNssischs
JdhrbGohsr at 10 20 iSO: the Conserva-
tive organ. the KreUS ZsiiuH0. ON tho
other hand. relying on a national upris-
ing against q common danger. places IL
AZ 80 or o. Which Of these figures IL
likely 20 he nearer the result
To answer the question approximately
a brief survey OF the pvesent state Of
German internal politics is necessary.
When Prince Bellows block majority
Of Conservatives and National Liberals
went 10 pieces last year over the QUESTION
Of imperial finance reform and Prince
Bulow having lost his majority resigned
a new Imperial Chancellor. Won Beth.
mann Hollweg. aud a period 81 political
chaos succeeded The chaos vas ac-
centuatcd by the failure to bring the non
Socialist parties together to secure the
passage % the Prr-sian franchise bill
The fate ~ that measure showed that
the line Of cleavage between Left and
Right is deep and Rppa rently permanent.
The Csnfrist party. just over a hundred
strong In the Reichstag. claims 10 main
tain ~ customary Independence: In
reality y has hitherto worked 10 closely
with tho Conservatives az 10 justify the
popular nickname blue black block
for the Conservative-C Clerical alliance.
The National Liberals. whom the Con-
-ervativss and Clericals stili hone ~ win
over. are. IL seems. hopelesaly divided
among themselves one OF the anxious
Of the time being as 70 the
direction. whether tn Right or LEFT. in
which the insurgents among them will
eventually drift Whichever the direction
Il IL quite certain that none % them WILL
20 over bag and baggage 10 the Social
though IL IL possible that on
a special occasion they NAV vote with the
Reds against the Government The con-
duct ~ the Progressive or Radical party.
Tor all sections Of Progressivea have
combined themselves into a
nent Of the situation with regard 10 the
coming general elections
II the fears of an effective Socialist
majority in the next Parliament. rife at
the present moment. are realized IL can
only be by junction Of the Radicals with
The Reds. There IL hardly q doubt that
the Radicals. now oyer fifty. will come
back after the elections with gain Of from
twenty 20 thirty seats II Prof. Del
BROCK IL right and the Socialists return
from the electoral battle next year with
80 sea's the combined Socialist and Rad
cal force will provide an absolute ma iority
~ the 3o7 members who constitute the
whole Reichstag.
And this ~ not all. for the Poles have
10 In taken into account Their con-
lingenf % from twelve To twenty Nom
hers may safely he added on all decisive
to the Radical Socialist
strength