The sun., 1916-01-21
THE MOVE FOR ELECTORAL
REFORM IN PRUSSIA.
Exactly What 10 Is That the Working.
men Are Now Demanding.

After tho downfall Of Napoleon the
people of Prussia expected to be re.
warded for their sacrifices by liberia
reforms. They wanted a modern con.
stitution. but they were put of time
and again TIL In the year of 1s4s there
was a general uprising. a revolution
Friedrich Wilhelm Nv. was a man oi
many talents. but a weakling and a
dreamer whose ideals lay in the times
sUee by when knighthood was in
flower"
He was opposed to giving his sub
tects a constitution, but he was forced
to do so after the uprising in Berlin
where the revolutionists had stormed
the "Zeughaus," at that time the ar.
senal. The Constitution was signed
by him in 1850. It has been amended
on several occasions but not In the
main points.
There are two houses in Prussia
the upper house or "Herrenhaus" and
the lower house or "Abgeordneten-
haus."
We quote from the Prussian Con-
stitution the following paragraphs
which deal with these two houses:
ARTICLE -. The King. as we'll q. each
chamber. has the right OF proposing laws.
Bills that have been rejected by one Of the
chambers. or by the King. cannot be re-
Introduced In the same session.
ARTicLEs 65-Ss. The First Chamber IS
formed by royal ordinance which can only
be altered by . law to be issued with the
approval OF the chambers. The FRS;
Chamber ls composed ~ members ap.
pointed by the King, with hereditary
rights. or only for life
ARTICLE II. For every go souls Of the
population ono legendary elcctor tWahl-
mannl shall be chosen. The primary vot.
ers fall into three classes. in proportion
to the amount OF direct taxes they pay
and in such a manner as that each class
will represent a third Of the sum total OF
the taAes paid by the primary voters.
This sum total Is reckoned--ta) by par
ishes. In case the commune does not form
of Itself q primary electoral district. 'b)
by tGovernmcn'l districts tBezirke1, In
case the primary electoral district con-
sists of several oommunes. The hrst class
consists Of tho~e primary voters. highes,
In the scale OF taxation. who pay a third
of the total The second GLASS consists
OF those primary voters. next highest in
the scaiS. whose taxes form a second
tnrru OF tne Whole. ana tns thlr0 cldB -
made up OF the remaining taxpayers tlow-
est In the scsle1 who contribute the other
third OF the whole. Each clAr- votes
apart. and for . third Of the secondary
electors. rhese classes may be divided
into several voting sections. none OF which
however, must include more than 800
primary voters. The secondary voters ar.
elected in each class from tho number Of
the primary voters In th-ir district. with.
out regard to the classes.
ARTICLE ST. The members OF both cham e
b.rs are representatives OF the Whole peo-
pl. They vote according to their simple
convictions. and are not bound by com.
missions OF Instruction.
ARTICLE 81 For their votes in the cham
her they can never bs called to account.
and for the opinions they express therein
they cAn only b. called 10 account within
the chamber. In virtue OF the order Of
business. No member Of chamber can.
without Its assent. be had up for eIaudi-
alton. or he arrested during the psrlis-
mentsry session for any penal offence. IN
less he be taken in the act. or in the
course OF the following day. A similar as
sent shall be necessary IN the case OF ar
rest for debts. All criminal proceedings
agains, member OF the chamber. and
all arrests FOR preliminary examination, o.
civil arrest. shall be suspended during
the parliamentary session on demand from
the chamber concerned.
For years the workingmen were try
ing to get equal suffrage. "allgemeines
Wahlrecht," and Just now the fight for
1t is on again. In the German En-
pre the members Of the Reichstag are
elected by equal suffrage. otherwise
the Socialist party would not be so
strong. Just now the "Socialdemo-
kraten" are very patriotic with a few
exceptions. The workingmen Of Prus-
sia say: We are lighting shoulder to
shoulder with the upper classes, we
are shedding our blood as they do and
II We are equal in war why not equal
in peace as voters, equal to the voters
OF the first and second class"