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 skilfu,'
enough. The speech was addressed to Prussia, an
Prussia fully shares the King's belief. And it was
his Majesty's object and his interest, when meet
a House of Representatives which had quarrelled
with him upon the question of military reorganisa-
tion, and refused him the supplies necessary to place
the army on a proper footing, to lay especial stress
upon these successes, and claim, as he had the full
right to do, that the very measure which the house
had so vehemently opposed had been mainly instru-
mental in producing them. His Majesty has done
well, too, in insisting upon the proof which the war
has given of the merits of the reorganisation, inns"
much as that testimony really removes a very end-
siderable difficulty from the way of that reconcilia-
tion between the Government and the House 0"
Deputies which he professes, and no doubt with the
utmost sincerity, to so warmly desire. The most
vehement opponents of the reorganisation may Ow
withdraw their opposition without incurring shame
or suspicion. They may yield to the logic of expo'
rience what they might have felt their honour forbad
them to give to the assurances of professional men,
who were backed by threats and persecution. And
although the Budget question, the right of the house
to control the national purse, is nominally the great
question between the Government and the country/
that would be settled easily—assuming a little good-
will on both sides—if only that of the reorganisa:
tion were previously determined. For it mas"
always be remembered that gcept on this question
of reorganisation the Government has not---
until after the great conflict had broken out/
and it replied to the protests of the house against
its violation of the law by constitutional theories
which set aside the leading principles of the consti-
tution—contested the right of the house to refuse its,
assent to any new expenditure and strike it out 0'
the Budget ; and the King himself originally',
before, in his irritation, he called Herr von Bisnaar''
to power, and adopted that Minister's audacious
glosses upon the constitution—only contested the
power of the Chamber to refuse its assent to this
expenditure on the ground that it had before 00n"
firmed it, and could not alone repeal a measure td,
which all three factors of the Legislature had
assented. Everything will depend upon the initiative
of the Government, and, so far, the chance 'of re'
conciliation looks better than at any period in the
conflict, although it cannot be said to promise much'
The Government will, it is said introduce at once'
and before the Budget, a bill giving a legal and
permanent force to the reorganisation. If this ha'
should obtain a majority there would be no difficulty
about a Budget calculated upon it, and, therefore,
according to a system already approved by the
house. But there are considerable difficulties ilia
the way. In the first place, the King has insiste
upon three years' service, and would regard the
limitation to two years by law as a defeat. Th,e
majority of the house thinks that too great a ta,:
upon the country, and that two years would ample
suffice. The solution would be found in fixing 1";
peace establishment at such a number of men ala
whilst the three years' service was nominally Pre'
served, the two years would be practically estx
bushed. The greater difficulty, however, is, that the
majority of the house will probably attempt to mai'
the Government and the King cry peecavimus' ere
plicitly withdraw the theories upon which they ha.`r
justified governing without a Budget, beg an ',a;
demnity for the past, and expressly recognise t''o
omnipotence of the house in the future. The how
has been extremely irritated by the penal dissolll'
tions and prorogations, the prosecution of its neon;
bers, and the taunts and abuse of the Governnien
press, which has had full liberty, whilst the OPPe;
sition journals have been cowed by prosecutiouu
and seizure. It is mortified, too, by the triuraPrt,
of the Government policy, for assailing whieb,,i,
was dismissed 12 months ago, and its leaders, a'
though able men enough, are not politicians. They
are professors and officials, to whom compromised' °
distasteful ; many of them are leavened with deint
cracy, and more have personal grievances again n
the Government. They will probably insist leo
humiliating the Government, and if they do tli.e,e
will be no solution to the conflict. It is impossibie
to suppose that in a juncture like this, when
Government is still in the full flush of its triulnq
when it has the power so firmly in its hands, alie
thanks to the steadily increasing revenue, all iho
supplies it needs, it will beg the pardon of ;Po
House of Deputies, and confess itself vanquished lie
the contest. We are very much afraid that
members of the Prussian House of Deputies -0;,
think more about gratifying their wounded feelit
and giving the Government " a bit of their railli,at
than of a reconciliation with the King, and t."to
after a stormy debate or two they will be sent of
their homes with a severe scolding for auo'"
twelve months' holiday.