, 1866-03-30
From the London Times, March ~

was opened by a characteristic Royal
Speech. It's tone was entirely in har-
mony with the policy indicated by the
King at his Coronation, and since carried
out with rerentless consistency by Count
Bismark. Not the slightest prospect of
compromise on the side of the Crown
was held out to the Second Chamber,
which, on the contrary, was informed ia
plain terms that a measure for the reor-
ganization of the army, four times reject
ed by it, was not 10 be abandoned by the
Government. There was a significant
~allusion to the fact of the country having
been governed for some time past with
out a Budget, and although Estimates
for the next year were promised, the re-
representatives. of the people were left 10
suppose that Count Bismark cared very
little whether they were passed or not.
The sequel proves that such was, in fact,
the Minister'S real meaning, and the SEES
sion has just been closed in a manner
which in any other country would leave
no hope of future Cancellation. Count
Bismark told the Deputies, in the Kings
name, that nothing but mischief having
resulted from their deliberations, it had
been resolved to cut them short. The
Government had relied on the disposition
of the Lower Chamber to make the re-
quislte concessions, but it had been dis
appointed, and further discussion would
only aggravate the existing conflict.
Count Bismark added, that In thus act
ing the Opposition had misrepresented
the sentiments of the Prussian people.
When we remember that the Chamber
has twice been dissolved on this very
question, and that on both occasions The
constituencies have supported their mem
hers III maintaining the power of the
purse we cannot Dul duuIIU T:,,s toon1x.r.vC
implied IN this appeal to the electoral
body. The premature termination of the
Session., however, was not unforeseen,
and had been FASTENED by three memo
rable protests, which Count Bismark
calls "aggressions," on the part Of the
Chamber. BY "cancelling the Lauen-
burg title OF the King, ~annulIing the
"decree OF the Supreme Tribunal, and
"asking for the punishment of the police
'men who had prohibited the Cologne
parliamentary dinner" the House had
thrown down the gauntlet to the Govern
ment. The challenge was accepted, and
the King again determined to dispense
~ IA oocAolonCC Vi HIS L. Ill IIdIl6u(s
The nominal occasion of this step was
the rejection of a motion for an Address
to the Throne bat aver Count Bismark
admits that it had been contemplated be-
fore, and no Prussian Liberal doubts that
1t portends a serious crisis.
1t certainly ought to do so, were The
spirit of political liberty in Germany at
all like that which animated our own
ancestors under similar circumstances.
There is scarcely any violation of Con-
stitutional rights committed by Charles
l, of which King William has not been
guilty, and the ~counsels of Count Bis
mark are a Prussian parody on the coun-
sells of Stanford. If we may take DR..
Gneist on the one hand, and Herr. Wag-
ner on the other, as the authorized
spokesman of their respective parties,
the Prussian Royalists have embraced the
most arbitrary doctrines of the Stuarts,
and the Prussian Liberals occupy a
ground analogous to that defended by the
Long Parliament. The latter claim no