Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-11-17
PRUSSIA IN A OnIyI0AL srATE.
COAisfOls 8sfsree,s ire CrOsrI aud EAs
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GCkfna0asSs
From the European Times
Prussia is iD q critical state KinglY govern
ment there, unmindful Of the past seems dis
posed 70 stretch its preTOgstive, OF assumed pre-
rogstive, beyond al reasonable bounds, and 9
collision between the popular branch OF the leg
i-lature and the monarchy has taken place
which may terminate seriously. IA an affair of
this kind the head Of the State is the greatest
sutfsrer. All history proves it. The violation
not only Of the letter but the spirit Of the Con-
stitution, by the reigning monarch is On insult
to the whole natioT, and every one is disposed
TO resent it as personal eff snse put on himself
But the infAtuation of William
the First is so eItraOTdinary-he seems dis
posed to rnsh with such hot haste on his
ruin-thst he does not disguise the fact that
ne is acting Illegally, In the address to
both Chambers IN proroguing them, he cOolly
end q1ie ly slmiss his Outrage on iha cor
stitution Of the Prussian people. Can anything
be plsirsr or more suicidal than this passage
90 That the budget as decresd BY the Chamber
of Representatives, having been rejected By the
Chamber OF Lords, on the ground Of INSULT.
cheney, the government of his majesty is under
the necessity Of welding the public effairs out
SIDE the conditions of the Constitu ton" The
meaning of this is plsin-'' [ want more money
than you choose to grant me, and, because you
refuse, l will take the law into nay own hands,
and do as l like, without caring fig for your
opinions" To suppose that sensible, albeit
phlegmssic, people, will endure sentiments like
these from the head Of the State, Is 10 suppose
them deficient in all the elements of sslfrespect,
and ready to place themselves under the hoOf Of
the royal trampler.
OF course, the Peers side with the King Like
him, they possess exclusive privileges which
they desired to retain, and caring nothing for
what is called pnslic opinion, place themselves
in direct sntag1nism to the whole spirit of The
nation. The Pussian House Of
Commons lost no time in deciding what course
they would take. They passed series of reso-
iutions which set forth their own privileges in
unmistakeGbls terms, and declared that the con-
duct of the Upper Chamber was contrary 70 the
Constitution, and these resolutions were carried
by 237 to :. UGanimity ike this ought to have
made the crown pause, had it been wise and
sensible; bat in a few hours both Houses were
summoned, the Commons were rsprimsnded and
dissolved, and the whole Prusssn nation and
the hIng now stand in the most sntsg0nistic
positions.
Fhe King Of Prussia, having taken this
plunge, must 20 further. He has done so mach
70 estrsnge the feelings of his prople, that be
cannot recede without compromising those no
items Of "dvine right" on which he prides
sught to have been Stuart. In bis Judgment
she crown Is everything--the nation nothing
aud abe time must speedily come for = fearful
reckOsing, which can snly be avoided by the
Monarch retrAcing mis- steps, or his subjects
! foregoing their inalenable rights. In such
contest il is not difficult to see who will be the
victoTs. History teens with Instances Of FElers
With more prestige than William the First who
fell through their own obs inscy-whO fsrcied
that men were born for kings to make fools Of
instead Of kings being born to rule with discre-
| tisn over peoples. Happily the soYeFeigns Of
our own land have oQtlived this nonsense, but
| it is still rampant on the contnent-still resrs
It's head in Prussia, and the crisis through which
that country is passing cannot fail to give Sc
! rious unessinfss 10 our own beloved Queen,
whose eldest daughter has deep and abiding
! stake in the issue. The Prussian comp d e!ai
may, at no remote time, become IS memorable
in history as similar events in a nsighboring us
| tio9, ana when matters are pushed 10 this ex-
/ trenity by the obstinscY Of Z self-wiiled King,
it is possible eOnhagTatiOn may be lighted
! throughout Europe hardly inferior to that year
of wonders, 1913. Man is the creature of im:-
tation, and contagion OF this kind is sure to
spread. AL the elements exist on the European
! continent to make the blaze terrific; but that a
Russian ruler should be now engaged in play.
ing the part Of incendiRry is not the least
strange Of the many strange sights which we
have Witnessed ia our time.