"Neue Rheinische Zeitung" — Position of the Parties in Cologne

Position of the Parties in Cologne

["Neue Rheinische Zeitung" No. 18, June 18, 1848]

** Cologne, June 16. We had a by-election here a few days ago which proves most strikingly how greatly the position of the parties has altered since the general election.

Herr Polizeidirektor Müller, substitute for Frankfurt, had been elected in Gummersbach as deputy for Berlin.

Three candidates were put forward. The Catholic party proposed Herr Pellmann, the constitutional party (the Civic Association) Herr Advocate Fay, the democratic party Herr Advocate Schneider II, president of the (Stollwerck) Democratic Society.

At the first ballot (140 voting electors), Herr Fay had 29 votes, Herr Pellmann 34, Herr Schneider 52. The remaining votes were split.

At the second ballot (139 votes), Herr Fay had 14, Herr Pellmann 59, Herr Schneider 64 votes. The democratic party was thus still in a steadily growing majority.

At the third ballot (138 votes), finally, Herr Fay had no more votes. Herr Schneider had 55, Herr Pellmann 75 votes. The gentlemen of the Civic Association had thus, out of fear of the Stollwerck people, given their votes to the Catholic candidate.

These votes prove how greatly public feeling here has altered. In the main elections the democrats were everywhere in the minority. In this by-election, of the three contending parties the democratic was by far the strongest and could be defeated only by an unnatural coalition of the other two parties. We do not blame the Catholic party for accepting this coalition. We merely emphasise the fact that the constitutionalists have disappeared.