The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-07-08
CORRESPONDENTS.
rive do not hold ourselves responsible for any opin-
a expressed by our Corresnondents.I
(. FROM LEIPZIG.
LEIPZIG, June 16, 1871.

us grand IeBllVa al DeTlln' AH0 "ea'h
er uncommonly bad until yesterday, has
suddenly changed and the radiant sum-
mer's sun will smile down upon the
triumphal entrance of the returning
heroes into the capital OF the new en-
Fpire. So far all is merry as a marriage
bell, and Providence in stopping the
awful ruins, has again proved gracious
to her especial friend, the King-EmPe-
ror William. But not all that glittert
is gold. The splendid Germania that
will welcome our troops is 0~ fond, but
1imsy composition Of plaster OF Paris
and wicker work, and the hundreds o.
thousands of people that will line the
streets and rend the air with their en-
thnsiastic rivats bear in their hearts,
most of them at least, the cankeI
Of discomfort. Discomfort more de-
veloped, more conscious, and therefore
deeper rooted than in the first time afteI
the conclusion of Peace. Since then
al the hopes, which the hopeful still
harbored have been destroyed one BY
one, and the most unfavorable pre-
dictions of The Irreconcilables have
-hesa fulfilled one by one. The long
session Of the Reichsrsg, that ended
but yesterday, has been one long string
of disappointments for the patriots
Not the slightest concession has been
made to liberalism by the Government.
The majority were of trul y lamb like
submisslveness, and vet ruling Younker
dom found means Of venting its brutal
ity on the unIesisting herd Quite
modestly they ventured once to hint at
their right of having a word TO say in
money affairs concerning the proposed
loans for Alsatia-Lorraine) and what
was the result? Count or Prince Bis
marck, their adored idol, rose up from
his seat and in a voice trembling with
rage he shouted TO them threatening !:
dtOS ego and in a remarkable speech
such as has never been heard in Europe
since Louis XIV. of France pronounced
his impudent Z Fiat c'eSt MOI the
State am in a speech which contain
ed the words: !, me, my and NINE just
$50 times-I write one hundred and
fifty times-he told his affrighted hear
ers, who were covering like brood of
fowls menaced by a hawk, that "I''
Prince Bismarck IS all and the Reich.
stag nothing, and that if the Reichstag
dares to throw the slightest obstacles
in the way Of mighty 81" it will be bad
for the Reichstag. Of course the
Reichstag pocketed the affront, accept
ed the lesson, and without wincing, re-
signs every further attempt of meddling
in money affairs. However ill luck
would have it, that the sorry wretches
got into trouble again. A couple OF
post officials had been removed from
Hamburg to uncomfortable stations
near the Russian frontier because they
had got up petition to the Reichstag.
Now the right Of petitioning the Reich
stag is undoubtedly guaranteed by the
Constitution, and the Reichstag having
only a small quantity Of that right, re-
solved to make a stand for its right OF
being petitioned. A solemn "iEterpel-
latlon" was let off and Prince Bis
marck's factotum, Delbruck, answered
cody, that the two officials in question
had not been removed because they had
got up petition, but for disciplinary
reasons, aud in questions of discipline,
civil as well as military, the representa-
tives Of the g-r.r-r-reat German nation
had to hold their tongues. To a fur
Their meek question Mr.. Delfruck re-
Piled, the government had never thought
and did not think to interfere with the
right Of petitionIng. the mem oers Of
the ReIchstag Looked astonished at one
another anu-held their tongues. And
why had they looked so astOnished ?
Well, several OF them had in their pock-
ets the copy Of circular sent by the
Postmaster General to all postOfhceS,
GChich said circular forbade petitiontng
cGteQOricdiy! Can behavior more alb
ject be imagined? These men allow
Ihemselve, to be brow-beaten and bull
lied by fellow, whom they klOV TO be
a liar, and can cOnrict as such on the
spot. doubt, whether the history OF
parliamentarism offers q pendant TO this.
However, the matter did not end here
} ct "a second interpolation was framed,
the night of petiuonlng.
The government papers had, in the
meantime, mercllessly twitted aud |, c
tured the ReIchstag several members
had been heard privately 10 express
great anger at last a serious battle
seemed imminent. But no such ting
A flock Of the most nturated sheep
will nefer attack dog. The interpret
laIion was put. Delbruck simply re-
peated bis old answer the government
b ad not interiered with the right Of pc
tition, and as for the two removed o.
ficials, they had not been removed for
But for what other reasOnT
You representatives of the people have
no right to inquire into the mysteries OF
the administrative hierarchy. Fierce
words were pronounced, and, in these
fierce words. the anger evaporated.
Nobody had the courage to brand Delbuck
as tldr; and of the different resolu-
lions moved not one was carried, 50 that
literally the Reichstag did not come to
any resolution at all. And now let us
turn our back to this sorry spectacle.
The truth with regard 10 the Paris
catastrophe IS slow y penetrating
through the midst. We know now
that tile doors of Paris were opened to
the VersailIese partly by treason, part
" by the Prussians. The latter fact is
uudubitable ; it has been confirmed by
Bismarck himself. When this worthy
returned 10 Berlin alter his Frankfort
conference with Jules Favre, lie stop
,nl g. oop,n t,u1n of W.; i