The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1918-03-13
PLURAL VOTING
HATED in PRUSSIA
NEWSPAPERS HAVE PROTEST
AGAINST PLANS NOW
PREVAILING

New York, March 16.-Commelts in
German newspapers recently received
here shcw that they had vigorously
disapproved of the system of plural
voting in Prussia while subsequent
y was approved by the franchise COM
mittee of the lower house of the Prus-
sian Diet and Incorporated in the bill
fer submission to the Prussian Par
lament. The German editors had de-
clared before the committee had thus
save 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 eaqual suf-
frage.
The plural system as approved by
the franchise committee classifies
the voters according to certain
trades and professions, alloting "a
lspecified number of votes to each class
( The editorials advocating the fran
chise reform we're replete with ac-
rimony and evaporation. An attempt
by the conservative party to induce
| the committee to favor the plural vot-
| ing system was denounced by the
newspapers as an effort to postpone.
| indefinitely the entire movement for
electoral reform.
The Berlaer Tageblatt of January
| 10, in an editorial captioned "Elector-
al Reform in Danger" said: The de-
| liberations of the committee regarding
| the three reform bills are taking a
course such as had not been expected
/ by even the most obstinate pessimists.
| The reactioEary parties with the liber-
! ais leading as is clearly shown, aims
to postpone indefinitely the entire
franchise reform
But these parties will soon have to
recognize that the people will not
stand for such attempts to Illustrate
a solemnly given promise"
The Votwaerts of January 49, said
in Connection with the committee de-
liberaticns on the franchise reform
bill, that the proceedings in that
committee must be considered by the
working classes as mockery.
For decades" the paper stated, "the
Prussian people have been forced to
electoral system. Before the war and
also since the begiilning of the war
they have fought untireingly for a
free franchise. and not without sue
cess. The crown has solemnly pro-
vided the equal direct and secret bal
lot. The government is bound by this
promise. And at this stage the enc
mics Of the franchise resort to means
which clearly show that not the view
point of right but only of might con
cerns them"
A few days later the Votwaerts as
serted editCrially that the battle of
the oponents of the franchise reform
had entered a phase (Which must
turn the evaporation prevailing in the
widest circlesof the people into in
dignatiCl." 1t was obvious, the edi-
ter wrote that the conservatives sup
ported directly and indirectly by the
National Liberals had begun a system
attic campaign to withhold from the
people their right and to defeat the
equal franchise promised them in
the most solemn manner
Flow long" asked the VortWaerts,
do the gentlemen believe the Prus-
sian people people will put up with
such methods
A polish deputy replying to various
remarks regarding Prussias policy
toward the Poles, said the Prussian
regime as heretofore conducted was
deeply hateful TO the Poles, for it
was the type of the most repulsive
form Of domination a people ever had
to bear" The war, he said, would give
the Polish people equality of rights.
They would then no longer be sub
ject to the 'nauseous regime"
The chairman, Deputy Hausmann,
requested the speaker to moderate his
form of expression, but the Polish de-
putty added that the people would
come to heir senses AID that the war
would be a common grave for nation
al chauvnsm.