The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-28 00:00:00

IMPORTANT FROM BERLIN.

PRUSSIA.—Our correspondent writes :
BERLIN, BM. 25.
A most important debate has taken place in the
Second Chamber on the people's right of self-taxation,
which was struck out of the octroyed constitution.
The revising committee restored this right by omit-
ting the first seven words of the 108th article.
The debate has occupied two days, and the result
is that 212 have voted for the motion of the com-
mittee and 93 against. In the minority were the
three ministers who have been returned to the
Second Chamber. The report of the revising com-
mittee of the First Chamber have modified the article
so as to split the people's right, and therefore to
maim and render it ineffectual. Manteuffel made a
declaration to-day in the chamber, which was equi-
valent to a compromise between the crown and the
people. This was so ill-received by the chamber that
the majority against ministers was greatly increased.'
The speakers in favour of the parliamentary right
of voting the supplies were Von Anerswald, Non
Beckerath, Tell Kampf, Schwerin, Fnbel, Riedel,
Simeon HarkorL The speakers against it were Von
Kleist, Stiehl, Von Fock, Breithaupt, Von Klutzon,
Count Arnim, Tredienburg, Schemer.

The followiog is the continuation of the debate,
the first part of which I sent you yesterday :

Beast. spoke !Out the motion of the committee. It I
was not their business, in revising the constitutien, to hoof in
view certain abstract principles, but to consider only the
welfare of the country. He was with all his might opposed
to auctioning a principle in the constitution which would
launch the torch of incendiaries& throughout the country.
Prude was net like other countries, which had grown
through material tievelopment, but had soma her position
by her sword dal
her intelligence, sad they were sot to sop-
pose that those two elements of the Prussian state could be
monttined without much money, and muck disposable
money. That the parliament should have the con-
trol of supplies was no essential pert of a constitutional •
state. It war only • mesas of unclog the crown.
He would only hare mouse to each • tidied re-
sourse when all others failed. He would refer to the tax-
reamers of lad year. Their end was not attained because
they did not represent the moral and rational will of the
people. He thought popular rights quite Inflicitntly gale
noted by ties pied* ili bu
Von BlCKSlLwrz.—lye delutyreit-Ilassoow holds that
instances borrowed hem the French sad elm amtatitatione,
to justify parliamenteny emstrol overia the
e=siassmo to
nothing, human& se none of thus ye bass
maintained. Yet tit meth* bessenabie braes is fond at
appealing to the sestialadeo letiess NM" obis it nits his
purpose. Has this athelithilles thus boa miatsined Ilse
it sot perished in the stem of the waft year t Yet I
rejoice that he admits at Ist the assisity of • thestitatisa
for Prussia, sad mice =rim is the atomise d eM
king sadet the esassittes
says that people.igg the parlisamma oneself
er the sup.
piths you ens the people with ea betrothed for carrying
through their oil aphid the grown. It appears to me ea
ersesems mamptisa to w that the parliament will
lido Add ha wrialt from the crown. It is said
te be isseaeleted with the absolute veto. Bat if I approve '
this Amide veto imams I believe it • salutary check on the
padeoste resslatime of a popular muddy, sad **rotors •
salleguard of ,the pespits own right, I sappers the pulls.
control in supplies he ea saalagoos reason. Fail
wean 1117 see the sithiter who wend persist theinairk in op.
rain the whim el the popish rspeseaststiver'._w him it
male to thalage = Imes the pound of .lotlinnuon_,:
the pram* Is not lo ;nu,
laukseerlytPolinfot onto, bat rather to antWr what do! min
at elevated and noble. A right is set to be refusesi
somber of the state, because it is semeptille of lasts. _o‘
the responsibility conferred be greet, the Pediment will on
elevated by a massieueses et to impeding*. But if tie
representative body be weakesed for the prat of the crown,
the letter will is rice messed of danger be et me avail to
save the life of the state. The media; speaker (Stiehl)
has called the absence of the right to refuse tans the moral
ecesereasoe et the state. But morality requires that every-
one shad& get the due which is amigos& to him by nature.
If the isispeadeires at a people has grown into full cos.
seism.% it is the duty of monlity to give way to this dc-
It independence is a natural right, then I my
that set the withholding of this right, but the concession of
it, I the maid corner-stone of the state. The law of April
8 did year Mtablishes that in all cases the representatives
of the people are to have the right dyeing the tuts. This
cannot allude to yew tares, bemuse the Vereinigte Load.

