The Springdale news., 1917-11-23
.PRUSSIAN MILITARY AUTOCRACY
Continued from last week.)

constitutional provisions lose their i force in face of the constraining nee essites of national life So the Prus- sianizing of Germany is complete. There is normally a higher law in Ger many than the constitution. That law is the law of necessity or might.
 Let us take a more intimate view of Prussia and ascertain what are the arrangements of this dominant mem l Der, what chance is afforded the peo- pie for expression. Take her parlia- 1 lament, the Landtag What does it represent? Is there a government responsible to the people? The Land tag has two chambers, the house of lords and the lower house. The form
 CT is a mediaeval body composed of princes of royal blood, members who are independent princes of the Holy Roman Empire or hereditary mem- bers designated at will by the King and others designated by him at will or on nomination of landholders. The King can control it at any time by ap- pointing new members. It now has membership of 300, one-third he- reditary nobles with large estates, l iunkers, and one-third dominated by ] landholders, junkers. It is class as sembly, far removed from the people. How Lower House is Elected.
 The lower house is composed of members elected indirectly by an elec- toral body. One member is selected 1 in each district. The electoral body 1 is selected in this fashion: One-third of it is designated by the large tax payers who pay the first third of the taxes, one-third by those who pay the second third of the taxes, and the re- mander by the rest of the voters. From 3 to per cent of the voters choose one-t third of the electors; from l 10 to 12 per cent third, or about b per cent of the voters choose 213 of the electors. In 2,200 districts one man selects a third of the electors. In 1908 the number of votes cast was 2.215 ,000. The social democrats, with 601 ,0O0 votes elected seven members. l They should have had 105. The eon- servatives. with 356,000 votes, elected l 152. They were entitled to @. The clericals, with 502,000 votes, won 104 seats, instead of 88, their proper num- ber The liberal party got 28 Instead of 40. In East Prussia the number of 1 inhabitants to representative was 63. .000; in Berlin 170,000. Berlin had g votes and should have had 24. One fourth the population in agricultural districts selected 161 members; one fourth in the cities elected Al, Re member, too, that the ballot is not se- cret and that pressure is consistently brought to bear on the lower class voter. The municipal councils are se- lected in the same way. The classes rule.
 The King Controls the Provinces.
 The Province is the highest subdi- vision of Prussia It's chief executive is appointed by the King. It's leglsla- tive body is not elected by the people but by legislative bodies of the next lower subdivisions, the circles and the municipalities. The president may veto the action of the body if t goes beyond it's jurisdicton. It's measures must be approved by the kng, who may dissolve it at will.
 The. circle is the chief local subdi- vision. It's principal administrative officer is appointed by the president of the Province The members of its legislative body, the kreistag, are dl- vided between the cities and the ru- raj districts, not more than one-half to the cities. The members assigned to the cities are not elected directly by the people but by the municipal as semblies, which represent property. The rural members are divided into 1 two equal groups; the great land owner and large taxpayer of the ru- ral community elect half; the other half are elected indirectly by body composed CD of those who pay a small tax; @ of proprietors of man. ors; and (3) of electors selected by rural communal assemblies. To be a voter even for one of tlese electors who shares the doubtful privilege of
 in.n1nes llarrer taxnaYers and owners