The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-06-11
The German Empire.

1t is not easy for the people of one cOun.
try to understand the institutions and the
form of government of another country.
Even the best informed of the London
papers are constantly making the most
cOmical mistakes about the United States.
A Frenchman understands nobody but
Frenchmen, and to all other peoples the
French Government is an enigma.
We cannot therefore be surprised that
the new German Empire puzzles those who
have not made study of it. There is
need of explanation how the Emperor of
Germany can be at the same time King of
Prussia; how Bavaria can be ruled by a
king of its own and yet be one of the Ger
man States that are governed by the En-
perOr William; and hoy Prince Bismarck
could have been-as he was year or two
ago-deposed from his place as Prime Min
lister of Prussia, and yet could remain
Chancellor of the Empire.
The simplest form of explanation would
be to say that the German Empire resem-
bles our own federal government. Our
States are wholly Independent in some
things; in others they are but parts of a
whole. So the German States are ruled in
some matters by the Imperial Government,
in others by the local governments.
There are great differences, of course.
In our own country each State has institu-
tons and laws similar to those of all the
rest. In the Serate all the States are equal.
The citizen of one State is a citizen of an
other State as soon as he moves into it. In
Germany the States vary greatly. There
are kingdoms, grand duchies, duchies,
principalities, and free city. The institu-
tons, laws and customs differ totally.
And vet allowing for the fact that Ger
many is governed monarchically while the
United States is Republic, there is no
government in the world that resembles
ours more closely in its general scheme.
The new empire was formed on the 10th
of December, 1870. 1t is made up of
twenty-five States, besides Alsace-LOrraine,
the largest of which is Prussia, with TWEEN
ty-faur millions of inhabitants /; the small
est, Schaumburg-Lippe, with only thirty
one thousand. Prussia is not only the
largest State, but is the leader of the En-
pire, and its king is sovereign of the
whole.
There are two houses of legislature, the
Federal Council and the Diet of Reichstag,
corresponding to our Senate and House of
Representatives. The Federal Council
consists of fifty-nine members, appointed
by the rulers Of the several States. Prus-
STA has seventeen. Bavaria six, Wurtem-
berg four, SaXOny four, and most of the
others one each. The Reichstag consits
of about four hundred members, who are
elected by the people. Each of the States
has its own legislature formed on its own
model.
The Imperial Government has power
over the foreign relations of Germany, over
all matters relating to money, coinage,
Of on1 fha
office, the army and navy, criminal. COM
mercial and press laws. The only matters
left for the States are the local government
and police. Formerly each of these petty
States had foreign ministers by the score,
each had its own criminal code, and there
was constant conflict between them. Now,
not only does the Imperial authority have
these matters under their own control. but
it has means of enforcing its ideas even in
regard to those local questions which are
not especially within the scope of thsgsA.m-
pire.
Prince Bismarck is not only the first
man in Prussia, but the first man in Ger
many. Having been restored 10 his old
place in the Prussian ministry, he is not
only the leader of that ministry, but the
Prime Minister of the Empire. The two
offices are, however, entirely Independent
Of each other, and might be held by two
different persons without confusion. 1t is
only Prince Bismarck's eminence that
caused him to be selected to fill both posi-
tons at once.
The new Empire has been very active in
he assumption of its powers. 1t has
coined millions upon millions Of gold. 1t
mas consolidated the army. 1t has passed
press laws. 1t has expelled the Jesuits. |
indeed Germany has been grasped by a
strong hand and has been undergoing ex-
ensive reorganization. Mistakes have
,een made, but on the whole, not only
Germany but the observing world agree,
hat the formation of the Empire was a
wise act, and that its affairs have been adj
nirably administered by the Emperor
William and Prince Bismarck.-Youth's |