The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-27 00:00:00

to 411 millions, i.e., about one million more than it
had been reduced in consequence of Herr von der
Heydt's letter. The saving by calling m the re-
cruits later and dismissing the reserves earlier—i.e.f
the practical reduction of the term of s, rvice—had
been given up. A military estima`,2, vas not pro-
mised. Under such circumstances no effect could be
hoped from an address, the speech from the throne
merely alluding to the dispute. If what the Govern-
ment wished recognised were law, the constitution
no longer deserved to be called a constitution. The
constitution clearly designated the right of the repre-
sentatives ; the Government pointed to the surren-
der of this right as the way to agreement. The
house defended itself against facts, which the Go-
vermnent could not even set up as rightful. The
Wagener address was entirely in favour of the- Go-
vernment, and lauded the Austrian alliance, that
obstacle to all concentration of Prussian strength.
The Conservative party threw its own principles
overboard in order always to go with the Govern-
ment. Last year it advocated the retention of the
Duchies by Denmark, now it praised the separation
and even claimed it as the work of its own party,
while the house had done everything in the sense of
separation that a Parliamentary body could well do.
The speech from the throne boasted, as a proof of
the favourable state of the finances, that a loan had
not been necessary, and yet the house had been re-
proached with not having consented to a loan. Just
in the same way the house had been reproached
with having refused the means for the fulfilment
of Federal duties, when Herr von Bismarck, in his
note of January 14th, had declared himself not
bound by the resolution of the Diet. With re-
gard to home politics, the Wagener address re-
ferred to the technical knowledge of the Crown,
thereby placing it in a wrong and unconstitutional
position. The House stood shoulder to shoulder in
its opposition to the constitutional theory of this
address, and to maintain this position no address
was required. (Loud applause.)
Deputy SCHULZE advocated the adoption of the
Wagener address. It was conciliatory upon all
points, which the people and the country required.
The people would look unfavourably upon the re-
jection of the address in party interests, and it was
to be hoped that opinion would have practical
results. The address showed the way to recon-
ciliation, which was difficult enough even if entered
upon with hearty earnestness.
Deputy WAGENER explained that the Conserva-
party would be quite ready to accept any plan best
suited to the reorganisation of financial, social, and
commercial requirements, but not until the House
had absolutely acceded to the wishes of the Govern-
ment. If the House refused to do that, power
would take the place of right.
The MINISTER of the INTERIOR said—The Gordian
knot of the dispute lay in the military question.
The Ministry had found a situation which it would
not have brought about, and to which it could also
not give up its position. The reporter had said
rightly that .the Ministry had been forced by this
contest into positions it would not have voluntarily
sought. Let the house consider the real situation
of affairs, the interest of the Sovereign in his own
special work, the war, in which the new organisation
had proved its efficiency ; and was it to be supposed
that the Sovereign or any King should give up the
principles of that organisation ? The house, there-
fore, did well not to make the military question the
touchstone of its right to vote the budget. In every
other direction the Government, unless hindered by
existing circumstances, would follow the views of the
house. The house should go rapidly to work to
restore unanimity, in which ease the two years of
the dispute would be a serious lesson to them all.
After a few remarks from other members, the
house divided, when both drafts of redress were
rejected by considerable majorities.

Railway and other Companies.