GERMANY. 



pathy with the Liberals. A comparison of 

 this result with the strength of the principal 

 parties in the last Reichstag showed that, while 

 the Ultramontanes had about held their own, 

 the Liberals had lost considerably, and the 



Conservatives had gained largely. The follow- 

 ing table shows the strength of each political 

 party in each of the two Parliaments of the 

 North German Confederation, and the four 

 Parliaments of the German Empire : 



By a decree of August 5th the Bundesrath 

 was summoned for August 14th, and the Reichs- 

 tag for September 9th. The former body, on 

 assembling, considered and adopted on August 

 27th the amended Anti-Socialist bill submitted 

 by the Prussian Government, after slightly mod- 

 ifying it. 



The Reichstag was opened on September 9th, 

 in accordance with the imperial decree. The 

 speech from the throne was read by Count 

 Stolberg, Prince Bismarck's substitute. It re- 

 lated principally to the attempts made upon 

 the Emperor William's life and the Anti-Social- 

 ist bill which was to be laid before the House. 

 A confident hope was expressed that the new- 

 ly elected deputies would not refuse to grant 

 the means of giving the peaceful development 

 of the empire the same security against attacks 

 from within as it enjoys against those from 

 without ; that the spread of the pernicious So- 

 cialist movement would be arrested ; and that 

 those who had been led away by it might be 

 brought back to the right path. Herr von For- 

 kenbeck (National Liberal) was chosen Presi- 

 dent, Herr von Stauffenberg (National Liber- 

 al) First, and Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg 

 (Free Conservative party) Second Vice-Presi- 

 dent. 



^ On the 1 6th the Reichstag began the discus- 

 sion on the Anti-Socialist bill. It was opened 

 by Count Stolberg, who explained that the 

 measure alone was not regarded as sufficient 

 by the Government, and suggested that their 

 action shonld be supported by associations, 

 corporations, and individuals. Half measures, 

 he added, would only do harm ; and he asked 

 the House to furnish the Government with 

 sharp and effective weapons. The bill was 

 opposed by the Ultramontane party, who pro- 

 posed that it should be referred to a committee 

 tD determine what amendments were necessary 

 to the penal code. Among the speakers was 

 Herr Bebel, a Socialist, who denied that there 



was any connection between Social Democracy 

 and the crimes of Hodel and Nobiling. On the 

 following day Prince Bismarck spoke at length, 

 with the object of vindicating himself from the 

 reproach of having formerly courted the Social- 

 ists. The Prince admitted his intimacy with 

 LassalJe, who, he said, was deeply imbued with 

 national and even with monarchical principles. 

 The House finally resolved by a large majority 

 to refer the bill to a committee of 21 members, 

 and then adjourned. It resumed its sittings on 

 October 9th, when the Anti-Socialist bill was 

 read for the second time. Herr von Franken- 

 stein read a declaration from the Center, which, 

 while recognizing the dangers of the Socialis- 

 tic agitation, yet considered the bill before the 

 House as not calculated to arrest the evil, and 

 stated that the members of the Center intend- 

 ed to vote against the bill. Prince Bismarck 

 pointed out that workingmen's associations 

 did not promote the welfare of the laboring 

 classes when they sought to undermine the 

 groundwork of the state and society and the 

 rights of property. The Social Democrats had 

 no positive propositions to bring forward, but 

 played with the ignorant masses. He regarded 

 the machinations of their unions as one of the 

 causes of the existing unsatisfactory state of 

 commercial activity. In conclusion, he asked 

 the deputies whether they were more afraid of 

 him and of the Federal Government than of 

 the Socialists ; and he admitted that his aim 

 went beyond the present measure, for he 

 wished to unite parties in order to form a bul- 

 wark against all tempests to which the empire 

 was exposed. The bill finally passed its third 

 reading on October 19th, by 221 votes to 149. 

 Both sections of the Conservative party and 

 the National Liberals recorded their votes, 

 without exception, in favor of the bill ; and 

 they were joined by the Lowe group, and some 

 Liberals belonging to no particular party. The 

 bill as originally submitted to the Federal Coun- 



