The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-01-13

Berlin, Jan. ia general election
was held throughout the German EN-
pire yesterday, to choose members of
the Reichstag. Rarely has an cleo
ton excited more interest since the
founding of modern Germany and
rarely has greater Importance at
tachehed to the result.
The widespread dissatisfaction over
the policy of the government in the
Moroccan negotiations, dissatisfac-
ton which left it apparently without
a single friend in the Reichstag, and
the great increase in the cost of the
necessaries of life, which bears most
heavily upon the wage-workers and
all persons of small incomes, have
created a situation in which the most
acute political prophets find them
selves at loss to predict the proba-
Bile result at the polls.
1t seems to be conceded that the
parties of the Left-the liberal groups
and the Socialists-will make gains,
but their probable extent is uncertain.
The Reichstag just dissolved was
elected in January, 1907, and sat for
the five years term provided in the
constitution. 1t was constituted, fol-
lowing the elections of 1907, as fol-
lows:
Right Conservatives, Free Con-
servatives! Agrarian associa-
Center Catholics, Poles) ....... 129
Left National Liberals SIS, Radi-
calls 81 ......... .......... 106
Social Democrats (Socialists) .. 43
Scattering (particularistic par
ties) $500. ................ 6
The great growth of the cities at
the expense of the rural districts has
worked especially against the Social
lists, whose chief strength in Germany,
as elsewhere, is mainly in the great
eenters of population. Five of Ber-
lin's six delegates to the late Reich
stag were Socialists, as we're all three
of Hamburg's delegates.
The original two parties of fifty and
more years ago-the royalists and
democrats-have developed since the
erection of the modern empire into no
less than forty parties. OF these thir-
ten had representatives in the late
Reichstag and seven delegates more
over were without any nominal party
allegiance. Disregarding, however,
all but the essential points of variance
between these various parties, which
comprehend fairly the concrete views
of all but the particularistic voters of
the empire. These groups are the
Conservatives. Center, National Lib
erals, Radicals Tor Progressively and
Socialists.
The Conservatives are, above all, a
government party and the representa-
tives of the great landed proprietors
of North Germany, especially Prus-
STA, the eastern provinces of which
form their stronghold. They are
strongly monarchistic, opposed to
every step that may lead to a more
direct participation of the common
people in governmental AFFAIRS and
opposed to the general franchise, fav
oring instead "a franchise based upor
the organic groups of the people"
The Center or Catholic party is the
strongest party numerically in the
Reichstag and has been the strongest
almost without exception since 1874
From this it comes that the Centel
has always held the decisive vote OF
all questions and the government hal
always had to reckon with it. 1T
moving principle is the protection o
the interests of the Roman Catholi'
church and its equality before the Law
with the Evangelical or state church