The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-20
berlin Scene
OF. SPARTAcAN
BALLOT RIOTS
Attempt of Radicals to De-
StrOy Boxes Containing the
Votes for Assembly Fails
After Fighting Takes Place.

LONDON. Jan. 2O.-Rioting occurred
In Berlin during last night, after the
Spartacans had attempted to destroy
the ballot boxes used in Sundays cleo
tion, according to an Exchange Tele-
graph dispatch from Copenhagen.
The Spartacans were repulsed every
where. Fighting took place, 1t Is. re-
podted, in Wilhelmstrasse and Hede-
mannstrasse and at the Hallesche Tor.
The Spartacans also made an attempt
to storm the office of the Yorwaerts;
occurred cured e teof piac& yesterday s S" IN GeT-
many incident to grave election riots in
several cities, where the people were
casting their votes for members OF the
national assembly. Leipsic i6 reported
to be without gas or water as the result
of a general strike declared there, and
a mob in this city Is said to have de-
stroyed the election bureau Of the DEM
ocratic party, and to have confiscated
the yesterday evenings edition Of the
Leipsic Tageblatt, Zeitung and General
Gazette, compelling those papers to
murders in Berlin" and blaming the
government for them.
Demonstrants from the Lohberg coal
mines yesterday forced an entrance into
the polling booths at Dinslakan, Rhen-
nish Prussia and seized the ballot
boxes and the registers of electors
Threatening demonstrations and
strASes in Dusseldorf and other cities
are also reported. News from Copen-
hagen also asserted that airmen flew
over Berlin yesterday dropping thou
sands of pamphlets issued by all polit-
ical parties upon the city.
Details of the proposed new constitu-
tion for Germany drawn up recently at
a conference OF widely known authort-
ties on constitutional law, including
Hugo Preuss, state secretary of the in
IL. 1Nw.SSSz aNaN HaVre
given in an official wireless dispatch
sent out from Berlin and picked vi
here. 1t states that the empire Is tc
consist of it's former component states
besides any territories which by vir'
tue OF the right Of self-determinatior
desire to be received into the empire.
The dispatch declares that the people
have the right, regardless Of fornel
frontiers, to erect new German tre'
states within the empire providing an
such free state has a population o
2.ol0,ooo i the people sof z bordeI i e
the assent of the German people shal
who Is to bS elecfsd by the people, mus
be So years Of age and must have beei
citizen of Germany for ten years be
an absolute majority of all votes of thu
empire The president will represen
the empire. but declarations of war o.
conclusions Of peace rest with th
reiehstag. Treaties with foreign states
require the assent of the reichstag. Al
soon as a league Of nations, the objec
Of which Is the exclusion Of secret trea
ties has been formed. all treaties will
the league shall require the assent o
the reichstag
The imperial presidents tenure Of Of
flee will be for seven years and his re-
election will be permissible. The impe
rial government will be composed o
a chancellor and ministers who will b
chosen by the president of the reichs
tag. The government must have tn
confideilce of the house of deputies ant
shall be responsible to the reichstag.