The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1920. THE GERMAN ELECTIONS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3507, 9 June 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1920. THE GERMAN ELECTIONS.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and Vvaimarino ' News.”

('iL‘l'lll‘dll general election figures are ino less intercstingllo the civilised iworld ‘today, than election returns [were for IL decade 'boi’ox'e. the war. i'l‘hose \\'llicll L-{l.ln'u to lland. _yu.s‘tel'day are too incomplete to uppl'oxiln:lteiy base the final I'esult upon, but they are }_.n‘olmbly :1 close indication 01.’ the political feeling of the Gm‘rn:m pH)pl(‘. at this stage of their clzzingmi political situation. The first notable aspect is thatizlie nun:iJc.r of part.ics is considerably less than in pro-war times, tlinrc living‘ only seven as against eleven, and those seven pi'ol)ubly re—i present such :1 resllufi-‘ling uf opinion as to I'mldor them. quite di.~:similal' Lao tlxoso held by px'e—wa.r parties under the .<alne name. In any c:'l.s‘e the pres-

‘ant lignn-us indirzate 3. I'(‘Vulution of lpol.itiv:».‘l t’(,'cllil}g>‘ and opinions; the tpzlrly Ih2lt clout‘-rolled tho .l%Li(:ll.x'l‘:lg E prior to lhn war are now in .‘I ll(ip(‘](?SS ' minorir_§'. ’|‘h<*‘ l\l'omlr«‘-,hisl* 4,:‘rnnp voml]n‘>.<«.‘«fl of tho (‘ontl'(» and (_‘mlsm‘\‘:uti\‘o |pzu'ti<)s has (lropped back from being‘ Ilho‘nmst pm\‘«*-r_t_'lll pn.rt_\' to bring the I\v('z'll<<-st. and .s‘.uci::li.~‘ls lmvo :I.<.<lln'n_~<l filhe loud. ’l"lli>i vl1:1ng;v is not .<urpri.<ing ns l’ml'n.:<.<ur l)n-ll,n'uo<-k [n‘L'«ll<‘l(‘(l lhefnrc the ].‘112 olvvtimns that Ilw .<n--lciul. (lolnocrnt.~; would bm-mm- tho .<('rongv.<t. fcmac. 'l,‘.he lust: pre—w:lr' csonsns rli.s‘r3.l().~'(t-d that the .‘~?()C‘l8l Clemo-(-mt.<_, although the .<l’rong'c.~:t; party numerically, there being then .'i,500,(10U votes, were only third in power in the Rci<:ll.~zt.zlg'_, but that was mving to the 1871 plan of constit.ll(rncios whivh had failed to pnrnnit. of :1. pnrL~l_\j repres(«:ntati\'(\. house undo)‘ nluangr-all cnndi-1 Hons. ('€orlnan_v halving pElSSl"»(l fr»rnn§ being an :z.g‘l'icllltlll'al to :1 nmnnfare-1 luring country. But. it may be said that tzlm politiczfl spectre that most‘ haunted the Kaiser in 1932 was the! ovm'-,r:l'owirlg' st‘rengtll of dnmocl'n.c~y,‘ nlul were it not for that speoil'e tllcm might have been no war. The Kai.~:<>r’s untip:lt.lly to socinlisnn discovers the fact that socialism in Germany, as ols-ewlxere, was opposed to monar» «=,l1i:1l governnxent, aml at this time, with n flopnsecl Kaiser, it is: not at all lilnrly that a socialist nmjority will

