Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-02
German Socialists Expect Re.
cruits at Next Election.
APPEAL TO THE PEASANTS
Politicians Of All Parties Preparing
for the Struggle.
OF POOR CLASSES
Count Posasdowsky Takes Gloomy
View Of tho Situation In
Larger Cities.

cpcCidl ShDfeRram 10 Inc STAR.
BERLIN. July 1.-Supposedly the men,
bers Of the reichstag are enjoying their
annual summer vacation, which lasts un-
til the beginning Of October. In reality
there Is very little rest for politicians this
summer. as the members Of all parties
are grinding their arms and getting ready
for the great battle Of the general cleo
tions early next year
The political situation is unprecedented
In the annals OF German political history.
The recent session Of the reichstag closed
with distinct signs OF a serious breach
between the conservative party and the
head Of the government. Chancellor. Won
undignified filtration with the socialists.
The conservatives consider the socialists
to be the worst foes Of the empire.
Attitude Of Socialists.
In reality there is, Of course. no COM
pact Of any kind between the government
and the socialists. who simply supported
the Alsace-Lorain constitution bill. be-
cause 1t granted the inhabitants of those
provinces what the masses Of Prussia are
struggling for-universal suffrage-and
also because the bill, although govern
ment measure, weakened Prussias po-
sition in the federal council.
August Bebel, the leader Of the socialist
at the coming elections. predicting that
practically all the votes of the small
dealers and farmers Of the peasant class,
who have hitherto supported the conserv-
atives, will this time be cast for socialist
candidates. What this may mean to the
old parties is understood when 1t is re-
membered that even now the socialists
control more than three and half mil
lion votes. The socialists promise that
as far as they are concerned there Will
paign and that the conservative ma
jority will be allowed to die In peace.
Man Of influence.
There is no doubt that Germany is to
be congratulated on the return of the
former colonial secretary. Herr Bernhard
Dernburg, to active participation In az
fairs OF finance, for he Is one OF the
country's most talented and experienced
men, Since he was forced to resign, Herr
Dernburg has been biding his time in
retirement. but he Is too salient a per-
sonality to be easily obscured, and he has
realized that in associating himself active
ly with the management of the Deutsh-
Asiatische Bank he Is actuated by the
conviction that there Is an opportunity
The capital of the Deutsh- Asiatische Is
not large but some Of the greatest banks
of the empire are interested In It, and
practically the entire world OF German
hind it, where enterprises of a political
nature are at stake. Its immediate aim
is the extension of German trade and
shipping in Chinese waters. and In general
the establishment Of economic bases Of
support for the development OF German
commerce in the far east.
Herr Dernburg has always shown g. pre-
objection for this form OF financial pio-
neering, and during his recent trip through
the orient he had a chance to study
economic institutions and possibilities in
that part Of the world. He has ideas and
energy in abundance With the training
OF banker and the broad grasp Of q
constructive statesman he seems destined
to fill the role of Germany's strong man
in the east.
Gloomy View Of Conditions.
Count Posadowsky, formerly minis
ter of the interior, in a speech the
other day. drew very gloomy picture
Of the condition Of the poorer classes
in the larger German cities, and at the
same time he deplored that the Ger
man country population was rapidly
losing the virile strength which had
hitherto made 1t the very marrow and
strength of the empire.
Although" he said. agricultural
employment supposedly provides bet
ter condition for physical fitness in the
military sense. yet in consequence OF
the undertaking that Is characteristic
OF rural life there Is to be noticed
every year q steady decrease in the
military fitness Of recruits from the
outlying districts"
He attributed this to the tendency
Of the rural people to sell produce In
stead of using IT for their own nour-
ishment, and to buy instead cheaper.
that there was growing disinclina-
ton for physical exertion as shown by
the fact that Germany imports $4,000
laborers for the harvest every year.
although. he added. every year we
also hear complaints OF unemployment
from the big towns"
Count Posadowsky's remarks are
hardly likely to enhance his reputation
true that the country laborer is underfed
and has a poor physique. but it Is
economic necessity which forces him
to sell his produce in the towns and
buy cheaper and inferior goods for his
own consumption. Harvest laborers
are brought In simply because there Is
a lack Of labor in the villages, and be-
cause even the unemployed Of the
cities would not tolerate the condi-
tions Of employment
Statistics on Housing.
The conditions of housing in the Ger
man cities may be wildly illustrated
by quotations from official reports. For
example, OF Berlins $685. 900 dwellings
In 1905. $4,000 had only one room pro-
vided with a stove. and roughly, one
seventh were not even provided with
a kitchen. Seven per cent Of all the
dwellings, Of Berlin are overcrowded,
and IA per cent of the poorer class
live in unhealthy and insanitary con-
ditions. Poor families strive to re-
duce expenditure by crowding into
dwellings too small to hold them, and
even then take dodgers and let beds
by the night. The birth Of children is
regarded In these dwellings as q curse,
and immortality is an inevitable result
Of the overcrowding.
Count Posadowsky suggested legis-
lexl isxa