[6] See Bebel, _Gewerksbewegung und Politische Parteien_: Preface. [7] See _Protokoll des Partei-Tages_, 1890, pp. 156-7. [8] "_Genossen_": the word really means "brethren." [9] Party membership has grown as follows: 1906, 384,527; 1907, 530,466; 1908, 587,336; 1909, 633,309; 1910, 720,038; 1911, 836,562. [10] _Bericht des Partei-Vorstandes_, 1909-10. [11] See Appendix, p. 296, for complete election returns. [12] _Bericht des Partei-Vorstandes_, 1909-10. [13] In 1891-2 the "Berliner Opposition" threatened a revolt. They were given every opportunity of explaining their grievances, were told what to do, and, disobeying, were promptly shown the door. [14] "It has been truthfully said that in Germany a Social Democrat cannot even become a night-watchman."--PROF. BERNHARD HARMS (University of Kiel), _Ferdinand Lassalle und Seine Bedeutung für die Sozial-Demokratie_, 1909, p. 103. [15] "Do you enjoy freedom from political interference?" I asked a high official in the civil service. "Absolutely. We think as we please, talk as we please, and do as we please. But we must let the Social Democrats alone." [16] See Appendix, p. 293, for synopsis of this law. [17] The vote for the Saxon legislature at this time was as follows: Party Voters Votes Social Democrats 341,396 492,522 Conservatives 103,517 281,804 National Liberal 125,157 236,541 Independents (Freisinnige) 41,857 100,804 Anti-Semites 20,248 55,502 The Social Democrats included over one-half of the voters, cast about one-third of the votes, and elected only one-fourth of the members. [18] Some curious instances of inequality appear in the cities. In Berlin in one precinct one man paid one-third of the taxes and consequently possessed one-third of the legislative influence in that precinct. In another precinct the president of a large bank paid one-third of the taxes, and two of his associates paid another third. These three men named the member of the Diet from that precinct. [19] For the struggle for ballot reform in Bavaria, see _Der Kampf um die Wahlreform in Bayern_, issued in 1905 by the Bavarian Social Democratic Party Executive Committee. [20] February 13, 1910, was set aside as a day for suffrage demonstration throughout the empire. In Berlin alone forty-two meetings were announced. These provoked the following edict: "Notice! The 'right to the streets' is hereby proclaimed. The streets serve primarily for traffic. Resistance to state authority will be met by the force of arms. I warn the curious. Berlin, February 13, 1910. Police-president, VON IAGOW." The Social Democratic papers called attention to the fact that these notices were printed on the same forms that the Police-president often used to announce that the streets would be closed to all traffic on account of military parades. [21] _Protokoll_, 1890, pp. 119-120.