The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-06-10

Oar Berlin Co. ~LI,, May Is, 1851.


Great. 5some and
The Prussian Chambers, after wear ,rorued
session of five months were pr, II of
on the 9Th inst. NJ de Manteudei, Preside. 70
the cabinet, read an address, on closing them,
the members Of the upper and lover House, as
sembled at the palace in the "white saloon" IN
which he eulogzed the Chambers for the zeal and
patriotism they had displayed in discussing the |
laws that were laid before them, amounting in all
to thirty-four; by which legislative labors, he said
they had acquired new claims to the gratitude OF
their country. He alluded to the time when the |
course of political events made it requisite to call
out the whole armed force Of the country. who q"
sembled in numbers never before = ~.
enhancing the con6denc"
49,, : commanding the respect Of foreign
.srs Among the legal enactments passed by
the Chambers, he particularly mentioned new
criminal code, and the income tax, which, M. de
Maateaffel assured them would throw the weight
of taxation especially upon those classes pos
sessed of the most ample means, and relieve such
were least able to bear it, Referring to the bud
get, he stated that the expenditure had been in
creased by an amount Of eleven and half millions
of Prussian dollars, incurred in consequence of tn
necessity he had been under Of placing the ar ny
on the war establishment, and offered his acl now
ledg ments to the Chambers for the readiness thew
had shown in sane tioning the disbursement Of this
sum. By the way, it was rather ungraelous of the
Minister not to mention that, besides the eleven
aud half millions, the obsequious Assembly had
allowed eighteen millions granted last year for the
defence of the URica to be diverted to quite diff
feren object not to speak of ten millions of Prus-
| sian dollars ia government paper which ought to
/ have been redeemed, but, there being no funds
available for the purpose, were obliged TO be left in
! circulation.
! This was net the only omission in Baron Man
teufefs retrospective view of the patriotic labors
Of the Prussian Parliament; whether from exces-
sive modesty or for some other reason he elect
ed to record the glorious fact that two measures
| of paramount importance, proposed by government
the disciplinary law, and new gagging law
against the press-were eventually carried though
only by small maJorities, and after desperate
sistanee the part of the constitutional opposi-
ton Fortunately for the citizens Of your repub-
lie, they can form idea Of the bills of pains and
| penalties dgn led in the potic monarchies of
the European continent with the name of laws; and
must therefore give you some account OF the
| above enactments.
A disciplinary law (Discipliaqy- Gcsd-,) is an in
strument employed by the government to remove
any judge, or judicial functonary, who may be OBJ
noxious to the powers that be, or not sufficiently
Jealous in forwarding their views by convicting
political opponents. In such cases, an investiga~
ton is carried on by officials named by the minis
try, who of course have no difficulty in finding the
accused guilty Of all sorts of crimes and INSIDE
meanors and the unhappy culprit is then either sus-
pended that is to say, laid the shelf till he pro-
misses TO behave better in future, aad in the mean
time mulcted of half his pay, else dismissed the
service, and perhaps imprisoned for insurboFdina-
tion. This may seem strange, but it is in fac, a
part Of the system, that the principle of strict dsc
pline which forms the essence of the military or
ganzation. should be extended to the civil.
The next measure, and one of still greater i'm
port TO the public in general, is the new press law
4 lt contains even more stringent regulations than
u the ministerial ordinances of 1919 and $780, which
were already severe enough in all conscience as
\ you may recoect, from the details communicated
in former letters. Editors publishers, and printers
entirely in the hands of the police Ali
offences Of the press, that involve penalty of less
than three years imprisonment, are withdrawn
from the cognizance OF jury, and submitted to q
/ tribunal vi judges appointed by government, and
removable pleasure, who of will not often
have the courage to risk their own places by ac-
quitting any one whom their superiors wish to
denim. Ii is true that this is a fragrant breach Of
the constitution, which prescribes trial by jury for
all offences Of the press whatsoever, but you may
easily imagine that dissatisfaction which has 80
often evn:ed its contempt for public opinion, and
ITS determination 10 suppress all free discussion Is
not likely 20 stick at tribes. As proof how little
disposed ministers are to give up ota Of their
bitrary power and with what disdain they treat the
sol dLsdt representatives Of the nation whose abb
Ject humility on most occasions must certainly give
great encouragement to future aggre ssions, will
just mention what passed in the first Chamber,
when there was for once majority against govern
ment on that section Of the law referring to the
stoppage of newspapers at the post Office, BY order
Of the President of police. Count Wes,phalen the
Minister Of the Interior, told the honorable men,
bers it mattered very little what vote they came
to, as government would continue to enforce this
regulation whether agreed to or not, considering
!. TO be an administrative measure with which the
Cha mbers had right to interfere. In conse-
quence of the press ordinances of 1919 and 1850 the
Qrnp IN Pms hay haa
reduced 10 about two-thirds Of their former num-
Der, and are likely to suffer q further decrease
through the vexatious measures Of the police, who
frequently confscate newspaper in the morning,
soon it has left the press, and take the whole
OF the impression to the police office, along with the
type. This plan seems to have been resorted to for
the purpose OF deterring printers from publishing
any opposition Journals. You will say that the
proprietors Of such journals have an easy remedy
by setting up printing Offices them selves, but beg
70 remark, that to do so they must have q perms-
sion, or license, from the police and this again at
fords fine handle for all sorts Of manuuvres against
the press. democratic paper called the UrtrhLo,
which had an immense circula ton, particularly
among the lower orders, has been almost ruined In
this manner; the printer having been threatened
with the ,ss Of his license, refused to print it any
longer and the acting editor (the R.dcteur chef
Is IN durance vile for writing against the Ministry
has experienced great difficulty in finding any one
willing to enter into so hazardous connection In
short the ret-ograde march Of half century, which
is daily recommended to this government by one OF
the leading organs Of the reactionay party, appears
to be nearly accomplished. Most people, indeed, |
are beginning to look upon this as a eonsumm,- |
tion deyoutly q be wished the restoration Of
pure absolutism would be preferable to the present
state of things, where the ghost Of constitutional
forms only renders the hideous reality Of despotism
the more conspicuous.
The conferences at Dresden, another egregious |
failure Of German politics and politicians, were /
closed by Schwargenberg and Manteuiiel In person.
on the 10th inst. There has been a great deal Of i
of inn
lance has been concluded upon. The smaller Ger
man princes and free cities not inclined to di-
vest themselves Of any part Of their sovereignty,
which guaranteed them by the treaty of Wen
ma, in 1915, and they insist particularly upon re-
taiuing that paragraph which requires every vote
TO be unanimous and eschews the rule Of maj6rites
At first blush, nothing can be more absurd than
such regulation, but in the present state Of affairs
u forms the chief barrier against the undi-pu,ed
preronderance Of Austria, and II i natural that
Prince Schwargenberg should be moving heaven