PRUSSIAN FRANCHISE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 762, 10 March 1910, Page 7

PRUSSIAN FRANCHISE.

GENERAL MINING STRIKE,

By Teleeraph-Press AsaociaUoa-CopyrleM.; v

Berlin, March. 8. , Seven, thousand . demonstrators : at 'Bret-lan-(in point of population the second town in Prussia) have resolved on .'a general strike of miners unless a liberal franchise ia granted. ; -

V FRANCHISE ANOMALIES. The Franchise ; system' of Prussia- ia complicated. Every Prussian who has attained his 25th year and is qualified to vote for the municipal elections of his. place of domicile is eligible to vote as an indirect elector. Persons who are entitled to vote.for municipal elections ia several parishes can only, exercise th« right -of indirect elector,*; or "tfrwhaler," in one. One direct elector, or "Wahllnanri," -is olected from' every complete .number;; of-20. souls..- The . direct electors <iro divided into three 'classes, according to tho respective amount of direct taxes paid: by each—arranged 'in 6uch a. manner -that each category pays one* third of tho whole amount of direct taxes levied on the whole; the second of those who pay. the next highest '.•■••iqunt down to the. limits, of the seco: ' third; the third of all the lowest taxod, who together complete, the last.class. The.representatives, are', chosen, by .the direc ,, electors. : - ■ ' " .''

■The Prussian.. Government. reccntlj published, its statistical, investigation into the franchise system of the kingdom. /It,appears" (writes the "Saturday Review"} "that of the three classes of equal > political .power into which the electorate is divided Class 1 contains i per cent.,'"Gla6s:2.l4 per cent.," and Class 3 82 per cent, of the voters. The utmost that can be said officially in defence . oT this arrangement is that Class 2 contains many members of., the: lower- middle classes, whose power would be diminished by: any change. It appear? also;.that a vote in the country.is.worth.ten times as much as a vote in the town, and that the town population returns less.than, one third of the Diet. It appears finally that the system,of open, voting, has been, productive'of so'much intimidation that it i« rare for as many, as 33 :per cent. , of. thi ; electors to. go to the poll. . If Parliament/ ary institutions'are regnrded seriously bj the po'wers that be in Germany—a point which is certainly open to question—the: case for reform may now be regarded a«. complete.":.. ■ ■'••',.'■ ' '■'.. '-..