Arizona republican., 1912-01-12
associated Press DiStGfcHl

] I
BERLIN, Jan. IA general cleo
| ton will he held throughout the Ger
man empire Friday. Jan. l.. to choose
members of the reichstag. Rarely
has an election excited more interest
since the founding of modern Ger
| many and rarely has greater impor-
lance attached to the result
The widespread dissatisfaction over
! the policy of the government i'm the
Moroccan negotiations. dissatisfac-
| ton which left it apparently without
| single friend in the reichstag. and
the great increase in the cost of the
necessaries of life, which bears most
heavily upon the wageWorkers and all
persons of small incomes. have Gre
ated a situation in which the most
acute political prophets find them
selves at loss To predict the prob
able result at the polls.
Ii seems to be conceded that the
parties Of the left-the liberal groups
and the socialists-will make gains,
but their probable extent is uncer-
tain.
The reichstag just dissolved was
| elected in January, 1907. and sat for
the five years term provided in the
constitution. II was constituted. fol-
! lowing the elections of 1907, as fol-
lows:
Right Conservatives. free con-
servatives. agrarian associa-
tions) ...... Observation-Disclosures. ll3
Center Catholics. Poles) ....... 129
Left CNational liberals 81. radi-
Gals Sd ...... ................ 1906
Social democrats Socialists i3
Scattering Cparticularistic par
tieSJ ......... .......-.......p b
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
centers of population. Five of Bcr-
Inns six delegates TO the late reich
stag were socialists. as were 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
late reichstag and seven delegates
moreover were without any nominal
party allegiance Disresarding. how
ever. all but the essential points Of
variance between these various par
ties. five great groups can be named
which comprehend fairly the con-
crete views of all but the particu-
laristic voters of the empire. These
groups are the conservatives. center.
rational liberals. radicals Cor pro-
gresives) and socialists.
The conservatives are. above all. a
government party and the represen-
tatives of the great landed proprie-
tors Of north Germany. especially
Prussia. the eastern provinces of
which form their stronghold. They
are strongly monarchistic. opposed To
every step that may lead 10 more
direct participation of the common
people in governmental affairs and
opposed to the general franchise. ia
voring instead II franchise based
upon the organic groups of the Ieo-
Pile"
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 center
has always held the decisive vote
on all questions and the government
has always had To- reckon with II.
Its moving principle IS the protec-
ton of the interests of the Roman
Catholic church and its equality be-
fore the law with the Evangelical OF
state church II supports high tar
if and since 1898 has been gov
eminent party. allied with the con-
servatives on all important questions.
ard building thus what Is called the
black blue block
The national liberals. since the for
nation of the black blue block. may
be said To constitute q middle party.
midway between the extreme mon
archists and the extreme democrats.
once the all-powerful party of Ger
many. which. supporting Bismarck,
PLAYED an important role in the for
nation of the modern empire. the ma
tionaI liberals have fallen from high
estate.
The radicals, who term themselves
the progressive peoples party. are
made up of three previously existing
radical factions-the radical peoples
party. the radical league and the
German peoples party, all of which
had delegates in the last reichstag.
In March. 1910. these three principal