So large a party must participate in practical polities in order to live, and must, therefore, have reforms to urge for the in:mediate future. Wo have thus, along with the statement of general principles, the so-called immediate demands. This separation of the social democratic plat forms is found in all countries.
Considerable emphasis has been given to the immediate demands, but it is a mistake to sup pose that the ultimate goal of complete socialism bas been at any time lost sight of. All the lead ers have this in mind, but doubtless there are many acting with the Social Democratic Party in Germany, as elsewhere, who are chiefly inter ested in immediate demands.
The vote of the Social Democratic Party, and the number of members elected to the Reichstag since the foundation of the German Empire up to the present time, are given in the following table, taken from Braun, Die Parteien des Deutschen Rcieltstages (Stuttgart, 1893) : One or two comments upon the vote east are needed. The vote fell off in 1881, owing to the severe repressive measures following the Anti-So cialist Law. In 1890 the Social Democratic Party became the largest in the German Empire, cast ing about 20 per cent. of the votes. With sonic fifteen parties in Germany, this is less significant than in a country with two great parties, but.
nevertheless, it means a great deal. Another point to be considered is that the Socialists do not have a number of representatives in the Reichstag corresponding with the number of votes east. This is due to the way the electoral districts are arranged, whereby the Conserva tives (largely made up of landed proprietors and other favored classes) and Agrarians elect a much larger number of members relatively.
The official organ of the Social Democratic Party is the daily Vorweirts of Berlin. of which also a weekly edition, called the S'orialdemokrat, is published. Die acne Zeit. a weekly magazine published at Stuttgart, is the so-called scientific organ of German social democracy, discussing questions of principles. Both these organs rep resent the dominant Marxian socialism. The more conservative opportunism is represented by the Socialistische Monatshefte, published in Ber lin. Special mention may be made also of two illustrated comic papers, which advocate social democracy, namely Der wahre Jacob and Der siiddc-utsche Postilion. In 1903 there were fifty two daily papers, nine appearing three times a week, three semi-weekly, and seven weekly papers all advocating socialism.