149 rimmed dread: Um right of voting new taxes. In
ntir sluff the trWtiratke tithe German empireorMay
40, art. 101 provides that the ordinary budget will be
in every RektheW UM lest before the people's house,
and Total eg *egad thereby. There eve among you
who spa the powar of Prussia
I In" be hap by bow ksorpoestign in the Bastdos-atoor.
Hat if the *last voting supplies h ecmpetsut to the
Ing what fin immlesst drown for Prowls, if the mete right
In the Permian padiomant. Is this control, thee,
cow oat IlmMlea to be sonsmittsi to men who have no in-
tenet he tin misname* of the state. It is not to be thought
of that we &red, by a solemn rote, pronounce the people
incapable of assuming a position which he. long been
granted* ether nations for their welfare. If we leave the
108th stills as it is, lot us not at lout pretend to have
fronded a oonstiation : it will bee ruinous edifice,and upon
as the sin will Bs of haying despaired of the good rens* of
our erity.
Von Foci spoke against the committee. He would are
the parliament the right of voting taxes, but not the right
of refusing them; and sow no necessary connection between
these rights.
Tatman?, said the chambers had to decide upon their
"to be or not to be." The power of withholding supplies
supplies was • dangerous weapon, no doubt ; but also at
times it might prow very salutary, when no other way re-
mained but revolution.
Von Busthith Scaottn•Wintr.—The decision of the
dianthus on the German question has made our revision of
the onstitation a task of questionable utility. Why busy
ourselves with revising the oonstitsvion when • new Roach-stag
may establish soon fundamental rights, which will, without
more, be valid fee as. It swum the chamber does sot attach
much lmportsaee to that vote, and for this rearm is grown
more set ions in Its revision of the constitution. The right
of voting the taxes plants the centre of gravity of the state in
the chambers. People say it is con stitutiocal. Nobody now
ever troubles his head to think whether a thing be right and
reasonable—it must be constitutional, that is the word in
rota.. It must be an importation from France, Belgium,
England, and whence not. I omit coatis' that I never travel
in any foreign country without feeling satisfied when I come
back that lam a Prussian. Then there is this vast differ-
verse between our state and others, which we set up as •
pattern; that there the crown is a gift from the people to
their Fumes; while we hays an independent dynuty, which,
if it has latterly parted with some of its rights, has made
these concessions spontaneously. I em told, as a proot of
the goodness of the Belgian constitution, that Belgium was
not upset by the tempest of last year. Neither was Russia,
for that matter. (Loud laughter.) As for England I will
my this—give as English religiousness and morality ;
glvs us English landed property and wealth ; give
vs an English Lower Howe, and then we should
be in a better position to grant the parliament control over
the supplies. }lnland, since 1668, has bean brought up
under the tutelage of • high aristocracy, and is still under
that influence. But then you say one must go into tee
water to learn how to swim. Bat the necessity does not
follow that we should begin by taking a header where the
water is deepest. The committee hopes that no misuse will
be made of the right to refuse tone. I confess that I goo in
the elections as they stand no guarantee whatever for
delivering over Prussia, bound kind and foot, to the
Chamber', and I fear that the Prussian people will oftener
need the protection of the crown against the chambers than
that of the chambers against the crown.
The debate was adjourned till today, when
Count Scawanix was of opinion that herein lay the vital
question of whether they were to have • constitution pro-
perly so-called or not. He was for recognising the titles of
the people es well as those of the crown. The pith of a
constitutional firm of government lay in three conditions.
First, the absolute right of the crown to the executive;
secondly, the joint authority of the crown and parliament in
the legislature ; and, thirdly, the absolute right of the
parliament to vote the taxes. In proportion as they stemmed
anarchy they ought to prove to the people that where an
roundel popular right was at stake, they were not to be
moved • hate's breadth from the duty of maintaioing it entire.
So far from the right at present in debate being inconsistent
with the absolute veto, the absolute veto would he quite
unnecessary if the 108th article were maintained, for it made
the sovereign completely absolute and uncontrollable. Count
Schwerin voted with the coramittee. His manly epoch was
loudly cheered, the more so as, being the minieterial presi-
dent of the chamber, so frank a declaration against the newt
but well-known wishes of the government was not expected.
Mannteuffel then spoke, but I have no time to send
you his speech. The result of the debate I give you
above.

BAXONY.—LEIPSIO, SEPT. 19.—The fair was
going on as well as off with all desirable life and
spirit. Buyers as well as sellers were pouring into
the town, some of them having come from Moldavia,
Wallachia, and Poland. Leather, especially sole-
leather, has been sold at high prices. Activity and
bonds prevailed, and all gave promise of a great trade
on the following days.

HAMBURCI.—From this city our correspondent
writes us that the permanent committee of the Ham-
burg constituency have solemnly protested against
the measures to be proposed by the senate to the cor-
poration on the 4th pron., in their contest respecting
the introduction of the new constitution, urging that
such measures would imply a breach of promise
on the part of the senate, and infringe on the rights
of the people, by whose votes the constituency was