The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-22 00:00:00

question will be examin ed by the Dietunndecla
co-operation." fp:o44
The Minister-PresideSt replied ,„ „
A";' 41LN
"His Majesty spoke of an examination, net 'o.l\ktlN -1----<".'
decision. The position of Pr ussia as a great Po
required that she should indep2ndently examine ,ta
every resolution of the Diet, but not submit herself
to every decision—a view which, under other cir-
cumstances, would be approved by the majority of
the Committee."
Referring to the words immediately following
the above passage in the Royal speech, "and I can-
not anticipate the results of that examination," the
Minister continued :

NE \N. S P

11

" The competence of the Wet to &cid() the snc-
cession question was by no means admitted. If the
Confederation was a union of soverrign SI-Rtes., the
full sovereignty of each State continued in all things,
where not expressly limited by the Federal treaties.
Federal treaties contained no stipulations from
which this competence was to be, dcduced. Unques-
tionably the Federal D:et was entvled to decide,
after examining the legitimation of a representative,
whether it would admit him or not; bat from that
point to sovereign decision of the right of succession
in a Federal country was a wide lelp. Let any ore
mention a precedent in which the Di at had decided
upon the rights of claimants of a sue!ession, and is
which it had undertaken to remore eno end instal
another. Nobody could wish to controvert tt.e
competence of the Diet to examine the right of
succession in a disputed case; but it would have to
conduct that examination with the utmost caution,
that its results might be tenable before the European
forum. Lastly, he could assure them, as wpm a for-
mer occasion, that mistrust between himvalf and the
Chamber of Deputies should not be mutual. It was
his wish to enter into the matter with the meats

legally granted by the house. It these should be
refused, he should take them wherever he could."
Thexehpen the report of the Committee aL:iritst•
that expressions of this character require zo com-
ment, but that it was their duty to state the in-
fluence which these declarations ought to exercise
upon the vote of the house. According to the views
of the Government, the house would run the danger
" that the supplies granted to•day for the fulfilment
of Federal duties would be tomorrow applied by
the Government to obstruct the resolutions of the
Diet." The declarations of the Minister-President
cast aside German nationality and common inte-
rests equally with regard to right. He considers
the binding force of a treaty not to depend upon its
contents or upon the good faith of its contractors,
but upon the question how many bayonets will be
set in motion for it. From this point of view it
would be just as consistent for the Ministry to dis-
regard even the justest resolution of the Diet on
account of the military weakness of its originators,
as when it patiently accepts illegal measures of the
great Powers on account of the superiority of their
armies.
The report goes on to refate the arguments of
Herr von Bismark seriatim, commenting severely
upon each, and recommends, by the unanimous vote
of the Committee, the refusal of the loan.