The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-17 00:00:00

in nothing to the achievements of the great Frederic,
although they must appear to all non-Germans.?:,
tensely ridiculous, were yet appropriate and skolu,;
enough. The speech was addressed to Prussia, an
Prussia fully shares the King's belief. And it visa
his Majesty's object and his interest, when meetrl
a House of Representatives which had quarreneu
with him upon the question of military reorgallit
tion, and refused him the supplies necessary to Ow'
the army on a proper footing, to lay especial strel,
upon these successes, and claim, as he had the NI;
right to do, that the very measure which the NO'
had so vehemently opposed had been mainly instil'
mental in producing them. His Majesty has don
well, tocr, in insisting upon the proof which the W
has given of the merits of the reorganisation, in°
much as that testimony really removes a very con"
siderable difficulty from the way of that reconeloai
tion between the Government and the House °
Deputies which he professes, and no doubt with thet
utmost sincerity, to so warmly desire. The ie°s,
vehement opponents of the reorganisation may 11°"0
withdraw their opposition without incurring sham
or suspicion. They may yield to the logic of exPel.
rience what they might have felt their honour fork"
them to give to the assurances of professional menj
who were backed'by threats and persecution. Ano
although the Budget question, the right of the hel°s
to control the national purse, is nominally the Brea'
question between the Government and the country''
that would be settled easily—assuming a little gow
will on both sides—if only that of the reorganiP;
tion were previously determined. For it 110„ •
always be remembered that except on this questi°'
of reorganisation the Government has not
until after the great conflict had broken 011
and it replied to the protests of the house agailts,
its violation of the law by constitutional theories
which set aside the leading principles of the coast';
tution—contested the right of the house to refuse tif
assent to any new expenditure and strike it out
the Budget ; and the King himself originally ;
before, in his irritation, he called Herr von Bisular:
to power, and adopted that Minister's audaelotte
glosses upon the constitution—only contested 0.5
power of the Chamber to refuse its assent to this
expenditure on the ground that it had before con'
firmed it, and could not alone repeal a measure
which all three 'factors of the Legislature had
assented. Everything will depend upon the initiatife
of the Government, and, so far, the chance of Ile;
conciliation looks better than at any period in 0,,
conflict, although it cannot be said to promise me°'
The Government will, it is said introduce at ()al
and before the Budget, a bill giving a legal an
,ii
permanent force to the reorganisation. If this bir
should obtain a majority there would be no diffieui'l
about a Budget calculated upon it, and, therefol;el,
according to a system already approved by th
house. But there are considerable difficulties
the way. In the first place, the King has insist
upon three years' service, and would regard,„te
limitation to two years by law as a defeat.
majority of the house thinks that too great a tvi
upon the country, and that two years would alqpi'e
suffice. The solution would be found in fixing
peace establishment at such a number of men til
whilst the three years' service was nominally,
served, the two years would be practically
blished. The greater difficulty, however, is, that l'ce
majority of the house will probably attempt to Ina
the Government and the King cry peccavimr,
plicitly withdraw the theories upon which they 10,
justified governing without a Budget, beg an Xs
demnity for the past, and expressly recognise !II
omnipotence of the house in the future. The ho;
has been extremely irritated by the penal disse„,
tions and prorogations, the prosecution of its le°'„ i
bers, and the taunts and abuse of the Governale"
press, which has had full liberty, whilst the OPr,o
sition journals have been cowed by prosecutiq
and seizure. It is mortified, too, by the triaaro
of the Government policy, for assailing whiell.J,
was dismissed 12 months ago, and its leaders, 'ei
though able men enough, are not politicians. 0;0
are professors and officials, to whom compromise'
al vo„
distasteful ; many of them are leavened with de
cracy, and more have personal grievances agai%
the Government. They will probably insist uPO
humiliating the Government, and if -they do the °l6
will be no solution to the conflict. It is impossTio
to suppose that in a juncture like this, when
Government is still in the full flush of its trittroi
when it has the power so firmly in its hands, °7i,‘
thanks to the steadily increasing revenue, all se
supplies it needs, it will beg the pardon of rill
House of Deputies,, and confess itself vanquisloity
the contest. We are very much afraid that
members of the Prussian House of Deputies
think more about gratifying their wounded feelior
and giving the Government " a bit of their wino
than of a reconciliation with the King, and t
after a stormy debate or two they will be sent he
their homes with a severe scolding for all°t
twelve months' holiday.