Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-07-15
GERMANY, LAST STRONGHOLD
OF AUTOCRATIC MONARCHY
No Chance of Liberalization from Within SO Long as
Hohenzolerns and Junkers Are in Control--People
Have legislative Rights in Name Only

bers, the House of Lords and the
House of Representatives. The Legis-
lature does not initiate much legisla-
ton. Most of the bills passed by it
have been proposed by the Govern
ment; that is, by the King The Leg
islature has practically no control over
the administration; that is, over the
powerful and permanent bureaucracy.
1t can in this sphere express opinions
and practically nothing more. The
Constitution does not determine the
composition of the House of Lords, but
leaves that to the King to determine
by royal ordinance AS matter OF
fact, this House is really overwhelm-
iagly dominated by the land-owning
nobility, the famous Junkers, men fire.
uuently more royalist than the King,
conservative and militaristic to the
marrow of their bones. The House is
subject to the absolute control of the
monarch through the unrestricted
power to create peers. 1t is really a
sort of royal council, an extension or
variation of the royal power. 1t is a
body that in no sense represents the
people of Prussia 1t has veto upon
all legislation, and the King has an
absolute veto also.
Yet there exists another House in
this Legislature which enacts the laws
that govern 100000 Prussians-the
so-called House of Representatives
and marvellous, indeed, is the construc-
ton of that body Every Prussian man
who has attained his twenty-fifth year
has the vote Is Prussia, therefore, a
democracy? Not exactly, for the eX-
ercise of this right is so arranged that
the ballot of the poor man is practi-
cally annihiliated. Universal suffrage
has been rendered illusory. And this
is the way it has been done: The vot-
ars are divided in each electoral dis
trict into three classes according to
wealth. The amount of taxes paid by
the district is divided into three equal
parts. Those taxpayers who pay the
first third are grouped into one class
those, more numerous, who pay the
second third, into another class; those
who pay the remainder, into still an
Ecther class. The result is that very
few rich men are set apart by them
selves, and the poor by themselves
Each of these groups, voting separate
ly. elects an equal number of delegates
to a convention, which convention
chooses the delegates of that constitu-
ency to the lower house of the Prus-
sian Parliament.
No Chance for the Poor.
Thus in every Electoral Convention
two-thirds of the members belong to
the wealthy or well-to-do class. There
is no chance in such system for the
poor, for the masses. This system
gives an enormous preponderance OF
Ipolitical power to the rich. The tirsy
class consists of very few men, IN
soma districts of only one; the second
is sometimes twenty times as numer-
Gus, the third sometimes hundred
or even a thousand times. Thus
though every man has the suffrage
the vote of a single rich man may have
as great weight as the votes OF a
thousand workingmen. Universal sui
fra2e is manipulated in such way as
to defeat democracy decisively and to
consolidate privileged class in power
in the only branch of the Government
that has even the appearance of being
of popular origin. Bismarck, no friend
Of Liberalism, once characterized this
electoral system as the worst ever
created. Its shrieking injustice is
shown by the fact that in 1900 the
Social Democrats, who actually cast a
majority of the votes, got only Z seats
cut of nearly 400 1t is one of the
most undemocratic systems in eX-
istence,
CTo be continued Monday)