When Bismarck received the news his first words were, “Now the Reichstag must be dissolved.”  This was done; the general elections took place while the excitement was still hot, and of course resulted in a great loss to those parties—­especially the National Liberals—­who had voted against the Socialist law; the Centre alone retained its numbers.  Before this new Parliament a fresh law was laid, drafted with much more skill.  It absolutely forbade all speeches or writing in favour of plans for overthrowing the order of society, or directed against marriage and property.  It enabled the Government to proclaim in all large towns a state of siege, and to expel from them by the mere decree of the police anyone suspected of Socialist agitation.  The law, which was easily carried, was enforced with great severity; a state of siege was proclaimed in Berlin and many other places.  Socialist papers, and even books, for instance the writings of Lassalle, were forbidden; they might not even be read in public libraries; and for the next twelve years the Socialist party had to carry on their propaganda by secret means.

This Socialist law is very disappointing; we find the Government again having recourse to the same means for checking and guiding opinion which Metternich had used fifty years before.  Not indeed that the Socialists themselves had any ground for complaint; their avowed end was the overthrow of government and society; they professed to be at war with all established institutions; if they confined their efforts to legal measures and did not use violence, it was only because the time had not yet come.  The men who avowed admiration for the Paris Commune, who were openly preparing for a revolution more complete than any which Europe had hitherto seen, could not complain if the Government, while there was yet time, used every means for crushing them.  The mistake was in supposing that this measure would be successful.  Bismarck would, indeed, had he been able, have made it far more severe; his own idea was that anyone who had been legally convicted of holding Socialist opinions should be deprived of the franchise and excluded from the Parliament.  What a misunderstanding does this shew of the whole object and nature of representative institutions!  It had been decided that in Germany Parliament was not to govern; what then was its function except to display the opinions of the people?  If, as was the case, so large a proportion of the German nation belonged to a party of discontent, then it was above all desirable that their wishes and desires should have open expression, and be discussed where they could be overthrown.  The Government had enormous means of influencing opinion.  In the old days the men of letters had been on principle in opposition; now Germany was flooded by papers, books, and pamphlets; all devoted to the most extravagant praise of the new institutions.  The excuse which was made for these laws was not a sufficient one.