GKKMANY. 



347 



As a plebiscite on the Army bill, the returns 

 show tluit tlic people as a whole were against 

 that measure. If the Conservatives, tin 

 Conservatives, the National Liberals, the Anti- 

 Semites, tin- Dissentient Radicals, and the rules 

 lie counted as supporters of the bill, and the 

 other purties as opponents, the latter obtained 

 4,:WJ,otW votes, as against 8,225,641 of the for- 

 mer. In view of this fact, it is astonishing that, 

 in spite of this popular feeling against the bill, 

 the Government should have succeeded in pass- 

 ing the identical measure in the new Reichstag 

 and obtaining a majority of 15 votes. 



The Adoption of the Army Bill. The new 

 lu-ii hstag was convened for July 4, 1898, and 

 was opened in person by Emperor Wilhylm. In 

 his opening speech the Emperor again called the 

 attention of the Reichstag to the necessity of 

 strengthening the military forces of the empire, 

 and announced that a bill similar to the Ililne 

 compromise would be introduced, which he asked 

 the Reichstag to pass without unnecessary delay. 

 The measures dealing with taxation were still 

 under consideration, and would not be submitted 

 until the fall session. He promised that the 

 wishes regarding taxation, manifested during 

 the debate on the former bill, should be com- 

 plied with as far as was feasible without endan- 

 gering the object in view. Accordingly, a bill was 

 introduced by Chancellor von Caprivi by which 

 the peace footing of the German army is to con- 

 sist of 588 battalions and 173 half battalions of 

 infantry, 465 squadrons of cavalry, 494 batteries 

 of field artillery, 87 battalions of foot artillery, 

 23 battalions of pioneers, 7 battalions of railroad 

 troops, and 21 battalions of train. The law was 

 to go into effect Oct. 1, 1893, and to last for five 

 years. Two years of active service are legally 

 fixed as the term for five years. The discussion 

 over the bill did not occupy much time, the 

 arguments pro and con having been exhausted 

 in the former session; and on July 15 the bill 

 was adopted by a vote of 201 against 185. After 

 the vote was taken the Reichstag immediately 

 adjourned. 



Political Parties. The political parties in 

 Germany have been growing in numbers to such 

 an extent, and with so little difference in princi- 

 ples among some of them, that it is almost im- 

 possible to distinguish them. There are, how- 

 ever, 6 leading groups in the Reichstag, of which 

 2 are again subdivided, thus making 8 in all. 

 None of these groups come near forming a ma- 

 jority, and the Government has to depend upon 

 a coalition, formed through compromise, to carry 

 on business. The foremost party and numeric- 

 ally the strongest is the Centrum, also called the 

 Clerical or Ultramontane party. It consists of 

 Roman Catholics, chiefly from south Germany 

 and the Rhine provinces. During its struggle 

 against Prince Bismarck on account of the Kul- 

 turkampf it gained success only by its unity and 

 harmony, but since the death of its leader. Dr. 

 Windhorst, it commences to show signs of disin- 

 tegration. The numbers steadily increased from 

 (>:! in 1871 to 117 in the election" of 1890, but at 

 the election on June 15, 1893, it lost 17 seats, 

 succeeding in electing only 100 members. The 

 Conservative group is subdivided into German 

 Conservatives and Free Conservatives or Reichs- 

 partei. The two parties, although formerly fol- 



lowing practically the same principles, hare of 

 late years gone further apart than ever, M. that 

 to-day the Free Conservatives can hardly i 

 tinguishcd from the National Liberal group, its 

 principles having mure in common with that 

 party than with the German Conservatives. The 

 ' onservativfcs form the main support of the 

 Government against parliamentary rule; they 

 desire maintenance of the present relation of 

 state and Church on the basis of tin- 1'rolc-tant 

 religion ; they support the confessional charac- 

 ter of the public schools, and the Mthoriatfon 

 of the Church to control religious instruction ; 

 they demand the reform of the state and local 

 taxation system to the exemption of real prop- 

 erty and building from taxation. Their num- 

 bers steadily decreased from 38 in 1871 to 20 

 seats in 1890. In the elections of June 15, 1893. 

 they gained 7 seats, so that they will form a 

 group of 27 members in the new Reichstag. The 

 German Conservatives are equally strong adher- 

 ents of the monarchy, and as such pledge them- 

 selves for the strengthening of the German em- 

 pire, but inside of that unity demand that the 

 independence and peculiarity of the various 

 states be preserved ; they further demand par- 

 ticipation of the nation in legislation ; local self- 

 government on the basis of natural groups and 

 organizations of the people; a confessional Chris- 

 tian school ; an independent Protestant Church ; 

 and protection of the agricultural interest by a 

 high protective tariff for cereals. In a conven- 

 tion held in 1892 Anti-Semitism was adopted in 

 their platform. Their number in the Reichstag 

 has varied bet ween 21 in 1874 and 78 in 1887: 

 they have since lost a few seats. In the elections 

 of 1893 they carried 68 seats. The National Lib- 

 eral party, standing for moderation, progress, in- 

 dependent thought, constitutional liberty and 

 rights, and, as its name indicates, liberal tenden- 

 cies, has seldom had the courage to stand up for 

 its convictions. It once had a commanding num- 

 ber of deputies, namely, in 1874, when it held 150 

 seats. In the last Reichstag this number had 

 dwindled down to 41, while in the elections of 

 1893 it carried 52 seats. The Freisinnige or 

 Radical party is divided again into the Freisin- 

 nige VolKspartei or Radical People's party, and 

 the Freisinnige Vereinigung or Radical union. 

 The larger of the two is the Volkspartei, follow- 

 ing Eugen Richter. The principles of the two 

 parties are practically the same ; they stand for 

 constitutional and parliamentary government, 

 manhood suffrage, a secret ballot, freedom of 

 speech and of tne press, parliamentary control 

 of finances, and a ministry responsible to the 

 Reichstag. The Freisinnige partv was formed 

 in 1884 by the union of the Fortschrittspartei or 

 Progressists and the Liberal I'nionists. and con- 

 sisted then of 64 members , in 1887 their num- 

 ber was reduced to 32, but in 1890 they succeed- 

 ed in electing 66 of their members, while in the 

 elections in 1898 both branches carried only 35 

 seats, of which 22 belong to the Volkspartei and 

 13 to the Radical Union. The Social Democrats 

 now form quite a considerable party in the 

 Reichstag: their principles are sufficiently indi- 

 cated by their name, and their number increased 

 from v> members in 1871. and 11 in 1889, to :;.' i:i 

 1890, and in 1898 they carried 43 seats. The last 

 of the parlies which require attention is the Anti- 



