The elections in Prussia have resulted, as was expected, in
a very great gain for the Government, and a decided, though small gain for the Ultramoutanes, while all the middle parties have ground. In many purely Catholic districts even, —like Cologne,—a great majority of Protestants has been returned ; but this -is due - to the Prussian system -of double elections, which divides the original electors into thirds, determined by- the amount of their rateability,—the lowest third containing of course, vastly more persons than the two others put togethe., but having only a third of the whole electoral power for the final choice. In the Roman Catholic districts this proletariat third was almost exclusively Roman Catholic, and far outnumbered the other two electoral thirds,—which, however, of course defeated it wherever the middle-class and upper-class thirds were mainly Protestant. The -result is that the Prussian Government has a good majority of the House, (say) some 250 votes out of 432. The Ultramontanes have a united body. of 85 representatives. There are 17 Poles—who, if they take their seats at all, will probably vote with the Ultramontanes—and there is a moderate Conservative party of some 60 or 70 besides. The- Danes have been beaten in Haderaleben (Schleswig) for the first time by the Germans, but this is again due to the peculiar elec- toral system, which clubs the Proletariat together, and gives it- only one-third of the electoral power.
Previous page
