The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-01-10
IG.ITRNllps.
ELECTION
GENERALLY PREbicTEp THAT
SOCIAL pEMoc RATS Will WIN
A SIGNIFICANT VICTORY.
fBy IJnited Press. J

!tBy UnteQ fFeSSJ a- "a
BERLIN. Jan. 10.-A substantial
victory for the sociai-D Democrats is
generally predicted and expected in
the general elections Of new German
Relchstag Which wfll take place Fri
day 1t Is conceded by even the gov,
ernment and Conservative organs, that
the socfal-D Democrats will have a much
larger representation in the neN
Reichstag. There is considerable an
ference Of opinion. as to just how great
the gains will be, The figures very
from 70 to 100 members, and strange
to say. the Socialists themselves are
the most conservative in their est.
mate, the solution to this being that
some or the newspapers Of the oppos.
ing parties are predicting a tremen-
douc victory for the Socialists for the
sole purpose OF whipping up their re-
spectiye parties to greater efforts by
pictGrlng the danger Of such q large
Socialist representation In Che Reich
stag. = :.
The Socialists had 50 in the, last
| Reichstag and have elected mem
bers since. Conservative estimates
are that they will elect a representa-
ti6n OF so to 80 members.
Germany is a house divided against
ITSELF so'far as politics is concerned,
There are about is parties, 10 Of
which are represented in the Reich
stag, which has a membership Of 397
| A combination Of the Roman Catholic
"Center" ESQ named from. its position
in the Refchstag) with its 105 mem;
bers, and Agrarians or Conservative
party. which is the government
party, numbering go, has always been
able TO control legislative matters
This combination has been the govern
ment's faithful ally.
There has been some ."regroupingg'
Il in tile present Campaign and four AIN
party divisions have developed. The
three moderate radical parties the
Free Thinking Union, theFree Think
Ing Peoples Party andstheF Common
Peoples Party-haye consolidated on
the name OF the Peoples Progressive
Party. Another division includes the
lAgrarians, CONSERVATIVES and Anti
lSemite groupes: the, National Liberals
and the Socialists.
Among the principal questions at
issue are: overta%atlon, high COST Of
living failure Of. the government to
provide an electoral reform and I'M
popular foreign policies. In the last
analysis the issues simmer down to
Democracy and Liberalism versus Re-
action.
The government is very much on the
defensive in the present campaign,
owing to the failure to carry out prom
Used reforms and also because of the
unpopular Morocco negotiations last
Summer.
The campaign Of the conservative
groupes has been negative one In
stead OF standing on a definite plat.
form Of their own, they are painting
the evils that will befall the nation
ana predicting the collapse of the
great German industries, II too many
socialists are returned,
Under the German electoral system
If no candidate receives majority OF
all the votes case supplementary
eleceitn called "stichwahl" much be
held in which the two highest can
didates are then voted for. ,e,
The leading parties had the follow
ing representation in the last Reich
stag: 80
Center" (Roman Catholics) los
Conservatives (Agrarians) ,'".'. 81
Social Democrats .,,..,.'.......' %
/ National Liberals ................ 4S
Radical Peoples Party .........'' %
! Imperial Conservatives ........... 20
Poles observation-disclosures '''''' 10
Economic Unionists ...........,. ~
Peoples Radical Union '....'.'''' 10