The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-02-17

founding position won by the Social
Democracy in the Reichstag elections,
which came to an end this week
The party which the Government
has pilloried throughout the compaign
as the arch enemy of the State en-
tiers the new Reichstag with 10 mem
bers and is now the strongest individ-
ual body in Parliament. 1t displaces
from that position the hitherto irwin
chile Catholic Centre.
The Kaiser has summoned the new
Reischstag to convene on February
Z, but it would not surprise political
observers If the imperial Chancellor's
first appearance in the House were to
be marked by the reading of an imper-
ial order dissolving Parliament for
the purpose of making a fresh appeal
to the country.
The Government OF course, even
with 40 Socialists in the House, can
carry on business, but the majority on
which it has hitherto relied-the so
called black and blue combination"
the Conservative and Catholic Centre
is too narrow for comfort. If such
a contingency as defeat OF the forth
coming bills for an increase of the
army and navy should arise through
the opposition of the Socialists, it Is
a moral certainty that the Reichstag
would be dissolved and new elections
ordered. Bismarck resorted to similar
tactics in 1887, when Parliament de-
clined to pass his military bills, and
the result of his appeal to the country
was the smashing of the hostile ma
iority and the election of a House
which ate out of the Iron Chancellor's
hand
Whether a new election Will take
place or not, the victory of the Social
Democracy has given every sensible
German "furiously to think" The facts
which confront him are that one-third
of the national electorate voted Red,
and that if Germany were not gerry
mandereed in favor of the ruling caste
there would, at this moment be an
overwhelming Socialist majority in the
national Parliament.
The thing which foreigners need to
remember is that the immense in
crease in the Socialist vote does not
mean that the Germans are becoming
republicanized in sentiment Many
thousands voted for SOCIALIST candi-
dates at the recent elections simply be-
cause Socialism is the one potent
voice of protest which German politics
offers.
The people want to reform, not de-
stroy the monarchy. They want to
convert the modern Fatherland from a
semi-autocracy into a genuinely con
stitutional State They want Parlia-
ment which is responsible to the cleo
torate and not to the Kaiser. They
want Cabinets and Governments which
are created by popular will, not by
imperial whim.
This is the message which the ma
ton has just uttered at the polls 1t
remains to be seen whether the Kaiser
and the uncompromising stalwarts
who make up the governing class will
learn anything from it. If they do not,
subsequent elections, in the opinion
of the most intelligent judges, will
only increase the red food until
some day it will threaten to engulf
the throne itself.
1t is understood that the first legis-
lation submitted to the new Reisch-
stag will be bills creating two army
corps and a third squadron of battle
ships and cruisers for the high seas
fleet" The vote on these measures
will provide an early test of DR.. Won
BethmannH ollweg's Parliamentary
position. Many believe that his days
as Chancellor are numbered. They
would certainly be numbered if fresh
appeal to the country did not result
in decreasing the Socialist ranks, The
Kaiser would then, beyond all doubt,
send Dr. Won Bethmann-Hollweg into
oblivion and seek a giant killer cap
able of Staying the Red Goliath.
1t is apparent that Germany is on
the threshold of momentous events.