New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-19
Democracy in Prussia
How the Popular Will Is Nulli6.d |.
Electing Representative.
from IN, london Horr.no Pa,

i, ana u snhl not aDoe any otner.-Jernan
peror, May 4, 1891.
When the late Professor Freeman ,aiS a..
nation might still be in bondage .hop,s =
possession of all the outward forms n, O..
dom he must have had in mind som. 49,,
country as Prussia. There all tn. mai. 4.
habitsnts on reaching the age Of twsn,v.s,.
are entitled 70 vote in the election o, Al.
gates Of the lower house OF the Land.,,
legislature; but the majority Of th. r.,;,
tents Of the suffrage receive through la,
enfranchisement neither power nor priyil.,,
This arises from a unique method Of yoti,,
which renders Prussia proof against all -.
assaults Of democracy.
That is achieved By separating voter, IN,
three classes division which is made 4,
taking the aggregate amount Of the ,,,.,
taxes in each electoral district and diyisj,,
it into three equal parts. The first third !,
paid by the highest taxpayers, the seeo,s
third by the next highest and "a.
last third by the rest Of the contributor. 4
tripartite division having thus been MAJ.
the three classes elect the member, Of A.
electoral college which chooses the de,.
gates OF the lower house. The thorough,
unrepresentative character Of this proceed.
ing becomes apparent when it is remembers.
that as regards the electoral college SON.
100000 wealthy taxpayers choose one-thrd.
$4,000 taxpayers another third, and $500.
600 the last third.
Mass Of People Outyoted
The result is that the 6,j00,000 who stand
for the great mass Of the people are no,
represented at all, being outnumbered By n,
two-thirds majority. 1t is indeed couc.iv,.
BILE that the whole of the tax included in "a.
first class might in particular district b.
paid by a single rich voter. In order 70
make this remarkable state arrangement per.
fectly clear a concrete instance may be taken
in respect Of the town council OF a :r,,,
city where the principle Just described is il
operation, though on smaller scale In Der.
lin, for example, not long before the var
there were 931 voters Of the first class, r.o
Maid 27,914593 marks of the aggregate az;
32.l31 voters Of the second group, VINO cor.
tributed 27,9O8,776 marks OF the total lisbl.
ity, and 357,345 voters Of the third categor
who were responsible for l6,l65,5Ol marks Of
the entire sum.
OF the representatives returned, one-thid
was chosen by the 93l voters, another third
by the 3213l and the last third by the $751;.
345. The outcome is that the business q
the captal, with upward Of two million in.
habitants. is in the hands Of 1902 citizea
the first and second classes together, VITO
elected two-thirds of the town councillors.
In Dusseldorf, 20 take another example, ther.
we're 62.443 voters at the election Of tova
councillors in 1910. The first class included
797 voters. the second 6,645 and the thin
55OOl. The result is that the 1872 voters
the first and second classes combined) are
in control Of the civic government by ma
jority of two-thirds.
A Prussianized Empire
What has been said specially respecting
the condition Of political inequality existing
in Prussia may be taken as sppca'
BILE practically TO all those other diyisionsor
states which in 1901 William | and Bis
marck Prussianized into what is now the
German Empire. That empire has two houses
the Bundesrat, or upper chamber, and ne
Reichstag, or lower house. The upper chi-'
her. which sits in secret, consists OF htV
eight delegates chosen by and Representing
the governors of the different states. Us
members, who have no discretionary power
vote simply as instructed by their state gov
ernments. The Reichstsg is elected ~ ani'
versal suffrage in districts where the voting
takes place in the manner already explained
All members Of the Bundesrat, including ne
Chancellor, who is also Prime Minister Of
Prussia. may speak in the Reichstag But
is important to note that neither the Chan
cellor nor any other executive officer IS re-
sponsible to that body. lie cannot b. re-
moved by the vote Of the Relehstag' 'fon
among whose members the ministers OF Tue
Emperor are hardly ever chosen.
In no democratic country is there any PAT,
alel to the position held and the persona
power exercised By William II, VINO asse'"
that his commission 70 govern is der'ea
from the Almighty. He never tires o. p'".
claiming, what indeed is the fact, that ne
answerable to no Cabinet, no Minister sna
no people. Opposition 20 the VIII OF %"
imperious master, with his notions OF owns
right, promptly brought dismissal for Dgs'
marck, who had for years successfully
rected the ship Of state. In dropping Wv
pilot" and foignng regret at the loss OF
tried public servant, the War Lord declared
in unmstakable terms that the course
NAMED the same-full steam ahead A tn'
supreme ruler of Prussia-where sggrs're
war has ever been the chief lndustry-" NV
Emperor has always entertained no"V"
cherished by Frederick the Great thN
an important part of his mission 20 ettLa
his dominions MY duty he said IN Asv1'
1890, "is to increase my heritage. IhoseNH,,
try to interfere with my task shall efu'"