The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-04-10
Liberals. Radicals, Conservatives, So
calists and Other Brands Are
to be Found
In It.
CHANGE IN NOVEMBER
Fifteen Parties Have Candidates in the
Field and General Election is
Most Spirited
Affair.

BERLIN, April 10-It Is announced
German Reichtag will take place Nov
ember 27, and although eight months
still Gfvide us from that date, all the
political parties and groups have adj
vanced their arrangements to such an
extent that nearly all OF them are
ready completely equipped for the
electoral campaigns.
The reason for this early mobiliza-
ton OF the political forces Is the fear
that the government. which desires to
secure majority Of the parties Of
the Right,might attempt to gain an
advantage over the parties of the Left
by suddenly springing general cleo
ton upon them, after having given a
confidential warning to those groups
whose candidates they favor. An intt
nation that some such stroke on the
part OF the government might be ex-
pected was published some time ago
by the Socialists newspaper the
''Vorwarts,' and since then all parties
alike have been actively engaged in
the selection of candidates and in the
elaboration OF their plans of campaign.
An electoral contest In Germany is
radically different from one in America
owing to the remarkable number OF
parties competing for the support of
the nation. There are no less than
fifteen parties and groups in exis-
tence in Germany and at present re-
presented in the Imperial Legislature.
Generally speaking. the parties may
be divided into those OF the Right,
Centre, and Left.
The parties of the Right are the
Conservatives, the Imperial Conserva
tives. the Agrarians and the Anti
Semites. The Centre consists Of the
Roman Catholic party, or political re-
representatives. of the Papal church in
Germany, where approximately one
third of the population are Roman
Catholics. The Left consists of the
combined Liberal and Radical par
ties and of the Socialists and the
latter are sometimes distinguished
from the former by the appellation Of
Extreme Left
Although seven parties are included
in this classification, there are still
other parties and groups which can
not strictly speaking, be included
either in the Right, Centre or Left.
There are. for instance, the National
Liberals, who claim to belong to the
Left, but whose political history for
the last quarter OF century proves
that, as matter OF fact, in practical
politics they have more often voted
with the parties Of the Right. Just
at present, however, and in the com
ing electoral contest, it is probable
that the National Liberals. recogniz-
ing the general trend OF public opin-
Ion in Germany, will seek to empha-
size their Liberalism, and to conceal
any sympathies which they may have
with the less progressive parties.
Then there are several more groups
OF Nationalists. representing the re-
spective interests of electors of other
nattonalities scattered through some
of Germany's more remote provinces.
There is the Polish party, represen-
ting the interests OF the Poles OF the
Eastern Prussian Provinces; the
Alsacian party representing the speci-
fic Interests OF the French population
OF Alsace-Lorraine, and the Danish
population Of Schleswig- Hollstein.
There is also Guelph Party. which