The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-01-10
A gcsthing Speech.

|
Herr Windhorst has made speech in
character of the Criminal Code, which 10
Delightfully."- humorous and caustic, and
which was received with great laughter
and approval. No one attempted to an
swer it, which showed that it was felt to
be true. Herr Windhorst being an ex-
Minister of State, a keen lawyer, and an
eloquent speaker, and disliking Prince Bis
marck with q frank cordially, which is re-
paid with Interest by that statesman, lie
just the man to take up such subject, and
to make the best of it in every sense of
the word. The first point in his speech
was the seizure of private papers which
has become SO very frequent in Prussia
that NO man can call his papers his own.
AS matters now stand in Germany" said
the caustic orator, with respect to the
control over dOmiciliary searches, now in
the hands of the police, now upon requisi
ton of the State Attorney, and again by
order of the judge, one 10 compelled to re-
greet not living on the very frontier, where
one might keep ones correspondence al
ternateiy ON one side and the other of the
German boundaries" "Not one
of us can be certain that at this very
moment domiciliary search is not being
executed in his own house." Then, illus
tratiDg by example, he gave the case of
Count Stoiberg. who was not at home, none
of his family were at home, he himself was
sitting here in the Honse of Commons.
They broke into his house, aud passed all
his private papers in review" After quot
ing other cases, the speaker proceeded
Gentlemen, this is not agreeable. would
not say anything about it if merely papers
of political nature were in question, for
nobody needs to be in possession of such
thingsv-but every man owns private papers
that it is not the pubiic's business to in
spect and have personally experienced
how small ones guarantee is that discreet
use of such papers shall be made by the
domiciliary searcher, or by whomsoever it
may be who gets euch papers into his
hands. A perfectly innocent letter of mine
was found in this manner 1 cannot even
now understand how anything objection
able could be discovered in it. This letter
was promulgated by the police, or by some
body else, was actually put into the ne,Us-
ernments with the observation appended
to it that sit might be apprehended there
from what a dangerous fellow wac y"
He then alluded to England, whore he said
that such visits we're totally out of the
question and unknown. "Thcre men are,
with respect to such things, safe in their
| own houses and would faiu believe that
it were our foremost task to enable our
| selves to speak of the inviolability of our
| homes with the same proud conviction that
| recently animated Disraeli." Proceeding
from one sarcasm to another, he invited the
|
| this very delicate matter: "for," he said,
"according to the enactments now before
| it, all the arbitraripesses which now exist
are further entirely authorized for the fu
ture for 'in certain cases. and as other
clauses, admirably characterized by Lasker,
ordain, it is perfectly possible that police
man, or q State Attorney, or some other
person of that sort may any day break in
TO the House of Commons, and sequestrate
our national history !" This was followed
by immense cheering and laughter after
which the question of arrests received
equally powerful treatment; the difference
between being ssarrested," 'itaken care of, p
and "taken into custody" being very hu-
morously traced. "When one is arrested,
said the speaker, Zones business may be
done pretty regularly, according to the
draught Bill before you but when one il
taken care of or taken into custody ex-
tremely curious things happen. confess
that, for my part, if once it comes to my
going by compulsiOp to the Molkenmarkt
it is all one to me whether am arrested
taken care of, or taken into custody" AL
this produced great merriment. But to
wards the close of the speech the tone be-
came grave such passages as the follow
ing being delivered: Il declare quite
frankly that l had far rather we carried
our precautions too far, and Let off this Oh
that offender, than THAI we should keeI
the whole population under q chronic pres
sure, and in chronic uncertainty Vhethel
such aud such a letter ought to be burnt
or not, and whether man shall be allowed
to rise out of his own bed any morning, OI
shall find himself in another place of re-
pose. That is our present position in Ger
maBy.n
SKETCH OF ALFONSO THE TWELFTH OF
| SPAIN the Twelfth. eon of tlt