Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-03-08
It not question neghbOr but who equally
SOCIALISM IN GERMANY.

world. The imperial government has
done more for the working class than
any other government has done. It is
70 Germany that We of America and
The liberals of other countries look
for models of workmen's compensa-
Non acts, continuation schools. hous-
Ing regulations, workingmen IS insur-
ance, etc.
These things are a sort Of state So
cialism deliberately designed first by
Bismark to promote the efficiency of
the German worker and soldier and
also to fOrestaN and prevent the
growth of social democracy-pune So
cialiSm. And stin has this intellect.
ual socialism, which has worked for
all such specific ameliOratiyes as hay
been mentioned, has spread prodi
giouSly and increased its demands for
popular control both of the political
machinery and of the means of in
dustrial production and distribution.
The paternal mind of the German
imperialists, aristocrats and middl
classes cannot understand and resent
the SOcial-Democratic movement. IL
thinks the workers should be salts
fled to be looked after"
&*&
The elections recently concluded
give the Socialists 10 deputies in the
Reichstag, which has total member
ship of 397. With an allied Radical
vote of about fifty the Socialists hold
the control of parliament composed
of several party groups, the most i'm
portant of which are the Center
(Catholic) Conservatives, National Ii
cerals and Social Democrats. With
the returns of the late elections the
Socialists ane considerably in the ma
Jority over amy other party group. In
1903 the Socialists elected eighty-One
deputies and cast Slightly more than
3 million votes but only elected forty
three deputies. Now they have 10
deputies, representing over 4 million
voters.
1t is to be understood that in Ger
many the imperial legislative districts
have been gerTymandered in way to
excite the envy of any American po-
litical machine and that the big cities
are Disseminated against in favor of
agricultural rotten boroughs." Still
the Socialists have made their enor-
nous gains and the voting strength
/, considerably more than one-third
that Of the whole German people.
In a curSOry glance at these mOmen-
tous German elections one can scarce
ly dip below the surface into the
causes Of the discomfort or the radi-
cal progressivism. What the Social
lists call "the economic pressure" is
frightfully strong in the empire in
spite Of the paternalistic paliativeS
before referred to. While supporting
these measures themselves as right
full and democratic, Herr Bebel and
the other Social Democrat leaders pro-
test against the patrenalism of the
methods Of a government which Ieviek
its taxes upon the poor and largely
exempts the privileged classes and
the wealthy. For example, the great
Increase in the cost Of government in
duced by the increase in the navy
and the extension Of the army to a
peace footing Of 64O, 900 men-thiS IN
crease in burdens has been accompan
led by a repeal of the inheritance
taxes and levy Of additional taxes
upon beer, sugar, gas. railroad tick
cts and similar necessities and con-
veniences Of the general body Of the
citizens, especially OF the workers.
Upon this immediate tax issue a large
portion Of German voters voted for
Socialist deputies although they did
not accept the general Socialist pro
gram Of AN overturn OF the existing
scheme Of industrial proprietorship.
This latter class Of voters rather
voiced a protest and hoped to throw
scare" into a government whose
policies had increased the cost Of hv-
ing.
1t is to be known that in Germany
in spite Of all that has been done for
large percentage Of the working
classes there exists poverty with its
accompaniment Of unemployment. The
working classes Of all conditions hav
been trained in the belief (by party
and by a propaganda Of more than
haK centTy's duratiOn) that they
have a right to do things for them-
selves rather than to have things done