j want to go back to militarism. Still, tlierc is tire pro-war anomaly of sociaj lists being numerically the strongest political party in the state and were 1 yet as clay in the hands of the military group with the Kaiser at their head. The 1912 elections were somewhat of a surprise, but they were swayed by a military boom, which has now burst !so disastrously for Germany and for the world. Socialism sought to achieve uniformity in world government by evolution, but the Kaiser could not wait, he hoped to secure unified control by one fell swoop of his military machine, and as soon as the 1912 elections were over he realised .that if his military organisation was not put into operation then it was likely to be' scrapped by an overwhelming socialist victory at a future election. The present election figures seem to disclose that the Junker Party arc in a miserably impotent minority, powerless to do anything of importance to prevent rapid reconstruction of German government and industry. Those figures proclaim that Germany is no longer in the military, the predatory category of peoples, and that the old monarehial institutions have been discarded for ever. The people have t won a decisive victory over the privileged classes, and the monarehial following in the figures to hand have to be sought with the aid of a microscope; truly may one say “how have the mighty fallen.” With socialists, independent socialists, and the people’s party (radicals) leading, and with the once mighty Centre Party at the bottom of the list, there can be littl e doubt about Germany having become a permanently socialist state. The supreme hope is that whatever party f is successful it will be so strong that smaller parties will be made to realise I that revolutions are impotent to seize ! the reigns of government with any prospect whatever of being able to hold them. The German election returns, though incomplete, seem to proclaim that Germany is tired of war and war-mongers; that the people are anxious to , end the orgy of swashbuckling and are determined to get diligently to work in putting their industrial and producing affairs on a stable footing. Military demogagues have used up all their eloquence in persuading, the people to remain in revolt against the allies with the hope of securing further mitigation of peace terms, and now there is a widespread desire to again settle down, placing •reliance upon the Empire’s industry and energy as the means to a rapid re-statement amongst the leading nations of the world. These elections have been anxiously looked forward to; it was 'uncertain jwhdthcr thpy would prove a beacon of peace or of war, of rapid return to progressive social and industrial conditions or to a state of progressive revolution, spreading over the whole world. There are reasons in the figures to hand for hoping that the German people have cast their votes so overwhelmingly for peace and national reconstruction that their determination will spread right through troubled Europe.. The whole world will rejoice to know that Germany has renounced military and old feudal ways, and has become a nation of manufacturers, traders, artisans and primary producers. It is only reasonable to expect that the industrial forces will continue to clash until the

pe:mun<_*nt place and value capital is to occupy in the governlncnt is settled. but the position and power of the Old e.:Lpit:l}i.st class is no longer -.1 question to be considered. The Gcrnum people seem to be making a clean sweep of every vesfigo of the old pl-ivilog‘c, and sturiing To rvbuild 011 an t.-.ntireo]_v new ‘r'ound:Ltion. In their :11rc:1d_y deep difiiculty the question of r:L.\':Ltic-n will plrobabl_v' he -.p:3.l'amouu.t, but future t.::.\'ation to pay off the war debt, and

fur Us-.:<)llstl'ucti\'e purposes can scarceIy rvqnirc any burden heavier than that I'm'ce«,l. upon the people for 11:1\':ll and milirul'_y pul'puses. Ind(‘Cd_, if. mgly ha.‘ truly clnilnod that thv ullpx~o<:'(!denl’

<T-xl r:l.\::m'on of 1110 linisc.-r’.< (inventment brought about. its own downfall. RM! as (ivl'm:lny was it could not at‘-

t‘<m! 11:0 naval and military s_yst.ou.ls which the Kaiser was dctounined to o;<t:xb]isll. War is :1 thing of the past; “D«=z- Tug” «vamo and brought with if Ihc. «h,-f’<-ut it .~'ollgllt* and nl(*x'it.ed.

Now we hu.\'v ligtlws of the first gen

<?1':ll t"lL*vtions in tieriiltlny “CW “"09 flm..‘ .~'l11po1:(l<n1s milil.‘l:‘_V <l<‘b“"]or “ml tlmy furnish the hope that tlwre is im'lm‘«l true I'opcllttlllcc for llfi\'i“z‘-I l?l.lHH‘ll(?(l the orgy of nmrulvr and t'riglltt'ulnCss; also that future (l(‘1‘mzxny is it; he HOll-llllllfZll'l.\‘llk‘; tlml‘ the ulms‘gio.s' of’ the German ~pC()pl(‘ RN‘ to be spent: in an (-x1(l(-nvonr to 1(=«-.nV¢'r ‘.h:ltt position among 111115011-* of the earth. their Kaiser, with his inilitnry m'gani:<:ltioll, cast them down fiom. Gcrnizxny will doul)tlo.<:< be troubled with the ‘predatory condit'iCns the people cannot at once slmkc off like an old garmel‘lt,‘but the Dl‘o- - success of German democrricy at; the elections liow tliroceecliiig 'iR pregnant with hope for a. rapid development and secure estalflishnnent of peace conditions throughout oontrall Eu'l‘opc :'J.‘lf least‘. 1