New-York daily tribune., 1858-11-03
AFFAIRS ~ PRUSSIA.
.snce q II. ". Y. Tribune.


rv. any desirable coInor, from ihe great net 'oaV
the Pru,sian peorl. itself gropes IL wsy IN 'ae
sane dsrk ignorance. A. this very moment elec-
.iorcorinc Committees in Berlin, Bres'An' honiss-
berg Cologne and all the other great or sulli cfA'
ters Of liberalism, are bully engaged m turning
over the dry leaves Of the Prus'ian caar'rFi l"
make sure bat legitimate arm. OF attack or de-
fen.e. silitabe 20 The purpose OF The h'ur may D.
snstched from that mysterious arsenal. These Ten
vcars over. while that charter pretended To BE- 4
thing of iutrir,i value final result, dehnlIi'e
solution. the bulk Of the PrussiIns showed II the
cold shoulder caring about IS much Tor II ~ Tor
the laws Of Menu. The very moment tnat gen
eral feeling dd spring up oi circimsiahcr- h"'4hS
turned this ofieial lumber into rNo-cdgcd sword
everybody appears anxious - 81, acquainted Win
1.-THE Great Unknown In Official regions on
tie other hand there prevails most uneasy
feeling. lest the fruit of knowledge. III thls
case. a. in the aniediuyian epoch msy prove the
fruit OF sin: and the Constitutional manln, which
ha. ali 1T once seized upon the Prtssian people, Is
looked upon with gloomy, aud ! cannot but say
we-founded suspicion. The Prince Ot Prussia,
at this very moment, considers c0ppd eat as con-
tngency he may b. driven 10 before long. IL the
eleciioneerng Committees should succeed ~ their
scheme of recruiting the majority OF the elective
sembly of l-4S from the Waldech. Jac0bi, Rod
burtus, Unruh, Kirchmann, &c, the Prince would
have to walk over again the same battle-ground
ROYALTY seemed t. have conquered m December
l-4- Even the mere breath and hum and clamor
OF reawakeHed popular life bewilder him. If he
were 10 form-ss advised By part of his oTn cam
arla--a Cabinet Bismsrk-Sch0nhausen. thus
openly throwing the gauntlet into the face OF reyo-
luton and uncerem0ulously nipplng the hopes o.
Ia I'D ia IL ur
Der. in harmony with art. 80 of the Constitution
and his own rescripts, might discuss the "neces-
slty' of his regency. HIS regime would tnus De
initiated by stirring and ominous debates as - the
legitimate usurpatOry character OF his tltle On
the other hand, should he allow, tor while only,
the movement 10 spread and quietly assume palpa-
bic FORMS his difficulties would become enhanced
by the old Royalist party turning round and assal-
ing hlm for his having reoPened the tlood-gates OF
revolution, which, in their opinion, they with
sthtesmanlike superiority knew how tn lock up as
long as allowed to steer under the col0rs OF the old
insane King. The history of mOnarcnles shows
that in epochs of social revolution, there is moth
ing more dangerous for resolute and straight
forward, but vulgar and old-tashloned man, than
10 accept the inheritance of n ysscllatng feeble and
faithless character. Jacob l., Ia whom Frederick
W illiam bears the closest resemblance, weathercd
the tempest which threw Charles l. upon the scat
foId and Jacob III. expiated IN an obscure exile
those divine-right deusions which had even added
to the strange popularity of Charles ~. II was,
perhaps from an instructive apprehension of such
difficulties laid in store for him, that Prince
William stubbornly resisted the proclamation of
the charter by the same King who, in l-i on the
opening of the United Diet OF the provincial
estates had pompously declared;
~ feel urged to make the solemn declaration that no
earthly power will succeed in deciding me to con-
vert the natural and solid relation between klng and
= nal F-aT aTful .V. AMI
that will never allow. never, that there inrude be-
tween the Lord in heaven and this country written
bit of paper second providence 80 Ia say PRETEND
ing to rule by it, paragraphs, aud suppdnt by their
means the old, sacred iGith.'
I have already related, in former letter, how
the sketch of Constitution drawn up by the
Camphausen Cabinet and elaborated by rhe ReyO
lutionary Assembly of l-i-, forms the groundwork
of the present Constitution, but only after coup
dftat had swept away the original scheme. an oc
troyed charter had reproduced il in a mangled form.
two revision chambers had remodeed the octroyed
charter and nnumerabe royal DEGREES htd amend
ed the revised charter; all this tedious process
being gone through in order to wipe out the
last features recording the revolutionary offspring
Of the patchwork. Still this end WAS not abs0-
htely obtained. since all ready-made charters
must be nodded more or less on the French
pattern, ard, do what you may forsake all pre-
tension at any striking originality. Thus If one
runs through Title Ii Of the Constitution fJanuary,
1850 treating of the Rights of Prussians, the
Prussian drOits de fkOmme, 50 Ia say, the para
graphs on first view read well enough, " All Prns-
:. SLAMS are equals before the law. Personal lib
erty is guaranteed The private domclle is In
yolabe Nobody can be withdrawn from his
illegal Judge. Punlshments, save through the mag'-
- trate, in his legitimate function, are not TO be
" held out by way of intimidation. Prperiy Is IN
d" violable Civil death and cOntiscstl0n are ban.
{. ,sb fr.p, .h.a law hp a q.
" is not to be encroachcd upon by the State save
with relation to military duty. The liberty of
religious confession, of formation into religious
socleties, and private public worship IN
. common is granted. The enjoyment of civil and
political rights is independent from religious CON
"iessiOn. Marriages according to cTll Ia" only
"are 10 be allowed. Science and IFS doctrines are
/" free. The education of the youth is 10 be suff-
4" ciently provided for BY public schools. Every,
- body is free to teach and To found educational
establishments. The direction OF the econom-
- cal relations of popular schools belongs to the
commuues. In public elementary schools In
" struction is given gratuitOusly. Every PrIssian
possesses the right of freely expressing his opn-
&" ions by way of speech, writing and printing
Ofenses. committed in this way fill under
the jurisdiction of the regular tribunals.
40 All Prussians have the right to hold meetings II
"unarmed, and if gathering IN closed rooms. Ihcy
=" NAV form reunions and clubs for purposes not
"oiendng the laws. All PrussiAns ENJOY the night
''ofpetiton The secrecy of letters Is lnyIolable. All
Prussians must fulfill their military duties. The
EARNED force is only to interfere in exceptional
leases legally circnmscribed Entails are by law
"proscribed and the existing feuda property is To
"be transformed into freehold property The free
division of landed property Is granted.
Now, if you turn from the Rights OF the Prus-
slams" as they appeared paper, to the sorry hg.
ure they cut in reality. you will, II You never lid
en- uf th.. str