The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-03-11
AMERICANS PENETRATED
SECOND GERMAN LINE.
GERMAN PEOPLE RESENT
FREE FRANCHISE ATTACK
System OF Plural Voting, II Was De-
clared, Would Not Fulfill Intent of
the Manifesto Issued Last
July By The EN-
peror.

New York, March ll.--Comments in
, Gcrman newspapers recently received
here, show that they had vigorously dis
approved OF the system of plural voting
in Prussia, which subsequently was ac.
cepted by the franchise committee of the
lower house of the Prussian Diet and
incorporated in the bill for submission to
the Prussian Parliament The German
editors had declared, before the franchise
committee thus gave its approval of the
plural voting system, that this would
not fulfill the intent of the manifesto
issued last July by Emperor William, as
king of Prussia, in which he announced
that a bill would be introduced in the
Diet providing for universal and equal
suffrage.
The plural system as approved by the
| franchise committee classities the voters
according TO certain trades and profes-
sions, alloting a specified number of
votes to each class.
The editorials advocating the franchise
reform were replete with acrimony and
evaporation. An attempt by the Con-
servatve party to induce the committee
to favor the plural voting system was
denounced by the newspapers as an ef-
fort to postpone indefinitely the entire
movement for electoral reform
The Berliner Tageblatt of Jan. l3, in
an editorial captioned Electoral Reform
in Danger" said: The deliberations of
the committee regarding the three re-
form bills are taking a course such as
had not been expected by even the most |
obstinate pessimists. The reactionary |
parties with the National Liberals lead. |
ing, as is clearly shown, aim to post
pone indefinitely the entire franchise re-
form.
But these parties will soon have to |
recognize that the people will not stand
for such attempts to Illustrate solemn
ly given promise"
The Norwaerts of Jan. l3, said in con-
nection with the committee deliberations
on the franchise reform bill, that proceed
ings in that committee must be CON
sidered by the working classes as mock
cry.
''For decades the paper stated, "the
Prussian people have been forced TO en-
dure the shame of the three class cleo
toral system Before the war and also
since the beginning of the war they have
fought untiringly for free franchise.
And not without success. The crown
has solemnly promised the equal, di-
rect and secret ballot. The government
Is bound by this promise, And at this
stage the enemies of the franchise resort
% means which clearly Chow that not !
he viewpoints OF right but only that OF
night concerns them"
A few days later the Norwaerts as
erted editorially that the battle of the :
opponents of the franchise reform had :
ntered a phase which must turn the ;
prevailing in the widest cir =
les of the people into Indignation" 1t
vas obvious, the editor wrote, that the I
Conservatives supported directly and in :
irectIy by the National Liberals had be- g
un a systematic campaign to withhold
rom the people their right and to de- a
eat the equal franchise promised them a
n the most solemn manner How long" u
sked the Vorwaerts, "do the gentlemen V
eleve that the Prussian people viii put
D with such methodist" O
a Polish deputy, replying to various !.
emarks regarding Prussia's policy con- "
erning the Poles, said the Prussian re- Il
ime as heretofore conducted was deeply Sc
ateful to the Poles, for it was the type W
the most repuIsiye form of domina OF
ion a people ever had to bear" The lJ'
ar, he said would give the Polish peo- D,
lie equality of rights. They would then 10
o longer be subject to the ''nauseous q
russian regime. &c
The chairman, Deputy Hausmann, re- ha
nested the speaker to moderate his te
,rm of expression, but the Polish depu
7 added that the peoples would come ad
, their senses and that the war would Z.
a common grave for national chauvin- a
m. III