Election Results

The first German Presidential Election was a quiet, stolid affair, members of the Cabinet voted at a little beer house in the Taubensi The first to arrive was Prussian Minister of Justice Zehnhof, follow by Acting President Walter Simons, to vote for a successor to himself. Next came Foreign Minister and Frau tav Stresemann. Dr. Stresemann began to make out his ballot on a table, was told by a clerk that he must do it in a booth. With a sigh and a terrific squeeze; the portly Doktor entered a small booth. At Potsdam, Prince Friedrich, second son of the ex-Kaiser, and a number of former courtiers apathetically recorded their votes. From Munich, in the south, came the that General Ludendorff had refused to vote for himself or anybody else. He likewise declined to make any comment.

Little interest was shown in the election, largely because it was widely realized that no candidate had a ghost of a chance of securing an absolute majority.

Next day, final results were published. Slightly less than 69%, or 26,812,267 of the electorate voted. The results :

CANDIDATE

Karl Jarres (Nationalist) 10,387,323

Otto Braun (Socialist) 7,785,678

Wilhelm Marx (Catholic) 3,882,676

Ernst Thaelmann (Communist).... 1,869,553

Willy Hellpach (Democrat) 1,565,136

Premier Held (Bavarian People's

Party) 1,002,278

Erich von Ludendorff (Volkisch). . 284,471

Void Ballots............... 34,152

A new election was announced for Apr. 26, at which candidates will required only to obtain a relative majority. The Socialists, Catholic and Democrats were believed likely to unite in support of a single candidate, probably ex-Chancellor Wilhelm Marx. If they do, a Republican President is certain to be elected. The Nationalists (Monarchists), however, were not without hope that the opposition parties would continue to be split, in which case victory is assuredly theirs, advisability of running a more forceful and popular candidate than Herr Jarres was discussed. The names of Chancelor Luther and former Minister of War Gessler were mentioned. Foreign Minister Stresemann kept in the background.