THE GERMAN ELECTIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2056, 20 July 1893, Page 14

THE GERMAN ELECTIONS.

The returns were virtually completed on June 18. The candidates elected number 215. Of these 101 will vote for the Army Bill and 114 against it. As expected, the latest returns increased steadily the list of members upon whom the Government can rely for support. Eugene Richter and the Freisennige party have been smashed out of shape. Excepting Virchow, hardly a conspicuous deputy stood by Richter after the dissolution of the Reichstag. The following is the list of parties (antiSemitic Conservatives are included with Conservatives, and Independents are treated as members of those parties with which they are affiliated in the Reichstag) : — Lieber Clericals, 68 ; Social Democrats, 29 ; Conservatives and Agrarians, 44 ; National Liberals, 18 ; Radical Unionists who favour the bill, 4 ; Poles, 12 ; Free Conservatives, 10 ; Clericals favourable to the bill, 11 ; Alsatians, 7 ; South German Democrats, 4 ; AntiSemitic (two following the bill), 3 ; Bavarian Agrarians, 2 ; Guelphs, 1 ; Dane, 1 ; Bavarian Separatist, 1; Richterists, 0. Among the candidates at the new ballots there will be 10 Poles, 52 Conservatives, 9 Agrarians, 7 Free Conservatives, 72 National Liberals, 30 Clericals, 77 Social Democrats, 11 Radical Unionists, 35 Richterists, 16 AntiSemitics, and 8 Guelphs. Speculators on the Bourse take a sanguine view of the Government's prospect in the second ballots. The Imperial and Russian stocks which had weakened were strong on Saturday, 18th June, in consequence

of a report that the Government would have a small majority at the opening of the Reichstag. The Berlin correspondent of the London Daily News on June 18 says:—" There, cannot be the slightest doubt that the Army Bill will be passed with a good majority.!' The Standard's correspondent expresses the same opinion somewhat less emphatically. The second ballots began on June 22, and generally in Prussia and Saxony they will begin on the 24th and throughout Bavaria and Wurtemburg on the 26th. The first of the second , ballots taken on the 22nd in Lubeok resulted in the election of Herr Goertz (Radical Unionist) by the large majority of 150. This is a loss to the Social Democrats as well as to the enemies of the Army Bill.