New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-13

Ca,bolic Centre, requested that the
subjects of Germany's external aha m
ternal policy and the credit vote
should be struck off the agenda. On
.he other hand, Count Won WestaIp'
Con,.rvative. urged a discussion OF the
credit vote so that the impression
might not arise that ITS settlemeh'
was dependent upon any conditions
Hugo Haase. leader of the SoclahSt
minority. said that the independent
Socialists were against credits anu
therefore attached no value 10 as
cussions on these motions. fhIIlpp
Scbeidemann, leader of the malority
Socialists. said owe are not &C
customed 20 vote money and ei'er-
ward discuss whether 1t was rlgnt o,
wrong. but TO have discussion nrst.
Count Won Westarp's motion was re-
iected. despite the fact that u "as
supported by the Right ana some %
the National Liberals ana Ihue
pendent Socialists. DR.. SpahnS nlo-
tion was accepted. u.ul ,ha.
A rumor has reached hoiaho 'na'
the entire German government VIII
sign with Imperial Chancellor Won belh
enr.Uollweg. the main committee OF
tho Reichstag having refused to vote
war credit unless the government oe
clsres its policy regarding peace anu
reform, which the government mas ue-
clined TO do. An imperial proclamation
is considered imminent.
The new imperial announcement ac-
eording TO Copenhagen advices' does
not prescribe the immediate ADOPTION
Of electoral reform, without waiting 1or
tho end of the war, and there is not
word for the present of the lntrodue,
ton Of parliamentarism in the imperial
administration. or of the ABANDON
rnent of the policy of conquest or the
elimination OF reactionary or lncompe-
tent ministers, which matters nave oeeh
discussed at great length by the news
papers recently.
The Emperor's manifesto forces the
Prussisn ministry TO discard lts re,
form project, the draft OF when had
been largely worked out, and which, &C
cording TO reports in Berlin political
circles. although doing away with the
tbree-class system, introduced as con-
cession 10 the Conservative and Ma.
tienal Liberal parties the principle OF
Mural voting. A proviso is made thaI
fhe attainment Of a certain age, mar
riage or educational qualification en-
titles an elector 10 additional votes.
The Conservatives had vainly endeaV-
cred to have this principle, wnlcn pro
vides some counterbalance TO the Dig
Socialist vote. extended to embrace
property as qualification for an add
tional vote, but the idea was hnaLy
dropped. -.,
The Emperor's insertion of the word
"eoual" in the formula presenting the
new franchise will operate TO prevent
the Government and the hitherto doml-
nant parties from jockeying with the
new suffrage bill, defeating or limiting
the reform in practice while granting
il in principle. r
The extent TO which equal suffrage, II
the German government is able 10 geT
its bill through the hostile Diet, VIII
shake the domination OF the lunKer
prussian government may be judged
nv the compilation of the probable
strength of the parties in the Diet un-
der this bill. The Conservative Leaders
have figured. on the basis of their Vot-
ing tables, that the strength OF the TWO
conservative parties, now ZoZ OF totai
membership of 443 in the lever House
would drop under the most iaVoraole
conditions TO l34-and might not even
reach 100. e., =,
The National Liberals. now with %
rnsmbers. would be represented IN an
eoual suffrage House by from "a to %,
while the Socialists, with a paltry ~
members at the present time, would
iumn 20 az least 60 and might secure up
10 l25 seats. The Radicals would gam
sI;ebtlv and the Centre would show
moderate shrinkage.
The Emperor's manifesto reached the
rswsnaners too late for extended com,
ment' The "Tageblatt" and "Vorwaerts
nieks, it as a modest beginning,
though it misses the real and needed
reform - namely, parliamentarism IN
The "Deutsche Tages Zeitung' is desc
late because it fears that with the pass
;nc of old Prussia part Of Germany's
might has gone TO the grave