The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-07-09
eralzation Of Germany Is
Impending, With Changes
in Electoral
Districts.
TOO MANY PRUssIANs
Cf,anceiIor's Address Tomorrow lr
tho Repchstao is Expected to
Include New Peace
Aims.

rBy John Grandens, United FT0sS
Staff Corres2ondent]
BERLIN, July 9. (via London.)-
Signs multiply that the political lib
eralization of Germany Is tmpend-
ing.
A weeks important conferences
preceding the reichstag session
brought the situation to head 70
day. Tomorrow Chancellor Won
Bethmann-Hollweg is expected to
make a formal statement and there
is tense interest in political circles
as to the attitude he may show on
electoral reforms.
From the central wing to the so
cialists, all opinion in the reichstag
is united that q reformed electoral
system must be applied in Prussia,
IL Prussia fails to adopt such plan
OF its own accord.
! The government promises Of vast
changes in electoral districts ts con-
sidered only a small installment In
payment for the large debt owing
the people by the German gov
eanment. There was q disposition,
indicated in all parties today, to de-
mand Prusstan reform this fall.
[According to Granden's dispatch,
the main objection now held by Ger
man reformdsts to the present elect
oral system is the preponderance OF
Prussian representation in the gov
ernment In the reichstag the king
dom of Prussia has 236 deputies, six
or eight times as many members as
any other kingdom or principality.
In the budesrat, Prussia has seven
teen members, nearly three times as
many as any other section of Ger
many.]
People Demand Reforms.
AMSTERDAM, July, 9.-The peo-
pie Of Germany are about to force
from the German autocratic ring a
more satisfactory statement Of Ger
many's peace aims as well as prom
ise of sweeping electoral reforms,
according to Berlin dispatches to-
day.
Tomorrow's session of the reichstag
is eagerly awaited. Chancellor Won
Bethmann- -Hollweg's political enemies
have now apparently forced him into
a position where he must make COM
Dlete answer to the query whether
Germany favors mo annexatfons and
no indemnities. He was scheduled
to speak Tuesday. Not only Is the
chancellor under fire from all parties
in the reichstag over these peace
aims, but the demand for greater lib
eralization in the government has
now gained such headway that it is
expected the chancellor will be forced
to take cognizance OF it.
The crisis was precipitated by
preliminary meetings of the reichstag
committees.
In one uf these, centrist govern
ment party member vigorously as
sailed the chancellor and the govern
ment, demanding wholesale electoral
reforms and announcement by Ger
many of peace terms on which enemy
nations might find common ground
Of negotiation. The German Gems or
ship forbade publication Of the cen
trist party leaders speech as well
as certain brief remarks in the
reichstag committee session made by
ever, that the centrist member was
Matthias ErZberger.
That the whole German situation Is
likely to be threshed out very thor.
oughly in the reichstag, was indicat-
ed in conferences which the kaiser
and the chancellor had today in Ber-
lin with Field Marshals Won linden
burg and Ludendorff. The two army
commanders made hurried trip
from the front, arriving Saturday.
Berlin newspapers received here,
comment vigorously on the situation
"The meeting today means a crit
ical period of the first magnitude for
Germany" declared the Lol1al An
zeiger. "It is not possible for the
chancellor to avoid frank and open
statement in view of these increas-
CONTINUED on page 2.)